Sunday, December 18
Portland, ME (Cross Insurance Arena)
1:00 PM
Quinnipiac University
at
University of Maine
QU Men's Basketball Faces Maine In Portland Sunday (1 PM)
12/16/2016 9:59:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (3-6) at
University of Maine Black Bears (4-6)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016 (1 p.m.)
Location: Cross Insurance Arena | Portland, Maine
All-Time Series vs. Maine: QU leads 5-3
Current Streak: Maine 1 straight
Follow the Bobcats:
LAST GAME RECAP (HOLY CROSS 75, QUINNIPIAC 57)
Robert Champion scored 22 of his game-high 28 points in the first half to lead the Holy Cross men's basketball team to a 75-57 win over Quinnipiac on Sunday, Dec. 11. Champion hit five three-pointers in the first half, and closed out the opening stanza with an old-fashioned three-point play to stake the Crusaders to an eight-point lead (34-26). Matt Husek then started out the second half with two three-pointers to help Holy Cross push the lead up to 15 (43-28) and they were able to maintain a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Quinnipiac was led by freshman guard Mikey Dixon off the bench with 17 points.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE vs HOLY CROSS
• Mikey Dixon led the Bobcats in scoring for the fourth time this season, while also scoring 14 or more points for the fifth game in a row.
• Freshman Peter Kiss had a streak of six straight games in double figures snapped by being held to a season-low three points.
• Holy Cross had 16 steals to account for 21 Quinnipiac turnovers
• The game was played at a slow tempo, with only 49 total rebounds. Quinnipiac held a narrow 26-23 edge on the boards, the fifth straight game it has led in the rebounding department after uncharacteristically being outrebounded three times in the first four games.
• Quinnipiac had 18 of 21 rebounds on its defensive end (83.3 percent).
• Robert Champion's 28 points were the most allowed by the Bobcats since Teddy Okereafor (Rider) had 30 on 1/4/16 in a 64-60 Bobcat win.
KISS, DIXON WIN BACK TO BACK MAAC ROOKIE HONORS
Freshman guard Peter Kiss and freshman guard Mikey Dixon earned two straight MAAC Rookie of the Week honors. Kiss earned the distinction after a strong showing at the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando from Nov. 24-27, averaging 16.0 points over three games, including 18 against No. 11 Gonzaga and 19 against Seton Hall. Dixon followed suit by averaging 16.0 points in a 1-1 MAAC opening weekend, tallying 18 points against preseason favorite Monmouth and 14 on 6-10 shooting in only 19 minutes in a win over Marist.
PROMISING FUTURE FOR BOBCATS
Freshman guards Mikey Dixon (12.9) and Peter Kiss (11.7) are two of the top three scorers for the Bobcats this season, despite not starting a game as of yet. Dixon currently leads the Bobcats with 12.9 ppg, while Kiss ranks a close third behind Chaise Daniels. Currently Dixon and Kiss are also ranked 1-2 in the MAAC among freshmen in scoring, as no other rookie in the league is currently averaging in double figures.
MAAC - Freshman Scoring Leaders (thru 12/15)
1. Mikey Dixon, Quinnipiac 12.9 ppg
1. Peter Kiss, Quinnipiac 11.7 ppg
3. E.J. Crawford, Iona 9.8 ppg
4. Stevie Jordan, Rider 8.4 ppg
5. Aaron Walker Jr., Manhattan 8.3 ppg
FRESHMEN BACKCOURTS
There are very few teams in the country with a pair of freshman guards as productive offensively as Peter Kiss and Mikey Dixon. In fact, there are only five schools in the country that have two freshman guards averaging at least 11 ppg:
Schools with Two Freshman Guards Over 11 PPG
Quinnipiac: Mikey Dixon (12.9), Peter kiss (11.7)
Kentucky: Malik Monk (19.4), De'Aron Fox (15.1)
Saint John's: Marcus LoVett (18.8), Shamorie Ponds (17.4)
Auburn: Mustapha Heron (15.6), Jared Harper (11.7)
Citadel: Kaelon Harris (12.1), Preston Parks (11.7)
LAST YEAR VS MAINE
The two teams met a year ago in Bangor in the highest scoring game of the year for the Bobcats. Then-senior Giovanni McLean forced overtime with a three-pointer with 18 seconds left, but Maine prevailed 98-95 in the extra session despite a pair of late threes from then-senior James Ford, Jr. Kevin Little and Till Gloger each had 20 points for Maine, while Quinnipiac had two players with double-doubles, Abdulai Bundu with 23 points and 15 rebounds (see below) and Donovan Smith with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Quinnipiac lost despite a 48-31 edge on the boards as a team.
