Welcome to “Bobcat Report,” The Chronicle’s weekly column that breaks down all the recent games, facts and lesser-known stories surrounding Quinnipiac athletics this year.
Upcoming Navy Classic
For the women’s basketball program, the team is coming off two-straight losses and is looking for a quick turnaround.
Enter: the Navy Classic in Annapolis, Maryland, this weekend.
The four-team tournament (Navy, Quinnipiac, Towson, Abilene Christian) will be held this Saturday and Sunday. For the Bobcats, games against the Midshipmen and Tigers will be a good test prior to conference play.
“(Freshman forward) Anna Foley is playing like a seasoned vet, (freshman guard) Paige Girardi is playing like a seasoned vet and I think (freshman guard) Karson Martin is playing like a seasoned vet,” head coach Tricia Fabbri said after the team’s loss to Vermont on Nov. 17.
The underclassmen make up the majority of this team, but the contributions have been immense. Martin recorded at least nine points in three-straight games off the bench, and her 12 against the Catamounts was good for a career high.
Almost 365 days exactly was last season’s round robin, where the Bobcats dropped a thriller to Kent State in the Christmas City Classic. This year will look to open up on a happier tune. Tip-off against the 1-2 Midshipmen is set for 1 p.m. this Saturday.
Amarri Tice’s Instant Impact
For the majority of each of the Quinnipiac men’s basketball games, the court is filled with familiar faces. Players who have been here a number of seasons get the most playing time.
Yet, a constant in the starting lineup is sophomore forward Amarri Tice, who graduate guard Savion Lewis calls the team’s “glue guy.”
“He’s our best defender,” Lewis said on Nov. 17. “He reads the gaps really well. He’s very athletic, great cutter.”
Tice — who transferred to the Bobcats from Wofford this spring — has made his presence known. In addition to his defensive prowess, he is averaging 11.0 points per game along with grabbing 24 total rebounds.
“I had seen him in high school and then we saw him in prep school,” head coach Tom Pecora said. “I’m not sure what the dynamic was, (but) we decided not to really bring him in on a visit.”
Despite the late addition, Tice has become one of Quinnipiac’s best players during out-of-conference matchups. Pecora said he had “loved him the first time (he) saw him” and it’s obvious why.
“He just brings so much to the team that not a lot of guys in the team have,” Lewis said.
Did You Know?
This past weekend, the men’s hockey team potted 15 goals in a two-game stretch. The offensive explosion, which saw eight goals scored against Cornell and seven against Colgate, is the most goals through a two-game stretch for the Bobcats since Dec. 9-10 of last year (eight goal games against both RPI and Union).
Game of the Week: Women’s Ice Hockey vs UConn – Nutmeg Classic (Friday, Nov. 24 at TBA)
The first in-season tournament of the hockey season, the Bobcats will match up against the Huskies for the first round of the annual Connecticut round robin. The winner of the semifinal game will face off against either Sacred Heart or Yale the next day.
