HAMDEN, Conn. - Chevannah Paalvast (Auckland, New Zealand/Massey) scored 10 points and Abigail Martin (Maplewood, N.J./Columbia) grabbed 10 rebounds but the Monmouth University women's basketball team was defeated by league-leading Quinnipiac, 72-45, Wednesday night at the TD Bank Sports Center. With the loss, the Hawks fall to 12-13 (9-5 NEC), while the Bobcats improve to 23-2 (14-0 NEC).  

Martin added eight points, while Paalvast had eight rebounds. Carly Thibault (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) added six points and five rebounds, while Betsy Gadziala (Whiteboro, N.Y./Whitesboro) chipped in with five points and eight rebounds.

An extremely deep Quinnipiac team was led by Maria Napolitano's 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-5 from long distance. Jasmine Martin added 11 points, while Felicia Barron, Brittany McQuain, Nikoline Ostergaard and Samantha Guastella had eight points apiece. Guastella also added 10 rebounds for the Bobcats. Demonstrative of the Bobcats' depth, no Quinnipiac player saw more than 22 minutes of court time in the game.

The first half ended with Quinnipiac holding a 32-21 advantage. After the Hawks ran out to a 9-4 lead on the strength of four points from Paalvast and a Gabby Singer (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) triple, three three-pointers from three different Bobcats pushed Quinnipiac into the lead. The Bobcats extended to a 14-2 run before extending to a 13-point lead on two occasions.

McQuain led the Bobcats with eight points, while Ellen Cannon and Ostergaard had six points each. Paalvast and Martin paced the Hawks with six points each at the break. The big difference in the first half came on the Hawks' 13 turnovers, which led to a 19-0 lead in points off turnovers for QU.

After the Bobcats extended the lead to 16 points on Martin's lay-up at the 17:37 mark, the Hawks gradually whittled the deficit down to eight, 45-37, with 10:29 remaining on Thibault's three-pointer. But the Bobcats immediately pushed their lead back to double digits and eventually extended to the 27-point final margin of victory.

For the game, the Bobcats outshot the Hawks, 35.2 percent (25-71) to 32.7 percent (17-52) from the floor, 52.2 percent (12-23) to 33.3 percent (4-12) from long range and 66.7 percent (10-15) to 58.3 percent (7-12) from the free-throw line. Quinnipiac forced 27 Monmouth turnovers and outscored the Hawks, 33-2 off turnovers. The Bobcats also took a 39-16 advantage in bench scoring. Monmouth outrebounded the Bobcats, 45-42.  

The Hawks continue Northeast Conference play on the road Saturday afternoon, when they travel to Loretto, Pa., to take on Saint Francis University. Opening tip from DeGol Arena is scheduled for 4 p.m.