FAIRFIELD, Conn. (Interstat) — Ella Ryan scored 18 points to lead Quinnipiac to a 55-39 victory over Sacred Heart in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference women’s basketball game Saturday at the William Pitt Center. The Bobcats improved to 22-5 overall, while the Pioneers fell to 12-15. Quinnipiac used a decisive 17-6 second-quarter run to build a 30-17 halftime lead and maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the second half. Ryan’s game-high scoring paced Quinnipiac. Anna Foley added 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Bobcats. Emma Kirby led Sacred Heart with 13 points and nine rebounds. Quinnipiac forced 22 points off turnovers and held Sacred Heart to its second-lowest scoring total of the season in front of 805 fans.

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (Interstat) — The Quinnipiac Bobcats used a dominant defensive performance and a game-high 18 points from Ella Ryan to secure a 55-39 victory over the Sacred Heart Pioneers in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference women’s basketball game Saturday at the William Pitt Center. The Bobcats, improving to 22-5 overall, never trailed and held the Pioneers to a season-low in points, leveraging a stifling defense that forced 19 turnovers and limited Sacred Heart to just 34.1% shooting from the field. The Pioneers, who fell to 12-15, managed only two made three-pointers and shot a costly 43.8% from the free-throw line. The tone was set early as Quinnipiac opened the game with an 8-0 run. Anna Foley of Andover, Massachusetts, won the opening tip and quickly connected on a jump shot assisted by Jackie Grisdale. After a Sacred Heart turnover, Ryan, a guard from Brentwood, Tennessee, grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a putback layup. Foley added another layup shortly after, forcing the Pioneers to play from behind for the remainder of the contest. Sacred Heart struggled to find any offensive rhythm in the first half, particularly in the second quarter where they were held to just six points. Quinnipiac’s defense was relentless, recording six steals and four blocks, with Paige Girardi and Foley each contributing two rejections. The Pioneers’ 19 turnovers led directly to 22 points for the Bobcats, a decisive margin in the defensive struggle. While the shooting percentages were low for both sides—Quinnipiac shot 35% from the field—the Bobcats controlled the game through superior rebounding, earning a 45-33 advantage, and by capitalizing on second chances with 12 offensive boards. Ryan’s efficient 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including two three-pointers, provided the consistent offensive spark for Quinnipiac. Foley filled the stat sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds, and a game-high five assists. Emma Kirby of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, led Sacred Heart with 13 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double. Amelia Wood of Wynantskill, New York, added seven points and seven rebounds for the Pioneers. The most critical stretch of the game came in the second quarter, where Quinnipiac extended its lead from 13-11 after the first period to a commanding 30-17 advantage by halftime. During that frame, the Bobcats’ defense suffocated Sacred Heart, which committed eight turnovers and made only two field goals. Consecutive three-pointers from Ryan, the latter assisted by Karson Martin of Woodstock, Georgia, capped a 9-2 run that pushed the lead to 26-13 and effectively put the game out of reach. Sacred Heart could not mount a serious challenge in the second half, never cutting the deficit below double digits. The victory completed a regular-season sweep for Quinnipiac, which defeated Sacred Heart 65-49 on Jan. 10. The Bobcats have now won 10 of their last 11 games, their only loss in that span coming against first-place Fairfield. Sacred Heart has lost two straight following a two-game winning streak. Quinnipiac returns home to host Niagara on Thursday. Sacred Heart travels to face Mount Saint Mary’s, also on Thursday.

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (Interstat) — A surging Quinnipiac squad looks to rebound from a rare conference loss when it visits Sacred Heart in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference women’s basketball matchup Saturday at the William Pitt Center. The Bobcats (21-5, 13-2 MAAC), who saw a seven-game win streak snapped in a 75-63 home loss to Fairfield on Feb. 14, remain atop the league standings. They will face a Pioneers team (12-14, 8-7) seeking consistency after alternating wins and losses over its past six contests. Quinnipiac boasts a potent offense, averaging 71.2 points per game in MAAC play, and features a balanced attack. A key catalyst is sophomore guard Ella O’Donnell, who enters on a strong run. Over her last eight games, O’Donnell is averaging 13.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists, including an 18-point effort in a Jan. 29 road win over these same Pioneers. Sacred Heart, coming off a 62-57 home loss to Merrimack on Thursday, will rely on senior forward Emma Kirby. She is coming off a season-high 18-point performance in that defeat and has averaged 12.0 points over her last three outings. Kirby’s interior presence, including a nine-rebound game against Fairfield on Jan. 31, will be vital against a physical Quinnipiac frontcourt. The Bobcats won the season’s first meeting decisively, 65-49, in Hamden on Jan. 10. In that game, Quinnipiac’s defense stifled Sacred Heart, holding the Pioneers to 30.2% shooting from the field. For Quinnipiac, maintaining defensive intensity will be paramount. Prior to the Fairfield loss, they had held opponents to 55 points or fewer in five straight victories. Sacred Heart, which averages a conference-low 57.9 points per game, must find offensive rhythm early to challenge the league leaders. The game tips off at 2 p.m. EST. Quinnipiac will host Niagara next on Feb. 26, while Sacred Heart travels to face Mount Saint Mary’s on the same date.