ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. The Bobcats entered Sunday’s semifinal matchup against the Iona Gaels riding a string of momentum-building victories. Since their loss to Fairfield on Feb. 14, their four succeeding victories had been over a 10-point margin. If they continued their hot hand today, they would secure a second-straight MAAC Championship appearance, in what would be their best chance yet to reach the NCAA Tournament since the Bobcats last went to the big dance in 2019.
By the end of the game, Quinnipiac would have been tested as much as it has this whole season, eking out a 63-62 win in overtime.
The Gaels started the game showing some fight despite the Bobcats knocking down shots. After a quick 5-0 Bobcats lead off of a Karson Martin layup and Ella Ryan three, the Gaels stayed with their opponents, countering with two three pointers from Naomi Barnwell and layups from Zoey Ward and Isabellah Middleton, giving Iona a 10-9 lead at the first media timeout.
After two layups from Ward and Claudia Fiel, the Gaels had a five-point lead with 15 seconds left in the quarter. Martin brought the ball into the frontcourt and used a nice pick-and-roll play to get Sydney Ryan a wide-open three to cut the Iona lead to 14-12 at the end of the first.
In the second, the Bobcats got their feet set on offense and started looking like the team that earned the No. 1 seed in the conference. Martin got her teammates fired up after a hard and-one layup. Anna Foley would drill a nice fadeaway mid-range to give the Bobcats the lead followed by a Jackie Grisdale three-pointer that gave Quinnipiac a four-point advantage.
Foley would keep it going with another jumper and the Bobcats would clamp down on the Gaels final possession, bringing momentum into the second half up 30-24. Martin led the team with nine points followed by Ella Ryan and Foley with seven and six points each. The team also had 19 total rebounds in the first half. Barnwell led the Gaels with seven points in the half.
The Gaels would start the second half strong, as Barnwell led the way with a layup and a three-point play, followed by a three-pointer from the top of the key by Ward, forcing Fabbri to take a timeout.
After Martin knocked down a three and Ella O’Donnell got on the board with a nice cut to the rim, Ward would respond with another three. As a result, the Gaels would lead 38-37 at the third quarter media timeout.
Barnwell kept delivering for Iona, forcing her way to the hoop and completing another three-point play. The Bobcats stayed in the fight with Ella Ryan and Martin hitting two big three pointers at the end of the third quarter, which would end tied at 45.
Martin and Ella Ryan put the Bobcats on their back this game, leading the team in scoring with 19 and 15 points, respectively.
“The girls give me confidence; they continuously encourage me to keep shooting, even if it is not going in. They keep saying ‘we trust your shot and if it doesn’t work, get downhill,’” said Martin.
“It all comes down to the girls that surround me and our coach, who takes chances on us and puts us on the floor when it matters most,” said Ella Ryan. “It becomes automatic when you have people behind you telling you the next one’s going in.”
O’Donnell got the Bobcats going in the fourth, banking one in from under the basket, but Barnwell responded once again for the Gaels with a three. A Sydney Ryan steal that had her alone on a fastbreak would go to the wayside for Quinnipiac as Sydney missed a layup attempt under the hoop and a travelling violation would be called.
Ward would hit another three-pointer to give the Gaels a 51-49 lead, but Ella Ryan would immediately respond to give the Bobcats a one-point advantage. Ward would hit two free throws and Barnwell would muscle a tough layup, but Sydney Ryan would tie the game at 55 with another three. Middleton would drive baseline and float a shot in to give Iona a two-point lead with 2:14 to go in regulation.
Ella Ryan would tie the game once again out of a Bobcat timeout. Fabbri would once again call a timeout with 28.4 seconds left.
On how she stays calm while under the pressure of a big game, Ella Ryan said, “I think I have this basketball part of myself that I balance with my personal self. As soon as I step on the court, basketball Ella takes over and I’m focused.”
Martin would start the final possession with a shot at a game-winning three, but miss. An Ella Ryan attempt would also go short and this game would head to overtime, tied at 57.
“We had the opportunity to win it, we didn’t do it, we got five more minutes and it’s right back to business. It’s been our mantra,” Fabbri said on what she told her team heading to overtime.
Martin would hit two free throws at the start of the extra frame, but Middleton would respond with a fadeaway jumper. With just under two minutes left, Ward would hit her fourth three-pointer of the game, forcing Fabbri to take a timeout down 62-61.
Anna Foley would hit a massive mid-range shot off an inbounds play to give the Bobcats a 63-62 lead with 26.5 left in overtime.
“These are the moments that are made for us, that’s why it’s March, it’s why it’s so fun,” said Foley. “It was a great pass from Jackie and I just trust all the work I’ve done so far.”
The Gaels would have one last opportunity to respond with about 25 seconds to go. The Bobcats would defend well, not allowing a shot attempt, but the ball would be knocked out and ruled off Grisdale after a review, giving Iona another chance.
Middleton inbounded to Mya Zaccagnini, who shot 1-9 on the day. She drove around defenders, threw a shot up from near the baseline, but it was off the mark, giving Quinnipiac an absolute sweat of a victory.
“I’m extremely proud of how we battled and how we believed. To be so close, it’s gonna hurt but I have a lot of admiration for our team and how we battled,” said Iona head coach Angelika Szumilo.
Quinnipiac out-rebounded Iona 43-32, led by O’Donnell, who, despite only scoring four points, grabbed 10 boards. Zoey Ward had a double-double, scoring 23 and grabbing 10 rebounds, her tenth of the season. Barnwell and Middleton both scored in double figures with 20 and 11 each.
“We were gritty when it mattered the most. Our resilience and determination in knowing exactly what we want to do have been second to none in terms of the teams that I’ve coached in the past,” said Fabbri. “There was nothing magical. There’s no pixie dust. It’s about finding a way to do it together and that’s exactly what you saw in the closing minutes of the game.”
The Bobcats will take on No. 2 Fairfield Sunday in the MAAC Championship at 6 p.m. The teams split their season series this year, with the Bobcats ending the Stags’ 21-game home winning streak on Jan. 29 and Fairfield being Quinnipiac’s only conference loss this season.
“We need to believe in the work we’ve put in, that it’s going to be good enough and we have to fight because we want a ring, and we want a banner,” said Martin
