Bobcats Open the New Year Against Saint Peter's

Game #12: Quinnipiac Bobcats (10-1, 2-0 MAAC) vs Saint Peter’s Peacocks (3-8, 1-1 MAAC)
Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 | 6:00 PM
M&T Bank Arena | Hamden, Conn.
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In-Game Updates: @QU_WBB

All-Time vs. Saint Peter’s: Quinnipiac leads the series, 22-0
Last Meeting vs. Saint Peter’s: W, 68-63 (Mar. 12, 2024, in Atlantic City, NJ)

HAMDEN, Conn. – The Quinnipiac women’s basketball team will begin the new year as they welcome the Saint Peter’s Peacocks on Thursday, January 2nd. Tip-off from M&T Bank Arena is set for 6 PM and can be seen on ESPN+.

LAST TIME OUT

The Quinnipiac women’s basketball team picked up their second MAAC win of the season as they defeated the Sacred Heart Pioneers, 78-63, on Saturday afternoon.

Ella O’Donnell set a new career-high, scoring 24 points on 72.7% (8-for-11) from the floor and 8-for-11 from the charity stripe.

O’Donnell also added five rebounds and two assists.

Jackie Grisdale added 16 points, knocking down four threes in the win.

Karson Martin scored 14 points on 67% shooting from the floor.

SCOUTING THE PEACOCKS

Saint Peter’s is led by head coach Jennifer Leedham, who holds a 77-108 record in her 7th season at the helm.

The Peacocks will enter Thursday’s matchup with a 3-8 overall record and a 1-1 mark in conference play.

Saint Peter’s is coming off a 56-60 loss to the Iona Gaels in their second conference game of the season. Fatmata Janneh scored a team-high 22 points in the loss.

The Peacocks are being outscored by their opponents 668-548 (-120) so far this season.

As a team, the Peacocks are averaging 49.8 points per game on 35.5% shooting from the floor and 27.4% from beyond the arc.

Saint Peter’s is holding teams to an average of 60.7 points per game and allowing their opponents to shoot 42.7% from the field.

The Peacocks average 30.5 rebounds per game with their opponents averaging 33.0 rebounds per game this season.

Fatmata Janneh is Saint Peters’ leading scorer, averaging 19.9 points per game in ten games this season.

Janneh is shooting 45.2% from the field and 24.5% from three-point range. Janneh also averages 9.7 rebounds per game, good for the team lead.

The Peacocks were picked to finish tenth in the MAAC Preseason Poll, receiving 49 total points.

DIV. I HISTORY VS. SAINT PETER’S

Thursday’s contest marks the 23rd matchup between the two programs in their Division-I history.

Quinnipiac is 22-0 against the Peacocks and are 10-0 on their home floor.

The Bobcats defeated the Peacocks all three times in 2024, with their most recent win coming in the MAAC Tournament.

QU defeated SPU by a final score of 68-63 to advance in the MAAC Tournament.

Ava Sollenne led the Bobcats in scoring with 19 points and Karson Martin picked up 18 points in the victory.

QU OPENS MAAC PLAY WITH WIN OVER BRONCS

The Quinnipiac women’s basketball program opened conference play with a 70-62 victory over the Rider Broncs on Kids Day in Hamden.

Gal Raviv scored 18 points and dished out a team-high nine assists, setting a new career-high.

Karson Martin added 16 points, knocking down four of her six three-point attempts.

Jackie Grisdale scored in double figures as she added 14 points in the win.

Ella O’Donnell reached double figures for the third time this season.

Rider took a 12-6 lead early in the first quarter, but a 15-0 run from the Bobcats gave them a 21-12 lead at the end of the first ten minutes of action.

Quinnipiac kept the pressure on the Broncs as they entered the locker room at the half up 38-28.

The Broncs attempted to come back in the second half, outscoring the Bobcats 34-32, but in the end, it was not enough as Quinnipiac held on for their first MAAC win of the year.

Quinnipiac won their MAAC opener for the second straight season.

QU CLOSES OUT NON-CONFERENCE PLAY WITH WIN AT VERMONT

The Quinnipiac Bobcats put an exclamation point on their non-conference slate as they defeated the Vermont Catamounts, 68-63, on Sunday afternoon to close out non-conference play.

First-year guard Gal Raviv dropped a team-high 24 points on 9-for-13 (69%) shooting from the floor.

The Kadima, Israel native has reached double-digits in points in seven of the nine contests so far this season.

Raviv also dished out four assists, the most on the team.

Anna Foley scored 17 points and dished out three assists in the win.

Vermont led the Bobcats 17-11 after the opening quarter, but a 26-14 scoring output in the second quarter for the Bobcats put them ahead at the halftime break.

