Quinnipiac women ready for NCAA tourney debut

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- In its first foray into the NCAA women's tournament, Quinnipiac didn't take a bus trip south from Connecticut just to practice in a huge arena and serve as fodder for the home team.

No, the 13th-seeded Bobcats are intent upon beating No. 4 seed Maryland on Saturday. They've even outlined the manner in which the first-round upset will occur.

Quinnipiac (30-2) expects to use its depth to wear down the Terrapins (24-7) and utilize its ball-hawking ability to force free-wheeling Maryland into a slew of turnovers.

The Bobcats hope to duplicate the success of Marist, which faces No. 5 seed Michigan State (24-8) in the second game Saturday. Marist (26-6), a mid-major school, reached the round of 16 in 2007 and won first-round games in 2009, 2011 and 2012.