November 29, 2008

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (4-1) vs.

Providence College Friars (2-3)

Sunday, November 30, 2008 – 1 p.m.

TD Banknorth Sports Center – Hamden, Conn.

Sunday's Game

The Quinnipiac University women's basketball team takes on Providence Sunday afternoon at the TD Banknorth Sports Center. The Bobcats are coming off a 50-41 win over Delaware in their home opener Tuesday night. Mandy Pennewell (West Chester, Pa.) led Quinnipiac to the come-from-behind victory as she scored 21 points and sparked the second-half push against the Blue Hens. The Bobcats and Friars last met Nov. 29, 2005 with the Bobcats winning 83-80 in double overtime. Quinnipiac lost the previous two matchups with Providence nearly three decades ago.

Scouting the Friars

Providence comes to the TD Banknorth Sports center for the first time on Sunday having lost its last two games. The Friars lost to Vermont Wednesday, 73-67, a team the Bobcats defeated last weekend in the first game of the TD Banknorth Classic. Prior to that loss, Providence fell to tournament-host Iowa in the Championship game of the Hawkeye Classic, 64-46. This season, the Friars are led by Mi-Khadi Hankins' 14.4 points per game, while Shantee Darrian pulls down almost eight boards a contest.

Twenty Something
Pennewell's 21 points against the Blue Hens was the first time someone other than Erin Kerner (Erie, Pa.) reached the 20-point mark for the Bobcats this season. The senior guard shot 5-of-7 from behind the three-point line en route to her first 20-point game since scoring 28 against Mount St. Mary's on Jan. 14 last season.

Block Party

Freshman forward Jacki Mann (Rutherford, N.J.) recorded her first career block against the Blue Hens. She was not finished with just one, though, adding four more for a Quinnipiac season-high five blocks in the game. Mann added four points to go along with her five blocks, including a layup in the final minutes to regain the lead for the Bobcats.

Senior Steals Seven

Brianna Rooney (Guilford, Conn.) recorded seven steals against Delaware in the home opener Tuesday. The seven steals are the second most in a single game in the program's Division I history. In Quinnipiac's season-opening win at Stony Brook, freshman Felicia Barron (Springfield, Mass.) also had seven steals. Kerner holds the single-game record with eight thefts against Central Connecticut on Feb. 1, 2006.

Double Digit Duty

Kerner's 10 points against the Blue Hens gives her double-digit points in each game this season. The senior guard is the only player on the Bobcats to reach that figure in all five games. The last time she did not reach the double-digit mark was Feb. 2 against Fairleigh Dickinson. Kerner has now reached scored 10 or more points in 17 consecutive games.

Preaching Defense

Quinnipiac's defense has held opponents to an average of 56.4 points per game this season. Other than the loss to Michigan State, the Bobcats have not allowed an opponent to score any more than 62 points in any of their four wins. The Bobcats are third in the conference in scoring defense.