Pioneers hand Bobcats first NEC loss

Pioneers hand Bobcats first NEC loss

By Angelique Fiske, QBSN Web-Editor

When the Sacred Heart Pioneers defeated the Quinnipiac Bobcats by a score of 74-65 Monday night, they did more than just hand the team their first loss to an NEC opponent this year.  They put an end to the women’s five-game winning streak.  The loss brings the Bobcats to 5-3 overall and 1-1 in NEC play.

In spite of how the game ended, the Bobcats held the lead for much of the first half, breaking it open by as much as eight points, but eventually giving the lead up to the Pioneers to end the half 31-34. 

The second half started with such promise, as Felicia Barron (Springfield, Mass.) hit a jump shot to cut the Pioneers’ lead to one.  Barron then stole the ball on the ensuing Sacred Heart possession and brought it in for a layup to give the Bobcats the one point lead, 35-34.  Barron’s dominance opened up the first 45 seconds of the second half. 

Courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

Quinnipiac enjoyed a lead until Sacred Heart tied it up at 44-44 with 12 minutes and 35 seconds remaining.  The Bobcats never regained the lead.

The game saw an “uncharacteristic” statistics, according to head coach Tricia Fabbri, including a stunning 26 turnovers.

“Our three point guards who played combined for only three turnovers,” said Fabbri.  “The turnovers were coming from everywhere else.  So that’s just a frustrating way to lose tonight.”

In addition to the turnovers, Sacred Heart’s Callan Taylor had on-court presence that the Bobcats could not ignore.  She led the game with nine total rebounds and 26 points. Taylor also notched five of her seven free-throw attempts, all of which came in the second half.

“She’s doing what she should do for her team.  Her role has been completely established.  We’re still figuring it out,” said Fabbri of Taylor's performance.

While Taylor led the way for the Pioneers, Barron had 19 points of her own.  Freshman Jasmine Martin (Sicklerville, N.J.) had a team leading eight total rebounds.  Even with these numbers, Fabbri acknowledged their opponent's ability to hinder their offensive performance.

“What Sacred Heart was able to do was really slow us down pace in the zone and the two-two-one, and we really didn’t make the change with the ball for forty minutes,” said Fabbri.  “That’s where the frustration came in tonight.  We’ve got a long way to go to reach our potential.”

Even though the team is “obviously disappointed not to have gotten 2-0 in the conference,” according to Fabbri, the team still must look forward to its next challenge.

The Bobcats travel to face Rhode Island on Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Ryan Center.