UMBC

Hamden, Conn.–The Quinnipiac women’s basketball team won its seventh game in a row and 10th of its last 11 with a 67-48 victory over UMBC on Saturday afternoon in Hamden, Conn. The Bobcats, who were without head coach Tricia Sacca-Fabbri due to illness, improved to 14-6 overall and 10-1 in the Northeast Conference, while UMBC fell to 8-12 and 5-6.

Quinnipiac opened up a seven point lead eight minutes into the game, but the Retrievers went on a 9-2 run capped by a Tiffany Coll layup to tie the game at 21 at the 6:24 mark. The Bobcats pushed the lead back to four, 25-21, on a layup by junior center Ashlee Kelly and two free throws by sophomore guard Shrita Smith. Christine Catalanotto responded with a three to make it 25-24, but Kelly followed with a layup to put Quinnipiac up 27-24 at the half.

The Bobcats opened the second half with a 9-2 run to take a 10 point lead, 36-26, four minutes in. After a basket by Shalayna Johnson, Quinnipiac went on a 23-5 run over the next nine minutes to bust open the game, 59-33. Freshman forward Megan Smith, senior guard Kara Cassidy and junior forward Sara Esidore each hit three’s during the surge, while UMBC shot 2-for-13. The Retrievers cut the lead to 17 with 3:06 to go, but it wasn’t enough as the Bobcats held on for the victory.

Junior forward Katie Keilty posted her first career double-double with game-highs of 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Bobcats. Kelly notched 10 points and eight boards, while Megan Smith added seven points and eight rebounds, five on the offensive glass. As a team the Bobcats outrebounded the Retrievers by a 50-24 margin.