HAMDEN — Quinnipiac women’s basketball continued its winning ways against Siena  Thursday night, beating the Saints for its 16th straight game and 14th straight win by over 10 points. 

However, despite the score, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for the Bobcats.

The first quarter saw the Saints get into a groove. Early buckets from sophomore guard Alden Yergey, sophomore guard Nicole Melious and junior guard Caydence Hadley put the Bobcats in a six-point deficit, their largest in MAAC play. 

On offense, Quinnipiac couldn’t get anything going. Head coach Tricia Fabbri credits the slow start to facing the Saints for the first time this season. 

“It’s really unique to have a situation where you’re playing a conference school, you haven’t seen them yet, and it’s Feb. 12,” Fabbri said. 

But once the Bobcats got into their own flow, they climbed back into the game and turned the contest into a slug fest. Back-to-back threes from senior guard Sydney Ryan and graduate student guard Jackie Grisdale gave Quinnipiac the one score lead heading into the second quarter. 

The Bobcats would ride the momentum of those scores to the tune of a 15 point quarter. One of those scores had extra meaning behind it, as it cemented junior forward Anna Foley into Quinnipiac immortality as the 30th member of its 1,000 point club. 

“It’s something that I knew I wanted to get coming into college and I’m blessed to be able to get it my junior year with this team,” Foley said. 

Foley achieved the milestone with her parents Will and Molly in the crowd, who could not be more excited to watch her make history.

“We’re super proud of her,” Molly Foley said. 

Despite the score being within 10 points, the Bobcat defense held up and kept Siena at bay, due in part to the steady presence of Grisdale on both ends of the floor. The Poland, Ohio native held freshman guard Francesca Schiro to a season low of two points. It’s a defensive performance that Fabbri has high praise for .

“There’s not a two way player in the league better than Jackie Grisdale,” Fabbri said. 

Just as the clock turned to the second half, the momentum swung strongly in favor of the Bobcats. 

While the offense continued to contribute, the defense did what they do best; overwhelm their opponents and force them to take unfavorable shots. In particular, three pointers were the main area of success for Quinnipiac in its effort to stave off the Saints. 

The longball has been a point of contention for Siena heading into the final stretch of conference play. As of publication, the Saints have the ninth best three point offense in the MAAC, shooting at a 27% clip. The Bobcats? Nearly 10% better.

The longball would turn out to be the difference maker in the game as the Bobcats would net five three pointers. How many did Siena make? Zero. 

The last longball was the final nail in the Saints coffin. After a steal, junior guard Karson Martin would drive to the rim, but get blocked on the way up. Diving to keep the ball in bounds, Martin found Grisdale, who in turn found Ryan who knocked down the dagger. 

That three was just a microcosm of the 21 point quarter, as the Bobcats would go on a 10-4 run to finalize their 21st win of the season. 

Quinnipiac returns to action against the Fairfield Stags on Saturday, Feb. 14. Tip-off from Hamden is scheduled for 4 p.m.