JERSEY CITY, N.J. — History tends to repeat itself. Maybe that’s why — for the 21st time in a row — the Quinnipiac women’s basketball team defeated the Saint Peter’s Peacocks 46-40 Thursday night.
The latest installment of this MAAC rivalry was closer than it usually is, as the visiting Bobcats came into Run Baby Run Arena, and ran their way to the six-point win, their 10th of the season. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a grimy win for a Quinnipiac team looking to scrap its way back into contention.
“I thought we were very organized,” head coach Tricia Fabbri said. “I would have liked to see us rebound better out of man(-to-man defense).”
The first quarter wasn’t easy sledding though. Sure, freshman guard Paige Girardi knocked down a big triple, but three-straight Bobcat possessions ended in a travel. Tack on five personal fouls and it wasn’t the cleanest quarter.
“You gotta work harder to get open, we’re certainly better than what we displayed tonight,” Fabbri said.
When you compare how the visiting Bobcats played in the opening 10 minutes compared to the final 20, it just looked like an entirely different team. The freshman duo of forward Anna Foley and guard Ava Sollenne put Quinnipiac on their backs, combining for 19 points and some of the evening’s biggest moments.
No moment was bigger than a brief stretch in the fourth quarter, as Sollenne was able to finish a tough and-one play in the paint. That, along with some pushing and shoving with Peacocks freshman forward Fatamata Janneh, led to some intense possessions in the waning minutes.
“Our biggest emphasis in the second half was to be more competitive,” Foley said. “They’re a gritty team … we had to step up to the plate … It’s really fun when we’re all invested and all playing with passion.”
That passion, though not sparking up fully until after halftime, was able to limit the Peacocks’ offense all night. Yet on the other end of the floor, the Peacocks also had the number of their opponent. It felt like an intense game of chess (with a lot more traveling).
“I haven’t seen us travel like that in a long time,” Fabbri said. “They called it the way they saw it.”
However, the 40 points given up was the least amount allowed all season by the Bobcats and for good reason. The talent discrepancy between both sides was evident — just like it has been in the previous 20 matchups.
“It’s really the talent we have on the roster and how hard we played tonight, played for each other” Fabbri said. “I’m unsure why we have their number currently.”
The later stages of the game, which featured Foley fouling out, and both Sollenne and Janneh trading matching technicals, felt a lot longer than it needed to. For the Bobcats — who ended the game with 24 personal fouls — it’s something to clean up.
But they got the win — with Fabbri joking postgame that they felt like they keep getting beat up — and that’s all that really matters for this team.
“Obviously proud of the run we’re on,” Foley said. “We gotta get back to knowing how good we are … Proud of getting this win, it’s gritty.”
Quinnipiac — now winners of three-straight — will have a day off before facing off against the 12-8 Siena Saints in Albany, New York. What will the young, feisty Bobcats have to do to pull off the upset?
“We got to put up more than 46 points if we’re going to beat a talented team like Siena,” Foley said. “That just can’t happen especially we’re getting down to playing better teams.”
