Fitzpatrick keeping Quinnipiac’s offense humming

An 83-75 triumph over Fairleigh Dickinson saw the Waterford junior garner 9 assists. She also scored 7 points, making two of three from bonus territory and a free throw. Quinnipiac then defeated Robert Morris, 70-54, with Fitzpatrick scoring 10 points, shooting 3-for-4 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the foul line. She also distributed the ball on five baskets. Fitzpatrick then had a chance to wear the hero’s laurels against St. Francis, Pa., but the shot she launched from half court just before the buzzer sounded hit the rim and bounced off, leaving the Bobcats (14-8, 8-5 Northeast Conference) on the short end of a 57-55 verdict. She finished with six points on 3-for-8 shooting, assisting on four field goals. Fitzpatrick leads Quinnipiac with 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. She also averages 4.5 points per outing.
Niamh Dwyer was high scorer in Monmouth’s 57-49 win over Central Connecticut State. The sophomore guard from Thurles, Co. Tipperary, accounted for 16 points, shooting 6-for-8 from the floor, including 3-for-4 from long range, while converting one of two free throws. The Hawks (13-8, 9-3 NEC) then drilled St. Francis, N.Y., 71-54. Dwyer backed off a bit in this game as the offense concentrated on bringing the ball to the hoop from down low. She attempted only four field goals, making two (one a three-pointer), and converted all four free throws to finish with nine points. She also had four rebounds and three assists in this contest. Dwyer leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game.
Kate Maher picked up the slack as Sacred Heart’s offensive attack cooled down in a 63-58 loss to Robert Morris. The Waterford senior led the Pioneers with 15 points, shooting 6-for-14 from the floor and 3-for-3 from the foul line. She also found her teammates for six assists and was credited with nine rebounds. Sacred Heart (15-7, 9-4 NEC) then lost again by five points, this time to Long Island University. Maher played all 40 minutes and led all players with 11 caroms, while assisting on four buckets and managing two steals. She scored four points on 2-for-4 shooting from the floor.
All of a sudden, Iona and respectability aren’t foreign concepts. The Gaels extended their winning streak to three by defeating Rider, 64-49. Senior forward Michelle Fahy led Iona with 22 points, shooting 7-for-16 from the field, while converting all eight free throw attempts. She also clamped 9 rebounds and was good for 4 assists. The mini-streak ended with a 67-60 loss to Niagara. The pride of Galway had her radar honed sharply, as she scored 23 points. She dropped in eight of 10 field goal attempts, including her lone try from bonus territory, as well as all six free throws. Fahy has now converted an incredible 33 consecutive free throws. She also brought down 8 rebounds and was credited with 4 assists. Iona is now 6-16 overall and 5-8 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
The New Jersey Institute of Technology lost a pair of close ones, 74-71, to University of Sciences, Philadelphia, and 75-73 to Bloomfield. NJIT freshman Aine O’Dwyer threw in nine points in the USP loss, hitting 4-for-7 from the
field and 1-for-2 from the foul line. The bucket then seemed to have a lid on it for the Killenaule, Co. Tipperary product against Bloomfield, when she
shot 1-for-11 from the floor. She nailed four of five free throws to finish with six points. She led the Highlanders (9-14, 8-10 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference) with 12 rebounds, seven off the offensive glass, despite playing only 25 minutes, due to foul trouble. O’Dwyer leads the team in rebounding with 7.6 boards per game and is fourth in scoring with an 8.5-points-per-game average.
Kate McAndrew saw 6 minutes of action in Rider’s 78-47 loss to Siena. The freshman from Scranton, Pa., scored 3 points and grabbed 3 caroms in her short stint. McAndrew’s family hails from Arklow, Co. Wicklow. Rider is 4-19 overall, 2-12 in the MAAC.

