Powered by a double-double by senior center Mikala Morris, the Quinnipiac women’s basketball team cruised to a 58-48 victory over the Saint Peter’s Peacocks Thursday afternoon.

Both squads struggled to string any offense together in the first couple minutes, shooting a combined 2-20 from the field.

Quinnipiac took a 3-2 lead five minutes after a free throw from senior forward Cur’Tiera Haywood and a jumper from sophomore guard Reiven Douglas.

The Bobcats were without graduate student forward Mary Baskerville today. According to the ESPN broadcast, the Providence transfer was out with an illness. 

Baskerville’s absence allowed for junior forward Tiera White to see more playing time. The Florida native made the most of her minutes, getting a tough and-one in the paint to fall before blocking Saint Peter’s junior guard Rachel Kuhl on the ensuing possession in the game’s opening frame. 

Quinnipiac’s offense finally came alive in the latter half of the first quarter. The Bobcats closed the final two minutes on a 10-0 run, capped off by a three from sophomore guard Jackie Grisdale at the buzzer, giving Quinnipiac a 16-4 lead at the break. 

The Bobcats took the momentum from the end of the first quarter and kept it going in the second. 

They opened the second frame by knocking down four of their first five shots, including three shots from behind the arc, widening the advantage to 15. 

The Bobcats stagnant offense from the beginning of the game was nowhere to be seen. Quinnipiac moved the ball well, creating open looks in the paint and around the perimeter. 

The visitors used their size advantage well, dominating the boards throughout to create multiple opportunities in transition and in the paint. 

Freshman forward Ella O’Donnell grabbed seven offensive rebounds, part of 18 total offensive boards by the Bobcats, as they recorded eight second-chance points in the afternoon. 

On the defensive end, Quinnipiac was just as focused. The Bobcats held the Peacocks to just 19.2% from the field in the first 20 minutes while also forcing 14 turnovers. 

Quinnipiac headed into the break with a 30-14 lead, the least amount of points it had given up in a half all season. 

The Bobcats came out with the same energy in the third. Morris knocked down a jumper, followed by a wide-open three from graduate student guard Rose Caverly, helping Quinnipiac push its lead to 23.

Just like White, Morris also took on a larger responsibility with Baskerville out. Morris dominated the Peacocks in the paint all afternoon, putting up 15 points (7-12 shooting) to go along with 13 rebounds in her first double-double of the season.

Quinnipiac took a 47-21 lead into the break, putting the visitors in great position to pick up its second MAAC win of the season. 

As the fourth quarter dragged on, the Bobcats put it in cruise control as they took their starters out up 20 points with under three minutes to go.

Saint Peter’s went on a 12-0 run of its own to close the game, but the large deficit was just too much to overcome for a winless Peacocks team.

The victory moved the Bobcats to 2-1 in MAAC play and 7-5 overall. Quinnipiac will be back in action on Dec. 31, as it hosts Mount St. Mary’s on New Year’s Eve at 1 p.m.