February 26, 2010

Game #29
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (10-17, 5-11 NEC) vs.
Monmouth University Hawks (15-12, 10-6 NEC)
Thursday, February 25, 2010 - 5:00 p.m.
Hamden, Conn. - TD Bank Sports Center

Saturday's Game
The Quinnipiac University women's basketball team wraps up the 2009-10 regular season Saturday afternoon at Fairleigh Dickinson's Rothman Center in Hackensack, N.J., at 5 p.m. The Bobcats enter the game having won its last contest, 78-69, Thursday afternoon against Monmouth at the TD Bank Sports Center. Saturday's game is important for the Bobcats in terms of a playoff position as they are tied for the final spot with a 6-11 record in Northeast Conference play. Quinnipiac is tied with Wagner and Mount St. Mary's heading into the final day of play in the NEC.

Playoff Scenario
The Bobcats remain in the playoff picture with the win on Thursday, but need some help from Wagner and Mount St. Mary's this weekend. With both teams holding a one-game lead over Quinnipiac entering Thursday night's game, the Bobcats' victory coped with both losing means all three are now tied with 6-11 NEC marks. Mount St. Mary's owns the tie-breaker with the Bobcats by virtue of a season sweep, while Wagner and Quinnipiac split, but hold the best record against the other two.

Scouting the Knights
Fairleigh Dickinson plays host to the Bobcats on the final day of the season with just five NEC wins this season. Sitting one-game back of the three teams tied for the final spot, the Knights are a long shot to break into the pack and claim a spot in the tournament. In Thursday night's game, the Knights fell to Sacred Heart, 55-33, in Fairfield. Mariyah Laury is one of the top scorers in the NEC this season, averaging 17.6 points per game this season. Alyssa Mayrose is the team's top rebounder this year, pulling down 5.6 a game in 2009-10. In the earlier meeting this season between the two teams, the Bobcats won 71-62 on Jan. 11 in the final contest of a three-game homestand.

Multimedia
Saturday's game can be heard live on the WQUN webstream. Bob Mortalli will handle the play-by-play, while Bob Tipson will add color analysis. Live video is also available for the start of the game. Both can be accessed by clicking the appropriate links above.

Career Day In Final Game
In the final home game of her college career, senior Kathleen Neyens (Jaffrey, N.H.) recorded a career-high 21 points against the Hawks. Neyens' point total was one more than her previous best of 20 set earlier this season. Her five steals in the game also matched a career high set against Yale in the final nonconference home game of the season on Dec. 21.

Quarter Life Crisis
The 25 points scored by junior Courtney Kaminski (Dudley, Mass.) against Monmouth was a game high. That impressive scoring figure was her second highest of the season as she set a career high at Mount St. Mary's earlier in the month with 28 points.

Pratt Pays Off
Junior Lailah Pratt (Palmyra, N.J.) finished with just two points against the Hawks, but she was a contributing factor at both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. Her six assists were the most in the game by any player on either team and was twice as many as her previous career high of three. She also added a career-high three blocks in the win and a game-high nine rebounds.

Free Points
The Bobcats are the top free-throw shooting team in the NEC this season. Quinnipiac has connected on .736 percent of their shots from the charity stripe in 2009-10. Against Monmouth, the Bobcats connected on 22-of 24 from the line, including 17-of-17 from Neyens (6-6) and Kaminski (11-11). Her 11 free throws marked the second time this season that Kaminski was perfect from the line while hitting more than 10 in a game.

Tenfold
The nine-point win for the Bobcats gave them 10 wins in specific statistical categories this season. Quinnipiac is now 10-4 in games in which it has lead at the half. The Bobcats are also 10-6 in games they have outrebounded and outshot their opponents. In stark contrast, Quinnipiac is 0-13 in games where they trailed after the first period of play.