After taking the lead at the 4:32 mark on a jumper from Jackie Grisdale, the Bobcats did not lose the lead, holding it for 25:37.

The Bobcats shot 49.0% from the floor, compared to Vermont’s 47.9%.

Quinnipiac finished their non-conference slate with an 8-1 record, their best start to a season since the 2012-13 season.

QU DOMINATES YALE AT HOME

On Monday evening, the Quinnipiac women’s basketball team triumphed over the Yale Bulldogs, 76-50, in Hamden.

Ella O’Donnell led the charge with 16 points, shooting 7-for-12 (58.3%) from the floor and converting both free throws she attempted.

Caranda Perea contributed 14 points and six rebounds in the 26-point victory over Yale.

Since joining the starting lineup on Nov. 16, Perea has been averaging 8.0 points per game.

Gal Raviv scored 13 points and recorded a team-high seven rebounds.

The Bobcats dominated in the second quarter, unleashing a 19-0 run that broke the game wide open.

Quinnipiac finished strong, outscoring the Bulldogs 34-29 in the second half, sealing the victory with a final score of 76-50.

Nine Bobcats contributed to the scoring effort that propelled them past the Bulldogs.

The Bobcats shot 51.7% from the floor, compared to Yale’s 32.8%.

Additionally, Quinnipiac was perfect from the free-throw line, making all 11 attempts.

Quinnipiac outrebounded Yale, 43-29.

BOBCATS TAME THE LIONS

First-year guard Gal Raviv led the Bobcats with 24 points on 56% shooting (9-for-16) as they defeated the Southeastern Louisiana Lions, 70-53, in their first game of the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament.

The Bobcats earned their sixth straight win to open up the 2024-25 campaign, the best start since the 2012-13 season.

The Lions led the Bobcats, 12-10, after the first quarter, but it was all Quinnipiac from the second quarter and on. Quinnipiac was able to hold the lead for 31:34, while Southeastern Louisiana only led for 4:41.

Quinnipiac shot 45.6% (28-for-57) from the floor and 9-for-20 (45.0%) from three-point range to power them past Southeastern Louisiana.

Anna Foley added 14 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in the win.

Jackie Grisdale and Karson Martin both scored 11 points and grabbed a combined 11 rebounds.

Quinnipiac forced 14 turnovers and scored 19 points from turnovers in the win.

Quinnipiac has not trailed in the fourth quarter so far this season and has outscored opponents 230-184 (+46) in the second half.

QU DOWNS BLACK BEARS IN MAINE

The Quinnipiac women’s basketball team took down the Maine Black Bears, 61-53, on Sunday afternoon in Orono, Maine.

The Bobcats started the season 5-0 for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

Anna Foley led all scorers with 20 points on 8-for-13 (61.5%) shooting. Foley grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and dished out seven assists.

Jackie Grisdale added 11 points in the win over the Black Bears last Sunday afternoon.

The Black Bears scored the game’s first two points, but it was all Bobcats after that as they held the lead for 38:48 (97%) of the game.

Quinnipiac shot 46% (23-for-50) from the floor and 6-for-13 (46.2%) from three-point range to power them past the Black Bears.

Eight Bobcats pitched into the scoring to help lead them past the Black Bears.

Quinnipiac outrebounded the Black Bears, 35-33.

Quinnipiac forced 12 turnovers from Maine to lead them to the win.

Quinnipiac has not trailed in the fourth quarter so far this season and has outscored opponents 193-159 (+34) in the second half.

‘CATS IMPROVE TO 4-0

The Quinnipiac women’s basketball team defeated the Cornell Big Red, 56-47, on Thursday evening to improve to 4-0 in the 2024-25 campaign.

Karson Martin led all scorers with 15 points on 7-for-14 (50%) shooting. Martin also grabbed five rebounds, which was good for third on the team.

Anna Foley added 14 points and snagged a team-high nine rebounds.

The Big Red scored the game’s first two points, but it was all Bobcats after that as they did not let Cornell regain the lead.

Quinnipiac exploded for 24 points in the fourth quarter, shooting 56.3% (9-for-16) from the field and 1-for-2 from three-point range.

Jackie Grisdale (8 points) and Gal Raviv (7 points) played over 35 minutes in the win.

Ella O’Donnell scored six points on 100% shooting and Ava Sollenne (3 points) knocked down the only shot she took.

Quinnipiac forced 17 turnovers from Cornell to help lead them to the win.

Quinnipiac out-rebounded the Big Red, 35-32.

With the win, the Bobcats have won their first four games of the season for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

CAUGHT THE TIGERS BY THEIR TOE

The Bobcats defeated the Princeton Tigers on Saturday afternoon in Hamden, 74-66.

