GAME 31 – Sunday, March 6, 2016
MAAC Championship Semifinals
No. 5 Monmouth Hawks (14-16, 11-9 MAAC) vs. No. 1 Quinnipiac Bobcats (23-7, 17-3 MAAC)
Location: Albany, NY – Times Union Center
Tip: 11:00 a.m.
Live Video – ESPN3
Live Stats – MAAC.StatBroadcast.com
Live Audio – Monmouth Digital Network; 89.9 FM WMCX; WMCX.com
Twitter – Twitter.com/MUHawksWBB

Monmouth continues MAAC Championship play in Sunday's semifinals against Quinnipiac. The Hawks have won their last five games and seven of their last eight, including a 64-46 win over fourth-seeded Fairfield in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, QU has won 18-straight games since a Jan. 2 loss at MU. Most recently, QU defeated Niagara, 74-51, in Friday's quarterfinals.
 
SCOUTING THE QUINNIPIAC BOBCATS
QU is led by All-MAAC Second Team selection Maria Napolitano, who's averaged 10.8 points per game while shooting 33.1 percent from long range. Sarah Shewan has added 8.9 points per game, while 2016 MAAC Rookie of the Year Aryn McClure has contributed 8.3 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game. MAAC All-Rookie Team selection Paula Strautmane has also added 8.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while Adily Martucci is another potent scoring option at 7.5 points per game. Morgan Manz has also contributed 6.5 points per game, while Carly Fabbri has added 6.4 points and a team-high 2.5 assists per game.   

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. QUINNIPIAC
QU owns a 21-16 lead in the all-time series. Prior to MU's Jan. 2 victory, QU had won six straight. MU has met QU six times in the conference tournament, with MU taking a 4-2 record. They've met five times in the quarterfinals, with the only other pairing being an MU win in the 2012 NEC Semifinals. Last season, QU took an 82-61 win in the MAAC Quarterfinals.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Monmouth outscored Fairfield, 19-2, in the second quarter and never trailed again in a 64-46 quarterfinal victory. Tyese Purvis led the Hawks with 14 points.

LAST TIME AGAINST QUINNIPIAC
Sarah Olson scored 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-3 from long range, but the Hawks fell at Quinnipiac, 85-58, Jan. 28 in Hamden. Erica Balman established new career highs of eight points and 10 rebounds, while Tyese Purvis also scored eight points.