MEN’S HOOPS
Frostburg State’s Neil Campbell saw his most significant amount of playing time this season, 17 minutes, in a 65-60 loss to Pitt-Greensburg. The 6-foot-5
junior from Limerick scored 5 points, on 2-for-6 shooting from the field. He made his lone three-point try. He also had 3 rebounds and a steal. The Maryland school is 11-12 overall and 4-6 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.
Conor Grace dialed a pair of nines in Davidson’s 82-72 win over Georgia Southern. The Dublin junior scored 9 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the floor, including one successful launch from the banks of the River Liffey.
He also cuffed 9 rebounds. Previously, Grace scored 6 points, all on 3-pointers, in an 83-73 victory over Furman. He also had 6caroms. Grace is averaging 7.0 points per game and in second on the team in rebounding with 6.5 boards per game. The Wildcats are 13-11 overall and 8-5 in the Southern Conference.
Simon Behan dished out a game-high nine assists as Middlebury (12-11) lost to Skidmore, 72-67. The Dublin junior also scored 12 points, shooting 5-for-9 from the floor, including 2-for-9 from outside the 3-point arc. Behan leads the team in assists, with 2.9 per game. His 7.0 scoring average ranks fifth on the squad.

GYMNASTICS
UCLA, with 197.8 points, defeated California, 195.0, and Seattle Pacific, 190.025, in a tri-meet. The Bruins’ Holly Murdock, a sophomore from Derriaghy, Co. Antrim, competed in two events. On the beam, she tied for second among 18 gymnasts with a score of 9.900, exceeded only by teammate Kristen Maloney’s 9.950. Murdock scored seventh of 18 competitors on the bars with a 9.800 from the judges.

TRACK & FIELD
Providence College junior Liam Reale, from Hospital, Co. Limerick, won the Men’s mile at the FasTrack Invitational in Boston. His time of 4:04.44 provisionally qualifies him for that event at the NCAA Championship.
Providence junior Mary Cullen, from Sligo, posted a personal best in the mile, while finishing second to teammate Kim Smith in a tri-meet at Boston University. Cullen’s 4:38.17 qualifies her for the NCAAs. Teammate Deirdre Byrne, a senior from County Wicklow, finished first in the 800-meter run. Her 2:10.46 clocking is an ECAC qualifier.
The Iowa State Classic found several Irish runners on the boards. Butler’s John Frazer, a junior from Belfast, did double duty, placing 14th at 5,000 meters, and 17th in the mile. He was timed in 14:36.07 at the longer distance, which was won by Wisconsin’s Matt Tegenkamp in 13:56.65, the best of 67 runners. Frazer completed the mile in 4:11.42. DePaul’s Richard Byrne, a Dublin freshman, was 36th in 4:17.36. Wisconsin’s Josh Spiker posted the winning time among the 55 entrants, 4:03.01.
Butler’s Thomas Frazer, John’s twin brother, finished 17th at 3,000 meters, with an 8:18.97 clocking. Behind him came DePaul’s Gavin Kennedy, a junior from Waterford, in 8:26.98, and Loyola of Chicago’s Sean Conroy, a Cork junior, in 8:36.09. Best time among the 74 runners belonged to Wisconsin’s Chris Solinsky, who ran a 7:57.58.

GOLF
Rhode Island’s Kenneth Fahey, a junior from Galway, tied for 47th place among 105 golfers at the Taylor Made/Waikoloa Intercollegiate on the Kings’ Course in Waikoloa, Hawaii. Fahey’s 218 (73-73-72) left him two strokes over par and 13 strokes behind Oklahoma’s Anthony Kim, the medallist.

TENNIS
Pacific freshman Alan Kelly split a pair of matches recently. The Dubliner lost to Cal-Davis’ Bastian Bartels, 6-4, 6-1, at fifth singles, while Pacific won the team tussle, 5-2. Pacific then lost to Cal-Santa Cruz, 4-3, but Kelly successfully stepped up to fourth singles, where he defeated Kevin Casey, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
Notre Dame’s Barry King prevailed over Wisconsin’s Ward Bortz in a match at fifth singles, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. King is a freshman from Dublin. The Fighting Irish were 5-2 winners over the Badgers.
North Carolina State’s Conor Taylor won one and lost two at first singles last week. The Dublin junior began the week by falling to Virginia Tech’s Andreas Laulund, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2, as Tech defeated State, 5-2. The Wolfpack
retaliated against Maryland, 6-1, with Taylor defeating Troy Demers, 7-6, 0-7, 7-5.
California’s Catherine Lynch registered a 6-3, 6-1 win over Nevada-Las Vegas? Claire Smith at fifth singles. Lynch is a senior from Dublin. The Golden Bears defeated UNLV, 7-0.