Men's Basketball To Raise NEC Championship Banner Prior To Home Opener Tuesday
11/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Quinnipiac University
Bobcats (1-0) vs.
University of
Hartford Hawks (0-1)
Tuesday,
November 16, 2010 - 7 p.m.
TD Bank Sports Center - Hamden,
Conn.
Bobcats Play Host To Hartford In 2010-11 Home Opener
The Quinnipiac University men's basketball team plays host
to Hartford in its home opener, Tuesday night at the TD Bank Sports
Center. Prior to the game, the Bobcats will raise the 2009-10 NEC
Regular Season Championship banner. Quinnipiac opened the 2010-11
season with an 84-75 victory against Yale Friday night in the
second annual Connecticut 6 Classic. Justin Rutty paced the Bobcats
with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Deontay
Twyman and James Johnson added 16 points apiece. Hartford took a
tough 64-62 loss to Central Connecticut at the Connecticut 6, after
leading for the majority of the game. The Bobcats are 13-5 all-time
against Hartford, including wins in each of the last three
meetings.
Scouting the Hartford Hawks
Though the Hawks are typically led by redshirt senior Joe
Zeglinski, who's scored nearly 1,600 career points, Morgan Sabia
was the headliner against Central Connecticut, scoring 23 points
and grabbing 13 rebounds. Zeglinski added 13 points, while Milton
Burton had 10 points and five rebounds. While the Hawks didn't
shoot particularly well from the floor against CCSU (36.9 FG%, 27.9
3-pt. FG%), Hartford made up for it with 17 offensive rebounds and
an 88.9 percent (8-9) performance from the free-throw line.
Last
Time Out Against Yale
Led by Justin Rutty's 31st career double-double and 16
points apiece from Deontay Twyman and James Johnson, the Bobcats
defeated Yale, 84-75. Rutty scored 19 points and grabbed 10
rebounds. Mike Gabriel also reached double-figures in his
collegiate debut with 10 points. Greg Mangano led Yale with 20
points and nine rebounds.
Last
Time Against Hartford
James Feldeine scored 23 points and Jeremy Baker added 17
points as the Bobcats defeated the Hawks, 85-74, in the inaugural
Connecticut 6 Classic, Nov. 13, 2009. James Johnson (15) and
Deontay Twyman (15) also added double figures for the Bobcats. Joel
Barkers led the Hawks with 23 points.
Follow the Bobcats
Tuesday's game can be heard live on AM 1220 WQUN and
www.quinnipiacbobcats.com. The voice of the Bobcats, Bill
Schweizer, will have the play-by-play call, while Bill Mecca and
Bob Tipson will provide color commentary. Bobcat Channel
subscribers can also access a live video webcast on
www.quinnipiacbobcats.com, while live stats will also be available
through the official Quinnipiac Athletics website.
Movin' On Up
With 808 rebounds, Justin Rutty ranks eighth all-time at
QU and 15th all-time in the Northeast Conference. Rutty has an
opportunity to pass two on the QU list and one on the NEC list next
time out. Frank Lisinow '67 (809) and Lester Ayala '92 (815) are in
close range on the QU list, while Rik Smits (Marist) stands at 811
on the NEC list.
Rutty Moves Up QU Career Scoring List
With 1,177 career points, Rutty now ranks 18th on the
Quinnipiac career scoring list and fourth on the Quinnipiac
Division I scoring list. With 19 points against Yale, Nov. 13,
Rutty leapfrogged Ed Skwara '69 (1,159), Art Leary '70 (1,159),
Mike Buscetto '93 (1,165), Rashaun Banjo '04 (1,166) and Jim Freund
'81 (1,166).
Sweet 16's
Deontay Twyman tied his career-high with 16 points against
Yale at the Connecticut 6 Classic, Nov. 13. James Johnson matched
Twyman's 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting and 4-for-4 from the
line.
More
Exclusive Company For Rutty
Justin Rutty connected on his 500th career field goal
against Yale, Nov. 13, becoming one of just three Quinnipiac
players at the Division I level to achieve the feat. Rutty joins
Bill Romano '02 (599) and Rob Monroe '05 (523).