BUNDU BREAK THROUGH
Current sophomore forward Abdulai Bundu (pictured) earned MAAC and ECAC Division I Rookie of the Week honors on Jan. 4 last season after a break through week. Bundu averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds in two games, including a 23-point, 15-rebound effort at Maine on Dec. 29. After averaging only 4.4 rebounds over the first 10 games, Bundu pulled down over half of his rebounds last year on the offensive end of the floor (105 of 198), which ranked him in first in the MAAC in offensive rebounding (3.5 pg) and 25th nationally, despite only playing 23.2 mpg. He picked up his fourth career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds in a narrow 80-77 win over Indiana State at the AdvoCare Invitational on Nov. 27.
DOUBLING UP
Quinnipiac recently had four double-doubles in a five-game span, coming from three different players. Chaise Daniels had two, tallying 14 points and 11 rebounds against Seton Hall on Nov. 25 and 13 points and 10 rebounds against Monmouth on Dec. 1. Abdulai Bundu had 15 points and 12 rebounds against Indiana State on Nov. 27, while Donovan Smith picked up his first one of the year against Hartford on Dec. 7 with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The one exception in the five games was a 77-63 win over Marist on Dec. 4, when Peter Kiss had 13 points and nine rebounds -- while losing a tug of war with teammate Daniel Harris for a late rebound that would have been his 10th.
THREE-FOR-ALL
Senior guard Daniel Harris and freshman guard Peter Kiss are both in the Quinnipiac record books for making all of their three point shots in a DI game (minimum four attempts). Harris was 5-5 at Manhattan last season, tying for the second best single-game effort in school history at the Division I level, while Kiss was 4-4 earlier this season vs. Seton Hall, which ties for fifth.
Quinnipiac Top 5 Single-Game 3-pt Pct. (DI Era)
6-6 Rashaun Banjo vs. St. Francis (Pa.) 2/4/02
5-5 Daniel Harris vs. Manhattan 2/11/16
5-5 Jared Grasso vs. UMBC 2/3/00
5-5 Kason Mims vs. Monmouth 2/7/04
4-4 5 players (incl. Peter Kiss v Seton Hall, 11/25/16)
REBOUNDING DOMINANCE
Quinnipiac has a streak of six straight seasons leading the nation in at least one rebounding category, including offensive rebounds in five of the last six. In 2014-15, Quinnipiac ranked second in offensive rebounds (16.4) to West Virginia, but still led the nation in total rebounds (45.4), defensive rebounds (29.0) and rebounding margin (12.4).
CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS
With Tom Moore at the helm, Quinnipiac has outrebounded its opponent in 250 of 290 games (86.2 percent). In 110 of those 290 games, QU has posted a plus-10 or better rebounding margin, as well as 31 games with plus-20 or better. The Bobcats have an 87-23 (.792) mark when holding a plus-10 edge under Moore, and 23-8 (.741) with plus-20. Remarkably, Quinnipiac has held a +10 margin or better on the boards 110 times in the last 10 years, and suffered a -10 margin or worse only five times in that same span (including Vermont and Gonzaga this season). Quinnipiac is now 117-11-4 in the rebounding department in the 132 games since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, including two entire seasons without being outrebounded once (2012-13, 2014-15).
BOARD SCORES
Over the 10-year Tom Moore Era, Quinnipiac is outrebounding its opponents by a spread of 2,504 (12,166-9,662). To put that total in perspective, if all of the Bobcats vacated the floor against Maine, and the Black Bears did a tip drill on the glass and recorded exactly one rebound per second, Quinnipiac's rebounding margin under Moore would not level off at zero until 3:16 was left in overtime.