Quinnipiac improved to 3-0 to start the new year, the first time since the 2016-17 season.

Gal Raviv led the Bobcats in scoring with 21 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the floor.

The first-year guard has scored double-digit points in all three games this season.

Raviv led the team as she dished out six assists in the win.

Caranda Perea scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for her first double-double as a Bobcat.

Quinnipiac shot 51% from the floor and 35.7% from behind the arc while holding Princeton to just 41.0% shooting from the field.

Karson Martin (15 points) and Jackie Grisdale (10 points) both reached double-digit figures.

Anna Foley added nine points and grabbed four rebounds.

The Bobcats outscored the Tigers in points in the paint, 32-30.

QU shot 35.7% from three-point range, while the Tigers shot 24.1% from three.

The win was QU’s first over Princeton in program history.

20-POINT WIN OVER HARVARD

The Quinnipiac Women’s Basketball team defeated the Harvard Crimson by a final score of 76-53 on Sunday, Nov. 10th in Hamden.

Senior Jackie Grisdale recorded a career-high 33 points on 12-for-16 (75.0%) shooting from the floor.

Grisdale shot 7-for-8 (87.5%) from three-point range to set a Division I program record for made threes in a single game.

Gal Raviv added 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists for the Bobcats. She went 6-of-8 from the free-throw line.

Anna Foley stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in the win. Foley grabbed three offensive rebounds.

Caranda Perea added eight points and three rebounds, Karson Martin chipped in with seven points and seven assists, and Ella O’Donnell recorded seven points and five rebounds.

QU led for 32:17 in total, and the Bobcats’ largest lead was 29.

The Bobcats shot 23-of-51 for the game. QU went 7-for-15 in the second quarter, then 8-for-14 in the third.

The Bobcats outrebounded the Crimson, 37-33.

OPENING WITH A WIN AT HOLY CROSS

The Quinnipiac Women’s Basketball team opened their season with a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Holy Cross on opening night.

Karson Martin led the Bobcats in scoring with 25 points and shot 62.5% (10-16) from the field and 50% (4-8) from behind the arc.

In her collegiate debut, Gal Raviv dropped 22 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists.

Ella O’Donnell added ten points in a crucial role off the bench and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in the win.

Captains Jackie Grisdale and Grace LaBarge added eight and seven points, respectively.

Sophomore Anna Foley scored six points and recorded six rebounds in 18 minutes of action.

Quinnipiac out-rebounded Holy Cross, 31-28, with 14 of those rebounds coming on the offensive end.

The Bobcats knocked down four of their five threes in the third quarter to power the comeback.

The last time the Bobcats had two players score 20+ more points in a game was Feb. 18, 2018 (Aryn McClure – 25 and Jen Fay – 21).

LEADER OF THE PACK

Head coach Tricia Fabbri is in her 30th season at the helm of the Bobcats in 2024-25.

A five-time Coach of the Year and all-time winningest coach in program history, Fabbri has totaled 525 career victories, thus far.

With the win over Mount St. Mary’s on Feb. 16, 2023, Fabbri became the 90th coach in Div. I women’s basketball history to reach 500 career wins and the 22nd to accomplish the feat at one institution without coaching at another.

Of her 523 wins, 508 have come in Quinnipiac’s Div. I era.

With 20 wins in 2022-23, Fabbri secured the program’s 12th straight winning season under her guidance.

Fabbri’s Bobcats have reached the 20-win plateau in 12 seasons, including a run of eight straight seasons from 2011-2019.

With five NCAA Tournament appearances along with five WNIT berths, Fabbri has led QU to 10 postseason national tournaments in her tenure.

She has led Quinnipiac to five conference titles in the last 11 seasons and earned five consecutive MAAC Regular Season titles from 2015-2019.

JUST WIN BABY, WIN!!

M&T Bank Arena, home of the Quinnipiac Bobcats, has long been one of the most difficult arenas to play at in the country.

Since the 2012-13 season, Quinnipiac owns a record of 137-33 (.806) in games played at home.

In that same span, the Bobcats own a mark of 98-20 (.831) in conference play (NEC & MAAC) at home.

Quinnipiac owns a 145-72 (.668) mark since November 22, 2017.

The Bobcats stand with a mark of 88-20 (.815) at home in league games since joining the MAAC in 2013-14.

The Bobcats are 81-17 (.827) at M&T Bank Arena in conference games since the start of the 2014-15 campaign.

CLOSING TIME

Quinnipiac has enjoyed a great deal of success over the past four seasons when building a first-half lead.

After starting 2016-17 with a mark of 2-0 when owning a halftime lead, the Bobcats saw one of their most impressive streaks in program history come to an end in a 71-68 loss at Temple.

