ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. –It had been seven years since the Quinnipiac women’s basketball team last made the NCAA Tournament. For the second-straight year, the Bobcats would face their arch-rival, Fairfield Stags, for the MAAC Championship in Atlantic City.
Quinnipiac would play Fairfield tough, but the Stags always seemed a step ahead, and did not allow the Bobcats to get any momentum going until it was too little, too late. Fairfield would cement its dynasty, winning 51-44 in a game where the glass and the rim played a major role.
Meghan Andersen and Jillian Huerter gave the Stags a 4-0 lead on two layups underneath the basket. Anna Foley would get the Bobcats going with a big block under the rim, along with Grisdale knocking down a three from the corner to give QU a boost.
The defense was stellar early on from the Stags, with multiple Ella O’Donnell shot attempts from the post being blocked or contested. Quinnipiac’s Sydney Ryan would also have a three-pointer blocked by Andersen at the top of the key. As much as defense was the focus, the game was also physical, as Fairfield reached the foul limit with 3:55 left in the first quarter.
Cyanne Coe would get going at the end of the first quarter for the Stags, knocking down two free throws and muscling through for a layup. Quinnipiac’s Ella Ryan would also get her day going, knocking down a high-arching three. The score would be 10-9 Fairfield at the end of the quarter.
O’Donnell got herself going to start the second, spinning past her defender and banking in two shots off the glass. Fairfield would separate itself from Quinnipiac with two threes from Huerter, forcing Fabbri to take a timeout down 20-13.
The physicality would continue to rear its head at the end of the first half. No points were scored within the last two minutes and the Bobcats picked up seven fouls in the first half opposed six for the Stags. The seven fouls for the Bobcats were a lot compared to the 12 fouls they had in the whole Iona game. The calls seemed to rattle them, causing them to back off on defense just a tad. The score at halftime was 25-19, Stags.
Andersen got the Stags going in the second half with two early layups, but an Ella Ryan three, plus great work on the glass by O’Donnell and Foley, kept the Bobcats in it. But the Stags would begin to pull away, behind another Huerter three and a trio of layups by Coe.
Fairfield continued to score when they needed to during the fourth quarter, dominating nearly every aspect of the game. The Stags’ seven-to-nine-point cushion seemed insurmountable. But the performance of Ella Ryan and Foley kept the Bobcats alive.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself at the beginning of the year. I felt I wasn’t playing to my caliber, but you know, I dug in and credit to everybody that kept believing in me, they lifted my head up,” Foley said.
Grisdale, who struggled all game shooting, made a nice cut for a layup and got the game within three. The Bobcats would clamp down on defense, preventing a shot, and give themselves a chance to tie the game at 47.
On the ensuing possession for the Bobcats, Martin inbounded to Foley, who found Sydney Ryan at the top of the key. She put up a shot that clanked off the back of the rim into the waiting arms of Janelle Brown. The Bobcats tried to force a turnover, but would be unsuccessful, allowing the Stags to run the clock out and seal their third straight MAAC Championship, winning 51-44.
“I said a lot of quick prayers and let’s get this baby down, but it was a great look,” Fabbri said on Sydney’s final shot. “If we had to do it all over again, we would do the exact same thing with Sydney shooting it. Tying that game with 20 seconds left, it would have been interesting to see that play out.”
In a game in which both teams shot under 40%, rebounds and defense were the story, as the Stags outboarded the Bobcats 35-27 and forced 19 turnovers. Jillian Huerter would be named Championship MVP, as she led Fairfield with 16 points while shooting 4-6 from beyond the arc. Anna Foley led the Bobcats with 17 points while also grabbing nine rebounds.
An emotional Bobcats team reflected on what this season meant to them and how the program has turned into a family.
“I’m just so thankful for every moment I’ve spent here with Coach Fabbri and every single young woman that I’ve played with. I know the bonds that I’ve formed are going to last me a lifetime,” Grisdale said of her career in Hamden. “I’m so grateful for the people, the place, and the community that Quinnipiac is.”
“This has been one of the most enjoyable seasons I’ve had. [My players] are just wonderful humans, let alone basketball players,” Fabbri said. “I told them, “I’ve done this for a lot of years but this has been one of the most fun years that I’ve had coaching… It’s going to sting, but once we are able to reflect, we’re gonna be able to look back on another great year.”
Fabbri also reflected on how her players help her to be a better person, as much as they say she has done for them. “They make me feel alive. They give me great purpose. They make me want to be better because of what they sacrifice and do every day for this program.”
