Women's Basketball Takes On Monmouth In NEC Quarterfinals, Saturday At 3 P.M.
No. 7 Quinnipiac University Bobcats (14-15, 11-7 NEC) at
No. 2 Monmouth University Hawks (21-8, 13-5 NEC)
Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 3:00 p.m.
Multipurpose Athletic Center - West Long Branch, N.J.
First Round of the NEC Tournament
The seventh-seeded Quinnipiac University women's basketball team (14-15, 11-7 NEC) will play No. 2 Monmouth University (21-8, 13-5 NEC) in a Northeast Conference Tournament Quarterfinal match-up on Saturday, March 5 at 3 p.m. at the Multipurpose Athletic Center in West Long Branch, N.J. The Bobcats played the Hawks to a 62-56 loss in its final game of the regular-season, Monday night. This will be the Bobcats 11th consecutive trip to the NEC tournament.
2010-11 NEC Tournament Breakdown
The 2010-11 Northeast Conference Tournament kicks off with four, quarterfinal match-ups on Saturday, March 5. The No. 1 seed, and 2010-11 NEC Regular Season Champions, Saint Francis (Pa.) will host the eighth-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson at 2 p.m., while No. 3 Sacred Heart will host the No. 6 seed Central Connecticut State at 3 p.m. Rounding out the games at 4 p.m., will be a contest between the fourth-seeded Robert Morris against No. 5 Long Island. The winners of each game will play in the NEC Semifinals on Tuesday, March 8.
Multimedia
Live stats, audio and video of Saturday's game will be available by clicking on the appropriate links on the women's basketball schedule at www.quinnipiacbobcats.com. Fans can listen to the game live with Bob Mortali and Bob Tipson on AM-1220 WQUN.
Scouting Monmouth
At 21-8 overall, the Hawks finished the regular season as the only team in the conference to end the year with at least 20 wins. Monmouth enters Saturday's playoff game on a six-game winning streak, including its most recent 62-56 win against the Bobcats. Monmouth had four different players score in double-digits against Quinnipiac, including Alysha Womack, who put up a game-high 17 points. Abby Martin and Erin Rooney each chipped in 14 points, while Alexis Canady added 10 points. Martin also led the Hawks with nine rebounds. Womack currently leads the Hawks and is sixth amongst NEC leaders, averaging 13 points per game. Womack also was named to this year's All-NEC Second Team, alongside teammate Erin Rooney, who was also selected as the NEC's 2010-11 Defensive Player of the Year. Monmouth ended the regular season leading the NEC with a +6.0 scoring margin and in scoring defense, holding their opponents to 54.9 points per game.
All-Time Against The Hawks
Saturday's quarterfinal game marks the 27th meeting between Quinnipiac and Monmouth. The all-time series is tied at 13-13, while the Hawks hold a 2-1 advantage over the Bobcats in postseason play. The last time Quinnipiac faced Monmouth in a NEC Tournament contest, was on March 7, 2009. The Bobcats lost, 69-67, in the quarterfinal match-up.
NEC Tournament History
This will be the Bobcats 11th-straight year making an appearance in the NEC tournament. Quinnipiac has a 6-11 record in the playoffs and has made an appearance in the Championship game only once.
This Year Versus Monmouth
This year's series against Monmouth is split 1-1, with each team defeating the other on the road. Earlier in the season, Quinnipiac defeated Monmouth 60-57, at the Multipurpose Athletic Center. The Bobcats' Jacinda Dunbar led with a game-high 19 points, while Alysha Womack posted a team-high 10 points for the Hawks. Monmouth outrebounded Quinnipiac, 55-31, while the Bobcats outshot the Hawks and held them to a 28.8 field-goal percentage. Quinnipiac lost, 62-56, to Monmouth in its final home game of the regular season, on Feb. 26.
Last Time Out
The Bobcats lost to the Hawks, 62-56, in their regular-season finale on Monday night. For the first time this season, Quinnipiac had three different players collect double-doubles. Brittany McQuain scored a team-high 15 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, as she picked up her seventh double-double of her freshman year. Jacinda Dunbar put up 14 points and 10 boards, while Courtney Kaminski recorded 10 points and 12 rebounds. The Bobcats came within one point of the Hawks late in the second half, despite an 11-point deficit 37-26, at the break.
All-Conference Bobcats
Quinnipiac freshman forward Brittany McQuain was selected to the All-NEC Rookie Team, while senior center Courtney Kaminski was named as a member of the All-Conference First Team, as announced by the league office on March 2. With 7.2 boards per game, McQuain finished the regular-season as the Bobcats' top-rebounder. She also averaged 9.2 points per game and accumulated 267 points in her freshman year. Kaminski led the Bobcats with a team-high 12.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this year. She recorded 315 points in her final season with Quinnipiac, while also leading the team in blocks (34).
NEC Rookie of the Week
Freshman Brittany McQuain was named Choice Hotels Rookie of the Week, for the second time this season, after the Bobcats played its final-two games of the regular-season. McQuain played 64 minutes for the Bobcats and picked up two double-doubles against Fairleigh Dickinson and Monmouth. The freshman forward averaged 14 points and 11.5 rebounds, also adding 10 assists last week.
What's Ahead In The NEC
The Northeast Conference Tournament Semifinals will be played on Tuesday, March 8 at a time and location to be determined. The NEC Championships will be held on Sunday, March 13 at 3 p.m. at the highest seed.