No. 12 Quinnipiac Becomes Second Team in MAAC History to Advance to Sweet 16
MAAC Sports
CORAL GABLES, FL – No. 12 Quinnipiac University (29-6, 17-3 MAAC) defeated No. 4 University of Miami (24-9, 10-6 ACC), 85-78, to advance to the Sweet 16. The Bobcats are the second team in MAAC history to advance to the Sweet 16, the only other was Marist College in 2007. No. 12 Quinnipiac faces No. 1 University of South Carolina on Saturday, March 25 at 1:00 p.m. PT, 4:00 p.m. ET in Stockton, CA.
NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Schedule:
First Round: March 17-18
Second Round: March 19-20
Sweet 16: March 24-25
Elite Eight: March 26-27
Final Four: March 31
Championship Final: April 2
The Bobcats are the first team to represent the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in the Sweet 16 since No. 13 Marist College did so in the 2007 NCAA Tournament (defeated by No. 1 University of Tennessee, 65-46).
Quinnipiac also joined Marist as the only two teams from the MAAC to win multiple games in the NCAA Tournament. With its First Round defeat of No. 5 Marquette, the Bobcats became the third member in the conference’s history to win a NCAA Tournament game (Marist, five times, last 2012 and La Salle 1989).
The win also marked the second time in program history that Quinnipiac defeated a nationally ranked opponent, Miami was ranked No. 16 overall in the nation.
The Bobcats had seven players score this evening, all of which tallied eight points or more in the win. Senior forward Morgan Manz led the Bobcats with a career-high 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, which included 6-of-8 shooting from behind the arc.
The six threes are a career-high for Manz and tied Quinnipiac’s program record. The senior did all of her scoring in 30 minutes off the bench. Manz’ 22 points are tied for the second most scored in a NCAA Tournament Second Round game by a player from a current MAAC full-time member institution. Marist’s Corielle Yarde scored 25 points on March 21, 2011 and fellow Red Fox Jessica Jenkins had a 22-point point game on March 20, 2012.
As a team, the Bobcats converted a total of 15 threes, which tied for the most made three-pointers by a MAAC team this season. Monmouth University also made 15 treys against Siena college on January 28. Quinnipiac shot 15-of-26 (57.7%) from behind the arc.
Sophomore guard/forward Aryn McClure added 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting. She recorded four rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes of play. Sophomore forward Paula Strautmane recorded her third double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. The forward dished out a career-best seven assists, registered two steals, and a block in 35 minutes.
Quinnipiac’s bench outscored Miami’s 41-8. The Bobcats shot 46.7 percent from the field and 57.7 percent from three-point range. They recorded an assist on 24 of the team’s 28 made field goals. Quinnipiac led in the game for 32:58 and its largest lead of the game was 13 points with 1:48 to play in the second quarter.
As a No. 12 Seed, the Bobcats are the lowest remaining seed heading into the Sweet 16. Quinnipiac is just the fourth No. 12 seed in NCAA Women’s Basketball Division I to advance to the Sweet 16, joining BYU (2014), Kansas (2013), and San Francisco (1996). The Bobcats are also the fourth team in Division I women’s basketball history to knock off both a No. 4 and 5 seed en route to a Sweet 16 berth.
MAAC All-Time Wins in NCAA Tournament:
2017 First Round – No. 12 Quinnipiac – 68 | No. 5 Marquette – 65
2017 Second Round – No. 12 Quinnipiac – 85 | No. 4 Miami – 78
2012 First Round – No. 13 Marist – 76 | No. 4 Georgia – 60
2011 First Round – No. 10 Marist – 74 | No. 7 Iowa State – 64
2008 First Round – No. 7 Marist – 76 | No. 10 DePaul – 57
2007 First Round – No. 13 Marist – 67 | No. 4 Ohio State – 63
2007 Second Round – No. 13 Marist – 73 | No. 5 Middle Tennessee State – 59
1989 First Round – No. 9 La Salle – 72 | No. 8 Connecticut – 63
The Bobcats played in their fourth NCAA Tournament game (2-2) in the program’s Division I history, which dates to 1998-99. Quinnipiac has made it to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last five years and it is the second time that they are representing the MAAC. This also marked the sixth consecutive national postseason appearance for the Bobcats.
Quinnipiac Notes:
· Quinnipiac improved to (1-2) all-time against Miami.
· Quinnipiac improved to (2-9) all-time against nationally ranked opponents, defeated No. 16 Miami and No. 25 Marquette en route to the 2017 Sweet 16.
· The Bobcats are now (1-9) all-time against ACC opponents after the defeat of Miami.
· Quinnipiac extended its season-high winning streak to 12-straight games.
· Quinnipiac is one of 13 programs across the nation to have won at least three-straight conference regular season titles. The Bobcats have recorded a mark of 54-6 (.900) in conference games in that three-year span (since 2014-15).
Quinnipiac 2016-17 All-MAAC Honors:
· MAAC Regular Season Champions
· Adily Martucci: (MAAC Championship MVP, All-MAAC Second Team)
· Jen Fay: (All-Championship Team, All-MAAC Third Team)
· Aryn McClure: (All-Championship Team, All-MAAC Third Team)
· Carly Fabbri: (All-Championship Team)