February 12, 2010

Game #25
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (10-14, 5-8 NEC) vs.
Long Island University Blackbirds (15-9, 9-4 NEC)
Saturday, February 13, 2010 - 12:00 p.m.
Hamden, Conn. - TD Bank Sports Center

Saturday's Game
The Quinnipiac University women's basketball team will host the Long Island Blackbirds Saturday at noon at the TD Bank Sports Center. Prior to the game, the Bobcats will honor four members of this year's team as part of Senior Day ceremonies. Kathleen Neyens (Jaffrey, N.H.), Krystal Lazos (Medford, N.J.), Sarah McGowan (Red Lion, Pa.) and Megan Barnum (Stormville, N.Y.) will be recognized for their contributions to the Bobcats over the course of the last four seasons. Quinnipiac snapped a seven-game losing streak in its last contest, coming Thursday night against St. Francis (NY), 72-55, to improve to 10-14 and 5-8 in Northeast Conference play. The game will also feature ceremonies surrounding "National Girls and Women In Sports Day" and the Women's College Basketball Coaches' Association's "Pink Zone".

Scouting the Blackbirds
Long Island comes to Hamden Saturday afternoon for the only game with Quinnipiac this season. The Blackbirds are currently third in the NEC standings with a 9-4 record. The team has won its last three games and has a one-game lead over Monmouth for the No. 3 seed. In the team's most recent game, LIU upset defending conference champion Sacred Heart, 66-56, Thursday night in Fairfield. The Blackbirds are the second highest scoring team in the NEC this season, averaging 67.6 points per game. The reason for their scoring success lays in their shooting percentage of .440, tops in the league. Last season's NEC Rookie of the Year Ashley Palmer leads the team in scoring this season with 16.0 points per contest, good for fourth in the league.

Multimedia
Saturday's game can be heard live on AM 1220 WQUN and the WQUN.com webstream. Bill Schweizer will provide play-by-play, while Bill Mecca and Bob Tipson will add color analysis. Fans can also follow the action using live stats and a live video provided by the Bobcat Channel. Both can be accessed by clicking appropriate links above.

Senior Day
With Barnum and McGowan not playing this season, Neyens and Lazos will be the only two members of the senior class participating in Saturday's game. The Bobcats will also honor Casey Quinn, a senior athletic training student that has been with the team all season.

So Close
Neyens finished with six boards on Thursday night against the Terriers. She is now just one board short of 500 in her career as she entered the game with 493. The fifth-year member of the Bobcats began the season with 399 career boards and has exactly 100 this season entering Saturday's matchup.

Dunbar Returns To Double-Double Form
After going four games without recording a double-double, sophomore Jacinda Dunbar (Edison, N.J.) returned to her previous form with 12 points and 10 rebounds against the Terriers. She now has seven double-doubles this season, tying her for the team lead with junior Courtney Kaminski (Dudley, Mass.).

Tops Again
Kaminski scored a team-high 17 points on Thursday. It was the tenth time this year that she has been the Bobcats' leading scorer in a game. She has been the team's top point producer in five of the last six games. Kaminski also added a career-high four assists in the win.

Pratt Attack
Junior Lailah Pratt (Palmyra, N.J.) was the third Quinnipiac player to score in double figures against the Terriers, joining Kaminski and Dunbar. Her 10 points in the game matched a career high set earlier this season at Central Connecticut on Jan. 14.

Freshman Force
First-year guard Lisa Lebak (Robbinsville, N.J.) fell off her pace just a bit, but managed to finish with a game-high five assists in the win, while managing to be the only Quinnipiac player with multiple steals. That figure matched her season and career high.

Pulling Away
Quinnipiac managed to hold off a late surge by St. Francis after building its lead to as much as 24 points midway through the second half. The Bobcats held the Terriers to just 23 boards in the game, while pulling down 45 as a team. Freshman Shelby Sferra (LaGrangeville, N.Y.) recorded a career-high seven rebounds in the game.

Season High FG Made
The Bobcats made a season-high 28 field goals in the game against the Terriers. Quinnipiac shot 47.5 percent (28-59) from the floor, while the Terriers shot 38.0 percent (19-50) from the floor in their 16th straight loss.