Women's Basketball Plays Final Home Game Thursday Against Monmouth At 5 P.M.

Thursday's Game
The Quinnipiac University women's basketball team takes on Monmouth Thursday afternoon at 5 p.m. at the TD Bank Sports Center. The game marks the final home contest of the 2009-10 season for the Bobcats who are in the midst of a push for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Northeast Conference Tournament. Quinnipiac is coming off a weekend sweep at the hands of Saint Francis (Pa.) and Robert Morris on their annual Western Pennsylvania road trip. The Bobcats are one game back of Mount St. Mary's for that final spot in the postseason tournament with a 5-11 NEC mark, while the two loses dropped their overall mark to 10-17 this season.

Scouting the Hawks
Thursday's game marks the second meeting between the two teams this year. The Hawks and Bobcats met on Jan. 2 in the first conference matchup for either team. Quinnipiac took control and held on for the 60-54 victory with sophomore Jacinda Dunbar (Edison, N.J.) recording a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Bobcats. Since then Monmouth has won 10 NEC games this season and clinched a spot in the NEC Tournament, currently sitting in fourth place with a one-game cushion over Saint Francis (Pa.). A 13-point loss, 68-55, to Long Island on Saturday snapped the Hawk's five-game winning streak and dropped their conference record to 10-6. Alysha Womack leads the team in scoring at nearly 13 points a game and 14.4 ppg in conference play.

Multimedia
Thursday's game can be heard live on AM 1220 WQUN and the WQUN.com webstream. Bill Schweizer will provide play-by-play, while Bill Mecca and Bob Tipson will add color analysis. Fans can also follow the action using live stats and a live video feed provided by the Bobcat Channel. Both can be accessed by clicking appropriate links above.

Last of the Season
The Bobcats have two games remaining on their schedule, but Thursday's game marks the final game of the season at the TD Bank Sports Center. Quinnipiac can even their home mark at 7-7 this season with a win over the Hawks on Thursday. This year, the Bobcats won their home opener back on Nov. 29 against the University of New Hampshire, 68-54.

Near Upset
Quinnipiac fell to the top team in the NEC in Robert Morris on Saturday afternoon by four, 61-57. The Colonials were 14-1 in league play entering the game after dismantling the defending conference champs from Sacred Heart in their previous game, 71-43. Quinnipiac hung with Robert Morris until the final minute when the Colonials sealed the game with free throws.

Moral Victory
The near upset of the league's top team came on the heels of a 24-point loss, 78-54, to the Red Flash on Thursday. Junior Courtney Kaminski (Dudley, Mass.) had a game-high 15 points in the loss to Robert Morris, while adding a team-high six boards. All six of her boards came off the defensive glass. Kaminski also added a game-high four blocks in the contest.

Tons of Time
Junior forward Lailah Pratt (Palmyra, N.J.) logged 35 minutes against Robert Morris. It was the most minutes the third-year Bobcat has ever played in a game and three more than her previous high of 32 set at Central Connecticut on Jan. 14. Pratt finished the game with eight points, two assists, a steal and a block.

Three For Three
Both Alyssa Jann (Westford, Mass.) and Lisa Lebak (Robbinsville, N.J.) each connected on three three-point field goals against Robert Morris. Jann hit two from NBA range right in front of the Quinnipiac bench to spark her teammates to a second-half comeback run. While Lebak also hit on one from straightaway before hitting another right at the final buzzer.

Helping Out
Despite losing, the Bobcats dished out seven more assists than the Colonials, 17-10. Freshman guard Ryann Simmons (Norwalk, Conn.) led all players with five in the game. Lebak, the team's leader in assists this season, dished out four, while senior Kathleen Neyens (Jaffrey, N.H.) had three and Kaminski and Pratt each had two.