REBOUNDING IN REBOUNDING
Quinnipiac has historically been one of the top rebounding teams in the nation under Head Coach Tom Moore (see previous page) but uncharacteristically struggled to start the year. The Bobcats were only outrebounded by a double digit margin three times in Moore's first nine seasons (Virginia Tech in the 2010 NIT and against Iona and Siena last year), but it happened twice in the first three games this winter (Vermont and Gonzaga). However, the Bobcats have returned to form in the last five games, outrebounding their opponents by a combined 55 (11 per game), including a high of +22 against Hartford.
MILESTONE YEARS FOR MOORE
Head Coach Tom Moore is in a pair of milestone seasons in his coaching career - his 10th as the head coach at Quinnipiac and his 30th in collegiate coaching (as both an assistant and a head coach). He currently has been a part of 596 wins, four shy of 600, including 495 at the Division I level in 23 years
BALANCED SCORING
Quinnipiac has had a much improved offense so far this season, averaging 74.9 points per game through the first eight contests, up almost 10 points from a year ago (65.6 ppg). The Bobcats have also reached 70 points seven times in nine games this year, falling short only against No. 11 Gonzaga (with 62) and Holy Cross (57) after reaching 70 only 10 times all of last year. They've done it with balance as the top five scorers average between 9.7 and 12.9.
PLENTY IN RESERVE
Quinnipiac has averaged 34.2 bench points per game so far this year, including a recent stretch of four straight games of 40 or more (41 vs. Indiana State, 44 vs. Monmouth, 40 vs. Marist, 50 vs. Hartford. The bench accounted for over half of QU's points in each of those last four contests.
SMITH THIRD ON QU BLOCKS CHART
Senior forward Donovan Smith had 53 blocks in 2015-16 (1.8 per game, ranking him second in the MAAC), which is third on the single-season blocks mark at Quinnipiac during its Division I era (since 1998-99). Ousmane Drame has the top two totals (88 as a senior in 2014-15, 64 as a junior in 2013-14), while C.J. Vick is now fourth with 43 (2002-03). Junior Chaise Daniels finished with 39 blocks last season (fifth place), ranking him fourth in the MAAC.
CAN WE POOL OUR POINTS?
The TD Bank Sports Center lists all of the 1000-point scorers in Quinnipiac basketball history on banners, but nobody on the 2016-17 team is halfway there. Yhe closest is Chaise Daniels with 430, who has a good chance to reach 1,000 as a senior at his 12.1 ppg pace. Freshmen Mikey Dixon (12.9 ppg) and Peter Kiss (11.7 ppg) are on pace to reach it as juniors.
QU Career Scoring Leaders
Player Total
Chaise Daniels 430
Daniel Harris 394
Abdulai Bundu 273
Donovan Smith 263
Mikey Dixon 116
Peter Kiss 105
Reggie Oliver 87
Andrew Robinson 76
Alain Chigha 48
Phil Winston 29
Greg Tarca 4
Aaron Robinson 3
Ja'Kwan Jones 1
Total 1,819
UP NEXT
Quinnipiac returns home for its final game before the holiday break when it entertains Drexel at the TD Bank Sports Center on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest. For ticket information, contact the TD Bank Sports Center Box Office at 203-582-3905 or visit us online at QuinnipiacBobcats.com
University of Maine Black Bears (4-6)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016 (1 p.m.)
Location: Cross Insurance Arena | Portland, Maine
All-Time Series vs. Maine: QU leads 5-3
Current Streak: Maine 1 straight
Follow the Bobcats:
- Live Audio Link (WQUN) (Bob Mortali, play-by-play)
- Live Stats Link
- Quinnipiac Game Notes
- Follow on Twitter
LAST GAME RECAP (HOLY CROSS 75, QUINNIPIAC 57)
Robert Champion scored 22 of his game-high 28 points in the first half to lead the Holy Cross men's basketball team to a 75-57 win over Quinnipiac on Sunday, Dec. 11. Champion hit five three-pointers in the first half, and closed out the opening stanza with an old-fashioned three-point play to stake the Crusaders to an eight-point lead (34-26). Matt Husek then started out the second half with two three-pointers to help Holy Cross push the lead up to 15 (43-28) and they were able to maintain a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Quinnipiac was led by freshman guard Mikey Dixon off the bench with 17 points.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE vs HOLY CROSS
• Mikey Dixon led the Bobcats in scoring for the fourth time this season, while also scoring 14 or more points for the fifth game in a row.