Gabriel's Impressive QU Debut
Mike Gabriel was impressive in his Quinnipiac debut
against Yale, Nov. 13, scoring 10 points in just 13 minutes off the
bench. He was very efficient, making 3-of-4 field-goal attempts and
4-of-6 free throw attempts.
Dom
From Trey
Dominique Langston made both of his three-point attempts
in his collegiate debut against Yale, Nov. 13, to account for his
six points.
Moore of the Same
Head Coach Tom Moore has won the season opener in each of
his four years at QU, the first three coming against Hartford,
while the most recent came this season against Yale. Prior to
Moore's arrival to Hamden, no Quinnipiac team had won its first
game of the season during the school's Division I era. Teams that
have had Moore serving on the coaching staff have won 11
consecutive season openers. The last time one of Moore's teams
didn't win its first game was Nov. 11, 1999, when defending
National Champion and top-ranked UConn was upset by Iowa in the
Coaches vs. Cancer IKON Classic. None of Quinnipiac's other five
coaches all-time won their first three season openers, and only
Burt Kahn won as many as four straight at any point. Kahn won six
straight from 1967-68 through 1972-73.
Rutty Eyes Exclusive 1,000-1,000 Club
Justin Rutty currently stands at 1,177 points and 808
rebounds in his career. With at least 28 more games left in Rutty's
career, his career 8.8 rebounds per game average would leave him at
1,054 boards, while his two-year average of 10.38 boards per game
would put him at 1,099 rebounds. Just two prior Quinnipiac players
have reached both 1,000 points and rebounds.
Johnson's Elite Company
James Johnson's consecutive starts streak now stands at 65
games to begin his career. Johnson became just the eighth freshman
in QU Division I history to start his collegiate debut, and started
all 31 of Quinnipiac's games in 2008-09, joining just 19 other
freshmen in the nation to start every game their team played. Each
player to start his first game and complete four years at QU has
scored over 1,000 points. Rob Monroe, Bill Romano, Justin Rutty and
Jared Grasso started their first games and rank first, second,
fourth and seventh, on the Bobcats scoring list. The 65-game streak
currently ranks second in program history to begin a career and
fourth among all QU D-I starts streaks.
Everybody's Favorite
The Northeast Conference's coaches selected the Bobcats as
the league's first unanimous favorite since 1997-98 (Long Island).
In addition, The Sporting News, Athlon, Lindy's and the Blue Ribbon
College Basketball Report also picked the Bobcats as the NEC
favorite.
QU
Picked Second In CT6 Poll
Quinnipiac was picked second in the Preseason Connecticut
6 Coaches' Poll. Fairfield claimed the top spot, while Central
Connecticut immediately followed the Bobcats in third. Sacred
Heart, Yale and Hartford rounded out the poll.
Bonding Overseas
The Bobcats took a 10-day trip to The Netherlands, Belgium
and France this past August. In four games, Quinnipiac went
3-1.
Eight Is Enough
Quinnipiac returns eight players from the 2009-10 squad,
and also welcomes eight new players in 2010-11. Only four of the
eight new players will be available for play immediately (Azotam,
Gabriel, Harrison, Langston), while Tevin Baskin is slated to be
eligible beginning second semester (Dec. 22 at Niagara). Austin
Alecxih, Lance Brown and Garvey Young each must sit the year out
due to NCAA transfer rules.
Bobcats Experience Historic 2009-10 Season
The Quinnipiac University men's basketball team
experienced a historic season of firsts in 2009-10. Jim Phelan NEC
Coach of the Year Tom Moore led the Bobcats to a program-record 23
wins, the first Northeast Conference Regular Season Championship in
team history, and a berth into the National Invitation Tournament,
the first national postseason tournament appearance in program
Division I history. Junior forward Justin Rutty was named the NEC
Player of the Year, becoming the first player in program history
earn the award. Both Rutty and senior wing James Feldeine were
named to the All-NEC First Team Moore's recognition as Coach of the
Year was also a first in program history.
Moore Wins
With 23 wins in 2009-10, including 15 NEC victories, the
Bobcats set a new program record. The marks edge the 1999-2000 QU
team (18-10, 12-6 NEC) for the most wins at D-I, and passed the
1972-73 and 1979-80 teams for the all-time program record.