The undefeated streak, which lasted throughout three seasons, came to an end at 46 straight wins for the Bobcats when holding a halftime lead.

Quinnipiac went undefeated in both 2014-15 (24-0) and 2015-16 (19-0) and for the first two games of 2016-17 before suffering the defeat.

Overall, the Bobcats own a mark of 176-18 (.907) since the start of 2014-15 in games in which Quinnipiac leads at the half.

FIRST YEAR OF FOLEY

Anna Foley did not disappoint in her first season in Hamden as she was named to the All-MAAC Second Team and All-MAAC Rookie Team last season.

Foley was the only member of the team last season to start in all 31 games.

She averaged 13.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game as a first-year.

Foley led the team in total rebounds (220), rebounds per game (7.1), field goals made (160), and total points (406).

Anna scored a season-high 28 points against Manhattan on 57.9% shooting (2/17).

MORE FROM MARTIN

Karson Martin closed out her first season in a Bobcat uniform as she earned MAAC All-Rookie honors at the end of the regular season.

Martin appeared in 24 games, starting in 21 of those games.

She averaged 11.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game over 31.7 minutes per game.

Martin ranked third on the team with 25 made three-pointers.

Martin scored a career-high 23 points against Canisius (1/18).

The Woodstock, Georgia native recorded her first collegiate double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds in the win against Marist (3/9).

LEADERSHIP GROUP

BRAND NEW BOBCATS

Quinnipiac Head Coach Tricia Fabbri built on her returning foundation, bringing in five newcomers, including a class of four rookies.

CP IS IN CT

Caranda Perea comes to Quinnipiac after a season at the University of Tulsa.

Perea averaged 2.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in 34 games last season.

Prior to her time at the University of Tulsa, Perea spent two seasons at Temple (2021-23) and one season at George Washington (2020-21).

The Altoona, PA native scored over 1,000 points in her high school career and was named to the First Team All-District and All-Region Teams as a junior and senior.

GOT OUR GAL

Gal Raviv comes to Hamden after having played at Bella Vista College Prep in Arizona.

Raviv represented Team Israel at the FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket and led the team with 17.3 points and 4.7 assists per game.

Raviv ranked fourth in the entire tournament in PPG (17.3) and ranked sixth in APG (4.7).

The Kadima, Israel native represented her country at the U16 FIBA Euro Championship while she was only 14 years old.

Named to the tournament’s First 5 in the 2021 Girls U16 FIBA Euro Championship.

SHARPSHOOTING SIPLA

Reagan Sipla arrived at Quinnipiac after having played four seasons at St. Charles North High School in Illinois.

Sipla is the all-time leader in scoring for juniors in St. Charles North High School history.

Sipla also holds the St. Charles North High School record for most three-pointers made in a single season by juniors.

The St. Charles, Illinois native was a unanimous selection to the All-Conference team as a junior.

GO, GO GRACIE

After a high school career at Waupun Area High School in Wisconsin, Gracie Gopalan has made her way to Hamden.

Gopalan is a true guard who broke Waupun’s season assists record as a sophomore.

Gopalan is a two-time First Team All-Conference selection and a one-time Second Team All-Conference selection.

The Waupun, Wisconsin native brings the championship pedigree to Hamden after being a three-time ECC Conference Champion.

THE MAINE DEFENDER

The Saco, Maine native Emma Lizotte has made her way to Quinnipiac after four years at Thornton Academy.

Lizotte averaged 17.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 assists per game in high school.

Lizotte is a two-time First Team All-Conference selection and a one-time All-Defensive team selection.

The 2022 Tournament MVP led her team to a 2022 State Championship at Thornton Academy.

CT IS HOME

Head Coach Tricia Fabbri announced the addition of Cur’Tiera Haywood ’23 to the coaching staff as an assistant coach ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Haywood had a four-year career in Hamden as she earned multiple All-MAAC honors during her time as a Bobcat.

Haywood was named to the All-MAAC Rookie Team after averaging 4.1 points per game in 18.6 minutes per game in her first season.

In her senior season in Hamden, Haywood earned All-MAAC Third-Team Honors after averaging career highs of points (10.0 PPG), rebounds (5.2 RPG), and assists (1.2 APG) in 30 starts.

After a four-year stint in Hamden, Haywood transferred to Austin Peay in Clarksville, TN for her graduate season.

CT started all 33 games for the Governors while averaging 8.2 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game, and 1.0 assists per game.

Haywood led the team in free-throw percentage (.794) and three-pointers made (38) while being one of two players to start every game.

PRESEASON NEWS

Quinnipiac women’s basketball was tabbed tied for 3rd in the MAAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, as announced by the league office as part of the inaugural MAAC Basketball Tip-off held at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ. on Tuesday, Oct. 8.