Women's Basketball Travels To Play Bryant Saturday At 1 P.M.

Game #17
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (9-7, 4-1 NEC) at
Bryant University Bulldogs (4-11, 2-3 NEC)
Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 - 1 p.m.
Smithfield, R.I. - Chace Athletic Center

Saturday's Game
The Quinnipiac University women's basketball team heads to Smithfield, R.I., to take on Bryant on Saturday, Jan. 16 at the Chace Athletic Center. The Bobcats bring a three-game winning streak into the contest with the Bulldogs after beating Central Connecticut State, 56-45, Thursday afternoon in New Britain, Conn. Currently, Quinnipiac is alone in third place in the Northeast Conference standings with a 4-1 mark in league play, while the three straight wins has improved its overall record to 9-7.

Scouting the Bulldogs
In Bryant's first season as a full member of the NEC, the team has won two of its first five NEC matchups (4-11 overall). The Bulldogs struggled in nonconference play, however, posting a 2-8 mark. This season, the team is just 2-5 on its home floor as it prepares to host Quinnipiac Saturday. In the Bulldogs' last game, they lost to last season's NEC Champions from Sacred Heart, 76-64, at home. Simone Bennet had a team-best 16 points in the loss, while Jamie Campbell's seven boards were the best amongst the Bulldog players. Kelsey O'Keefe's 13.3 points per game this season are a team high, while Bennet is second on the Bulldogs with 10.1 and is the only other player to average in double figures. Bennet's 6.5 rebounds per game are the best on the team with O'Keefe second with 6.3 per game.

Multimedia
Fans can listen to the game live on WQUN.com. Bob Mortali will handle to the play-by-play duties, while Pat Salvas will add color commentary. Fans can follow the action using live stats provided by Bryant. Both can be accessed by clicking the appropriate links above.

You Don't Double Dip A Chip
For the team-best fourth time this season, junior Courtney Kaminski (Dudley, Mass.) recorded a double-double. The 10 points and 11 boards earned the redshirt junior her fourth double-double of 2009-10 and her third in the last four games.

Just Missed It!
Tied with Kaminski with three double-doubles entering Thursday night's game with CCSU, sophomore Jacinda Dunbar (Edison, N.J.) nearly earned the statistical feat again. She led the Bobcats with 12 points in the game, while pulling down eight boards in the game. Dunbar looked to reach the double-figure rebounding mark in the final minutes, but was denied by fouls and a jump ball. Dunbar added a career-high three blocks in the game as well.

She's On Fire
After recording career highs of nine points and 10 rebounds on Monday night against Fairleigh Dickinson, junior Lailah Pratt (Palmyra, N.J.) continued her stellar play at CCSU. Pratt reached double figures in the game with 10 points for the first time in her career as she shot 4-of-6 from the field. The third-year Bobcat also added seven rebounds in the 11-point win.

First Half Defense Stuns Blue Devils
Quinnipiac allowed the Blue Devils to score just 12 first-half points Thursday night. CCSU shot just 10.7 percent (3-of-28) in the first 20 minutes of play. It was the fewest points allowed in a half by the Bobcats in nearly four years, dating back to a Feb. 27, 2006 when they allowed Robert Morris just 12 in the final half of play.

Field Goal Defense Ranks Nationally
Entering the week, Quinnipiac's field-goal defense ranked 17th in the nation at 34.6 percent. After wins over FDU and CCSU, the Bobcats have improved that figure slightly to 34.2 percent (348-1,017). Quinnipiac also jumped up 25 spots in the most recent RPI.

Rebounding
Quinnipiac is outrebounding opponents by nearly one and a half boards per game this season. Against Central Connecticut, the Bobcats pulled down 44 boards to the Blue Devils' 38. Kaminski, Dunbar and Pratt combined for 26 of those boards, but freshman guard Ryann Simmons (Norwalk, Conn.) added a career-high six rebounds to the mix in her 28 minutes of play.

Leading the Way
The Bobcats sent back six CCSU shots Thursday. Quinnipiac continues to lead the league in blocked shots, averaging 4.6 per game, while opponents are averaging just 3.3 against the Bobcats this season.

Freshman Standout
First-year guard Lisa Lebak (Robbinsville, N.J.) has become one of the best passers in the NEC in just her first season. After finishing with a career-high seven assists in each of the last three games, Lebak had an 'off-night' against CCSU, finishing with a game-high six. Those six assists were twice what any other player on the floor had in the game.