Women's Basketball Set To Host NEC Semifinals Against Monmouth On Tuesday Night

Photo by John Hassett

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2012 NEC Tournament Semifinals
No. 2 Quinnipiac University Bobcats (22-8, 13-5 NEC) vs.
No. 3 Monmouth University Hawks (18-12, 12-6 NEC)
Tuesday, March 6 – 7 p.m.
TD Bank Sports Center – Hamden, Conn.

Post-Season Play Continues For QU
The second-seeded Quinnipiac University women’s basketball team (22-8, 13-5 NEC) hosts No. 3 Monmouth University (18-12, 12-6 NEC) in the Northeast Conference Tournament Quarterfinals on Tuesday, March 6. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the TD Bank Sports Center in Hamden, Conn. The Bobcats enter the match-up after defeating No. 7 Mount St. Mary’s, 65-61, on Saturday afternoon while the Hawks outlasted No. 6 LIU Brooklyn, 68-56, in the NEC Semifinals.

Multimedia
Live stats, video and audio of Tuesday night’s game will be available by clicking on the appropriate links on the Quinnipiac women’s basketball schedule at www.QuinnipiacBobcats.com. Bobcat fans can watch the game live on www.NortheastConference.tv with Craig D’Amico on the play-by-play. Also, tune in to AM-1220 WQUN radio with Bill Schweizer, Bill Mecca and Bob Tipson.

The Tournament Schedule
The Quinnipiac versus Monmouth match-up is one of two quarterfinal contests taking place on Tuesday night. The top-seeded Sacred Heart Pioneers also host No. 5 Robert Morris at 7 p.m. on March 6.

Scouting Monmouth
Third-seed Monmouth enters the second round of NEC tournament play after it defeated No. 6 LIU Brooklyn, 68-56, on Saturday, March 3. The team was led by junior Alysha Womack’s game-high 23 points and Abby Martin’s fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. The Hawks currently stand at 18-12 overall with a 12-6 mark in league action. Monmouth is led by Womack, an All-NEC second team honoree, who currently paces the team with 15.7 points per game. Martin, a junior forward, also averages double figures in the scoring column with 10.6 points per contest while leading the Hawks in rebounds per contest (6.7). Martin’s 48.3 field-goal percentage ranks sixth amongst conference opponents. Together, Monmouth averages 61.4 ppg and 38.4 rpg.

All-Time Against The Hawks
Tuesday marks the 29^th meeting between Quinnipiac and Monmouth, with the all-time series tied at 14-14. The Bobcats are 6-7 at home against the Hawks, including a 2-3 record at the TD Bank Sports Center, specifically. Tuesday night also stands as the first time the two schools have played each other in a NEC Semifinal contest. QU has faced Monmouth four times in the NEC Quarterfinals, with the Hawks leading the NEC Tournament series, 3-1.  Last year, the Bobcats lost at Monmouth, 55-36, in the first round of tournament play on March 5.

Last Time Against Monmouth
Earlier in the regular season, Quinnipiac defeated Monmouth at the Hawks’ home court, 75-63, on Feb. 4. QU’s Felicia Barron registered a game-high 23 points, while three additional Bobcats posted points in double digits, including Brittany McQuain (13), Samantha Guastella 11), and Camryn Warner (10). The Hawks’ Alysha Womack paced Monmouth with 19 points. Quinnipiac outshot Monmouth with a 48.4 field-goal percentage, but was out-rebounded 46-to-38.

NEC Tournament History
The Bobcats have made 12 straight appearances in the NEC Tournament and 13 in total. After defeating Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday, Quinnipiac posts a 7-12 record in tournament action. Prior to this year’s Quarterfinal victory, the Bobcats’ most recent tournament win occurred during the 2008-09 season. Last year, Quinnipiac clinched the seventh seed and lost a first-round game at Monmouth, 55-36, on March  5. 

NEC Tournament Fun Facts
Tuesday marks the first time in program history that Quinnipiac and Monmouth have faced in a semifinal match-up. QU has made five appearances in a league semifinal game, while playing in only one championship contest, back in the 2005-06 season. Out of all conference opponents, the Bobcats have faced Monmouth the most in the NEC tournament, playing the Hawks four times in the post-season.

Last Time Out For The Bobcats
In its most recent outing, Quinnipiac defeated No. 7 Mount St. Mary’s, 65-61, on Saturday afternoon. QU’s Felicia Barron paced the game with 15 points, while the Mountaineers’ Sydney Henderson tallied a team-leading 13 points on the afternoon. Brittany McQuain also pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds, also a career-high for the sophomore Bobcat. Both squads combined for 34.9 percent from the floor, while the Bobcats out-rebounded the Mount by four rebounds, 48-to-44.

1,000-Point Scorer
Red-shirt junior Felicia Barron became the 18^th player in the Quinnipiac women’s basketball program to reach the 1,000-point mark as she scored 15 points in Saturday’s Quarterfinal game against the Mount. Barron has now totaled 1,004 career-points and a career-high 511 points this year. The 5-7 guard has continued to lead QU in points per game (17.0) throughout the 2011-12 season.

Brittany On The Boards
Forward Brittany McQuain has paced the Bobcats in rebounds in 24 of its 30 games this season. She continues to lead QU in rebounds with 9.7 per game for 291 boards in her sophomore campaign, which rank third in Quinnipiac’s D-I history and 10^th all-time for rebounds in a single season at QU. After matching a career-high 17 boards against Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday, McQuain increased her career-total in rebounds to 507, which rank fifth in Quinnipiac’s D-I history for career rebounds.

2012 NEC Women’s Basketball Awards
Felicia Barron, the Bobcats’ top scorer (17.1 ppg) and national leader in steals (4.3 per game), was recently named NEC Defensive Player of the Year. She also was selected to the All-NEC first team, while freshman Jasmine Martin, the team’s second-leading scorer with 10.9 points per game, received All-Rookie honors.

What’s Ahead For Quinnipiac
If Quinnipiac defeats Monmouth on Tuesday night, the Bobcats will play the winner of Sacred Heart and Robert Morris on Sunday, March 11 at 3 p.m. If Sacred Heart wins, it will host the Championship contest. However, the Bobcats would host if they should win and the Pioneers of SHU lose.

Contact: Lindsay Oliveri, lmoliveri@quinnipiac.edu