FAIRFIELD Conn. - The Monmouth University women's basketball team, seeded fifth, takes on fourth-seeded Quinnipiac in the Northeast Conference Tournament Quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at the Pitt Center in Fairfield, Connecticut. The Hawks ended the regular season winning three straight games and seven of their last eight heading into postseason play. MU ended the regular season with a 67-51 road win over Central Connecticut State this past Monday. Four Hawks scored in double figures against the Blue Devils, paced by senior Jennifer Bender's 16 points and 11 rebounds. Against CCSU, the Hawks trailed 37-33 at halftime but outscored the Blue Devils 34-14 in the second half, limiting Central to 16.7% field goal shooting in the second period.
Game Preview (More information under the 'Game Notes' link above):
CLAWING AROUND THE BOBCATS
Quinnipiac finished the regular season with an 18-10 overall record and an 11-7 mark in league play. The Bobcats come into the postseason on a roll, winning five of their last six games. QU is paced by its senior backcourt of Erin Kerner, Mandy Pennewell and Brianna Rooney, who average a combined 38.4 points per game. Kerner is the team's best offensive option, averaging 17.5 points per game, while Pennewell is the team's long-range threat, hitting the second most three-pointers (68) in the league. Rooney does a little bit of everything well for the Bobcats, averaging 7.8 points per game and leading the league with 70 steals (2.59 spg).
BLUE STREAK
Monmouth enters postseason play having won three consecutive games by an average of 11.5 points per game. The Hawks have shot 45.2% from the floor in those games and have averaged 70.3 points per game in those contests. Jennifer Bender has averaged 23.3 points per game, while fellow senior LaKia Barber has scored 14.7 points per game during the streak. Freshman Alexis Scott has scored 12.3 points per contest as well, hitting 41.7% of her three-pointers during the stretch. MU is also outrebounding the opposition by an average of almost eight caroms per game during the run.
PLAYOFF TIME
The Monmouth women's basketball team clinched its seventh straight Northeast Conference Tournament berth, and the 15th in the last 16 seasons, earlier this year. The Hawks have pulled consecutive NEC Quarterfinal upsets in each of the last two seasons as the lower seed. Two years ago, as the fifth seed, MU upset #4 Quinnipiac 63-58 on its home floor and last season #6 Monmouth beat third-seeded Sacred Heart 75-70 on a neutral floor at Long Island. Monmouth is 1-1 all-time against Quinnipiac in the conference tournament, beating the Bobcats two seasons ago, but falling in the 2005 Quarterfinals.
MU All-time in the NEC Tournament
The Hawks are 14-17 all-time in the NEC Tournament, having won at least one game in each of the last two seasons. MU is 24-20 all-time in postseason play dating back to 1982-83.
THE GAME:
#5 Monmouth (17-12, 11-7 NEC) vs. #4 Quinnipiac (18-10, 11-7 NEC)
March 7, 2009
Tip: 2:30 p.m.
Location: Sacred Heart - Pitt Center
Radio: WMCX, 88.9 FM
Internet: www.wmcx.com
Streaming Video: http://www.packnetwork.tv/
