It was “Think Pink” day at the TD Banknorth Center Saturday afternoon, but the only color the Wagner College Seahawks were seeing was blue and gold.
The first place women’s basketball team routed Wagner by 44 points, running away with a 79-35 win. Quinnipiac Head Coach Tricia Fabbri called the win “convincing.”
While snow was pouring down outside, the Bobcats were pouring it on the scoreboard inside. Senior forward Nicole Duperron recorded her third double-double of the season, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Junior guard Erin Kerner led all scorers with 18 points on 50 percent shooting.
The game was close at the beginning, but an 11-0 Quinnipiac run half way through the first half sealed any hope of the Seahawks (4-18, 2-9 NEC) pulling an upset. While neither team was hot from behind the arc, the Bobcats (18-3, 10-1 NEC) had success scoring in the paint.
Kerner had 12 of her 18 points in the first half, as the Bobcats brought a comfortable 43-19 lead into the locker rooms at halftime.
Quinnipiac didn’t show any mercy in the second half, playing as if they were the ones trailing. Bobcat players were hitting the floor falling on loose balls and fighting for rebounds from start to finish.
“This was one of the first times all year where we have had matching two halves,” Fabbri said of her players’ effort.
Their overwhelming play led to a 54 point lead with four minutes remaining. “When you’re a 17-3 team and you’re playing a team with a record that is not as good, you want to dominate,” Fabbri said. And that is exactly what they did. Despite missing leading rebounder Monique Lee due to an injury, the Bobcats owned Wagner on the boards, out rebounding them 59-30. With so many players stepping up, Fabbri says that her “kids have risen to the challenge to fill a huge void of not having Monique.”
Quinnipiac ranks No. 15 in NCAA Division I women’s basketball in opponents field goal percentage, and once again showed why, holding Wager to just 25 percent shooting and preventing them from having a single scorer in double-digits.
Quinnipiac’s 10-1 conference start is the best Division I start in school history. The Bobcats are the only NEC team to be undefeated at home this year. Kerner attributes their success at home to the “great arena and great fans. They offer us a lot of support.” Dating back to last season, the Bobcats now have 16 consecutive home victories.
In support of the NCAA Division I women’s basketball “Think Pink” program, fans wore pink to the game to help raise awareness for fighting breast cancer. Pink shoe laces, referee whistles, ankle wraps and cheerleader pom poms filled the scene at the arena.
