November 16, 2010

Women's Basketball Hosts Holy Cross In Home-Opener On Wednesday At 7 PM

2010-11 Home Opener
The Quinnipiac University women's basketball team will play its 2010-11 home-opener against the Crusaders of Holy Cross on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the TD Bank Sports Center in Hamden, Conn. The Bobcats enter the game having lost their first game of the season at Fairfield last weekend.

Live Coverage
Live video, audio and stats of the game between Quinnipiac and Holy Cross will be available by clicking on the links above or the appropriate links on the women's basketball schedule at www.quinnipiacbobcats.com. Wednesday's game can be heard live on WQUN 1220-AM with Bill Schweizer on play-by-play, who will be joined by Bill Mecca and Bob Tipson.

Scouting Holy Cross
Holy Cross (0-2) enters Wednesday's game on a two-game losing streak. The Crusaders lost, 74-71, in its home opener against Yale University on Nov. 12 and were shut out by No. 1 University of Connecticut, 117-37, on Nov. 14 in its first away game on the year. Brisje Malone, a freshman guard, leads Holy Cross, averaging 11 points per game, while senior captain Whitney Fremeau has recorded a team-high 10 assists on the season. Sophomore forward/guard Amy Lepley is the team's top rebounder, averaging 6.5 per game, and is second on the team scoring 10.5 points per game. Overall, Holy Cross is .395 from the floor and .650 from the free throw line.

All-Time Against The Crusaders
Quinnipiac holds a 2-1 all time record with Holy Cross, dating back to the 1981-82 season. The Bobcats two victories include a 72-69 win at home on Nov. 14, 2006 and in their most recent outing, the Bobcats won, 85-66, at Holy Cross on Dec. 1, 2007. In its last time out, Quinnipiac was .492 from the floor, while Holy Cross had a .438 field goal percentage.

Season-Opener
The Bobcats lost, 65-48, in their season-opener on Friday, Nov. 12 at Fairfield University. Overall Quinnipiac was .455 from the free throw line and had a .340 field goal percentage in the contest.

Friday's Favorites
Quinnipiac was led by freshman forward Brittany McQuain (Independence, Mo.) and junior transfer Kari Goodchild (Van Horne, Iowa) in Friday's game at Fairfield. Both Quinnipiac newcomers scored nine points in the non-conference match-up, while McQuain also recorded a team-high seven rebounds.

Freshman at Fairfield
 Freshman guard Brittany Hill (Mechanicsville, Va.) started in her first collegiate game against Fairfield. In her first appearance with the Bobcats she went 2-5 on the floor, scoring six points and tallying two assists on the game. Hill also pulled down three rebounds.

Preseason Picks
Quinnipiac was selected to finish sixth out of 12 teams in the Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bobcats finished the 2009-10 season in eighth place in the NEC standings with a 7-11 record in conference play and a 12-18 overall record. Senior center Courtney Kaminski (Dudley, Mass.) was selected to the Preseason All-NEC team. 2010 NEC Tournament finalist Long Island was the Preseason favorite, clinching the first place choice with six first-place votes.

Last Season Recap
The 2009-10 season concluded on Sat. March, 6, in the first round of the NEC tournament. Quinnipiac lost, 70-63, against the second-seeded Long Island, ending the Bobcats' season with a 12-18 mark.

Senior Season
This year's senior class will feature four Quinnipiac student-athletes. Fifth-year senior Courtney Kaminski (Dudley, Mass.) will lead the Bobcats after finishing the 2009-10 season with 465 points and 228 rebounds. Kaminski brings veteran leadership to the team as a Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week honoree and member of the All-NEC Second Team last season. Fellow seniors Alyssa Jann (Westford, Mass.), Lailah Pratt (Palmyra, N.J.) and Mia Picillo (Derry, N.H) will add experience to the Bobcats' line-up in the upcoming season.

The Juniors
Joining the senior class are members of the Bobcats' junior class, which includes Brittany Capozziello (Fairfield, Conn.), Jacinda Dunbar (Edison, N.J), and Jacki Mann (Rutherford, N.J.). Dunbar ranked third on the team averaging 9.8 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game last season. Joining the Bobcats for her first season is Kari Goodchild (Van Horne, Iowa), a junior transfer from Kirkwood Community College, who led Kirkwood to two Conference, Regional and National Championships.

Second-Year Sophomores
Felicia Barron (Springfield, Mass.), Robin Keke (Bowie, Md.), Lisa Lebak (Robbinsville, N.J.) and Shelby Sferra (LaGrangeville, N.Y.) make up the Quinnipiac sophomore class this season. Barron added to the Bobcats' offense last season, averaging 8.4 points per game, while Lebak ranked first on the team with 119 assists.

Fantastic Freshmen
Two guards and two forwards make up the incoming freshman class this season, including Ellen Cannon (West Chester, Pa.), Brittany Hill (Mechanicsville, Va.), Brittany McQuain (Independence, Mo.) and Camryn Warner (Keene, N.H.).

Cast of Coaches
Head Coach Tricia Fabbri enters her 16th season with the Bobcats, posting a 207-214 overall record. Assisting Coach Fabbri in their second and fourth seasons, respectively, are Mountain MacGillivray and Helen Ridley. In their first season with the Bobcats are Assistant Coach Danielle Wexler and Director of Basketball Operations Gerry Olinger.

O Captain, My Captain
Seniors Alyssa Jann and Lailah Pratt were named Quinnipiac women's basketball captains for the 2010-11 season. Both players appeared in all 30 games last year, leading the Bobcats to their 10th consecutive NEC Tournament. Jann ranked in the top five in the NEC with a .400 three-point field goal percentage, while Pratt ranked third on the team with 129 rebounds.

Courtney Closes In On 1,000
Kaminski returns as one of the Bobcats' top players, as she's posted 996 career points. In 30 starts, the center averaged a team high of 15.5 points per game and a .428 field goal percentage last season. Kaminski led Quinnipiac with 228 rebounds, averaging 7.6 per game.

Noteworthy Numbers
The Bobcats posted a .381 field goal percentage, while their opponents put up a .361 percentage last season. Quinnipiac compiled 1241 rebounds last year, recording 41.4 rebounds per game, 1.4 higher than its opponents.

What's Ahead For The Bobcats
After Wednesday's home opener against Holy Cross, the Bobcats will play three games on the road during the month of November. Quinnipiac will face St. Bonaventure on Nov. 21., before traveling to Nashville, Tenn. to take part in the Vanderbilt Tournament over the Thanksgiving Holiday. Quinnipiac will play two games in the tournament, its first on Nov. 26 against Vanderbilt and another on Nov. 28. The Bobcats will then play three-straight home games come December, against Vermont on Dec. 1, Wagner on Dec. 4 and Army on Dec. 11. Quinnipiac will travel to Yale on December 20 and New Hampshire on Dec. 22. Quinnipiac will play two contests in the St. Joseph's Tournament on Dec. 28 and 29 before conference play takes off on Jan. 4 against Mount St. Mary's.