The Yale women’s basketball team continued its disappointing streak last night at John J. Lee Amphitheater with its fifth straight loss, this time to Quinnipiac.

The Bobcats (2-3) jumped out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back, rolling past the Bulldogs (0-5), 68-47. The win marked the fourth year in a row Quinnipiac has defeated Yale.

Yale center Erica Davis ’07 said Quinnipiac’s early lead was the deciding factor in the game’s outcome.

“I don’t think we came out hard enough,” Davis said, “I think they wanted it more in the beginning.”

Davis, who leads the Bulldogs with 15.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, was taken out of the game in the middle of the second half after accumulating four fouls against the Bobcats. She returned with six minutes left on the clock, finishing the game with 13 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high four blocks. Guard Tory Mauseth ’05 scored a team-high 15 points while guard Julia Mantilla ’07 chipped in with five points and a Yale-record five rejections.

The Yale bench was frequently heard cheering its teammates on with chants of “defense” as the Bobcats continued to dominate the court. The Bulldogs scored only two points in the first five minutes of play, failing to convert on their shots and committing multiple turnovers. The Bobcats led 23-5 with under eight minutes left in the first half and headed into the break up, 34-18.

The second half saw the Elis cut the Bobcats’ lead to 39-31 with 15 minutes left in the game after a nine-point run. But Quinnipiac rallied for its own 10-point run to put the game out of reach.

The Elis hurt themselves with poor shooting and sloppy play, hitting just 32.1 percent of their shots and turning the ball over 30 times. A stingy Bobcat defense did not help either.

“I think we defended really well,” Quinnipiac forward Nicole Duperron said.

Duperron also attributed her team’s success to the offensive efforts of Quinnipiac sophomore Krystal Pressley. Pressley, who has averaged 19.5 points this season, scored 27 points in last night’s contest.

Quinnipiac center Jamie Harrintgton said she agreed the team’s defense was instrumental in the victory. She added she was pleased with the win because of the local rivalry that exists between Yale and Quinnipiac, located in nearby Hamden.

“It’s always a tough game when we play them,” she said, “It’s always a good game.”

Despite the loss, Davis said the team had performed well at times, especially on the defensive end.

“I think we played good defense,” she said, “We held them to a low score.”

Davis said the Bulldogs need to be “hungrier” if they hope to earn a win and turn around what has been a miserable start to their season.

“We can’t depend on one person to be the will of the team,” she said. “In the end we executed, but by then it was too late.”

The Bulldogs return to action when they travel to New Hampshire to take on the Wildcats Dec. 8.

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