Keeping Good Company
Quinnipiac was one of just four teams in the NCAA ranked
in the top 10 nationally in both rebound margin and rebounds per
game in 2009-10. The Bobcats ranked second in rebound margin and
10th in rebounds per game. Quinnipiac joined nationally-ranked
Kentucky (4th - rebound margin, 5th - rebounds per game) and Kansas
(9th - rebound margin, 7th - rebounds per game), as well as Radford
(7th - rebound margin, 1st - rebounds per game) in the exclusive
club. Quinnipiac also ranked 14th in offensive rebounds
(14.61).
C-T
State of Mind
Quinnipiac was 18-1 in games played in Connecticut,
including a 14-1 mark at home in 2009-10. In starting 14-0 at home,
the Bobcats established the best start at home in program
history.
Twelve In Fourteen
Justin Rutty compiled his Quinnipiac Division I record
24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th career double-doubles
in seven consecutive games, Feb. 18-Mar. 10, 2010, and had 12
double-doubles in his last 15 games of the season. Rutty began the
streak with five straight double-doubles, Jan. 24-Feb. 6. After a
two-game stretch when he missed a double-double by two rebounds
against St. Francis (N.Y.) and two points against LIU, Rutty reeled
off seven more consecutive double-doubles.
Eighty Up
The Bobcats were 11-0 when scoring at least 80 points last
season.
If
It's Free, It's For Me
The Bobcats enjoyed marked improvement from the free-throw
line in the latter portion of the 2009-10 season. After seeing its
season free-throw percentage dip to 65.1 percent through 15 games,
QU shot 76.7 percent (358-467) over the last 18 games to raise its
free-throw percentage to 72.1 percent.
Rutty Grabs Quinnipiac DI Rebound Record
With 11 rebounds against Wagner on Jan. 9, Justin Rutty
took over the Quinnipiac Division I Rebound lead from Bill Romano
'02 (580).
Rutty's Keeping Good Company
At 15.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, Justin Rutty
was one of just 20 players nationally to average a double-double in
2009-10.
Rutty Finds Free-Throw Stroke
Justin Rutty, a career 50.0 percent free-throw shooter,
shot 79.4 percent (54-68) from the charity stripe in the last 14
games of the 2009-10 season. Included in the mark were two separate
strings of at least 11 consecutive successful attempts. Rutty went
6-for-6 at Sacred Heart, the first 100 percent game of more than
three attempts in his career. He followed with a 4-for-4 effort
against SHU, and an 8-for-8 performance at Saint Francis (Pa.).
Bobcats, Rutty On NCAA Rebound Charts
Led by Justin Rutty's 10.9 rebounds per game (8th-NCAA),
the Bobcats ranked 10th in the nation in rebounds per game (40.4
rpg.).
If
At First You Don't Succeed...
41.2 percent of the Bobcats' rebounds in 2009-10 came on
the offensive end, fourth-most in the NCAA.
On
the Rebound
Quinnipiac was outrebounded just three times in 2009-10,
and owned a +8.5 rebounding margin, second-best in the
nation.
Quinnipiac, Rutty Grab Top Rankings
The Bobcats ranked 14th in the nation in offensive
rebounds per game (14.6) in 2009-10. Individually, Justin Rutty
ranked second nationally at 4.9 offensive boards per game, a year
after finishing second in the nation behind only Pittsburgh's
DeJuan Blair (5.6 oreb/game) with 4.6 offensive caroms per
game.
Sitting on Top of the NEC Stats
Quinnipiac ranked in the top three in the NEC in 12 of 19
statistical categories in 2009-10. The Bobcats were first in
scoring offense (73.2), scoring margin (+6.7), field-goal
percentage (.448), assist-to-turnover ratio (0.98), rebounding
offense (40.4), rebounding defense (31.9), rebound margin (+8.5),
offensive rebounding (14.61) and defensive rebounding (25.79). QU
ranked second in assists (13.42) and free-throw percentage (.721)
and third in field-goal percentage defense (.415).
On
Deck
The Bobcats play host to Vermont, Saturday, Nov. 20.
Opening tip at the TD Bank Sports Center is scheduled for 3
p.m.