• Freshman Peter Kiss had a streak of six straight games in double figures snapped by being held to a season-low three points.
• Holy Cross had 16 steals to account for 21 Quinnipiac turnovers
• The game was played at a slow tempo, with only 49 total rebounds. Quinnipiac held a narrow 26-23 edge on the boards, the fifth straight game it has led in the rebounding department after uncharacteristically being outrebounded three times in the first four games.
• Quinnipiac had 18 of 21 rebounds on its defensive end (83.3 percent).
• Robert Champion's 28 points were the most allowed by the Bobcats since Teddy Okereafor (Rider) had 30 on 1/4/16 in a 64-60 Bobcat win.
KISS, DIXON WIN BACK TO BACK MAAC ROOKIE HONORS
Freshman guard Peter Kiss and freshman guard Mikey Dixon earned two straight MAAC Rookie of the Week honors. Kiss earned the distinction after a strong showing at the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando from Nov. 24-27, averaging 16.0 points over three games, including 18 against No. 11 Gonzaga and 19 against Seton Hall. Dixon followed suit by averaging 16.0 points in a 1-1 MAAC opening weekend, tallying 18 points against preseason favorite Monmouth and 14 on 6-10 shooting in only 19 minutes in a win over Marist.
PROMISING FUTURE FOR BOBCATS
Freshman guards Mikey Dixon (12.9) and Peter Kiss (11.7) are two of the top three scorers for the Bobcats this season, despite not starting a game as of yet. Dixon currently leads the Bobcats with 12.9 ppg, while Kiss ranks a close third behind Chaise Daniels. Currently Dixon and Kiss are also ranked 1-2 in the MAAC among freshmen in scoring, as no other rookie in the league is currently averaging in double figures.
MAAC - Freshman Scoring Leaders (thru 12/15)
1. Mikey Dixon, Quinnipiac 12.9 ppg
1. Peter Kiss, Quinnipiac 11.7 ppg
3. E.J. Crawford, Iona 9.8 ppg
4. Stevie Jordan, Rider 8.4 ppg
5. Aaron Walker Jr., Manhattan 8.3 ppg
FRESHMEN BACKCOURTS
There are very few teams in the country with a pair of freshman guards as productive offensively as Peter Kiss and Mikey Dixon. In fact, there are only five schools in the country that have two freshman guards averaging at least 11 ppg:
Schools with Two Freshman Guards Over 11 PPG
Quinnipiac: Mikey Dixon (12.9), Peter kiss (11.7)
Kentucky: Malik Monk (19.4), De'Aron Fox (15.1)
Saint John's: Marcus LoVett (18.8), Shamorie Ponds (17.4)
Auburn: Mustapha Heron (15.6), Jared Harper (11.7)
Citadel: Kaelon Harris (12.1), Preston Parks (11.7)
LAST YEAR VS MAINE
The two teams met a year ago in Bangor in the highest scoring game of the year for the Bobcats. Then-senior Giovanni McLean forced overtime with a three-pointer with 18 seconds left, but Maine prevailed 98-95 in the extra session despite a pair of late threes from then-senior James Ford, Jr. Kevin Little and Till Gloger each had 20 points for Maine, while Quinnipiac had two players with double-doubles, Abdulai Bundu with 23 points and 15 rebounds (see below) and Donovan Smith with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Quinnipiac lost despite a 48-31 edge on the boards as a team.
BUNDU BREAK THROUGH
Current sophomore forward Abdulai Bundu (pictured) earned MAAC and ECAC Division I Rookie of the Week honors on Jan. 4 last season after a break through week. Bundu averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds in two games, including a 23-point, 15-rebound effort at Maine on Dec. 29. After averaging only 4.4 rebounds over the first 10 games, Bundu pulled down over half of his rebounds last year on the offensive end of the floor (105 of 198), which ranked him in first in the MAAC in offensive rebounding (3.5 pg) and 25th nationally, despite only playing 23.2 mpg. He picked up his fourth career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds in a narrow 80-77 win over Indiana State at the AdvoCare Invitational on Nov. 27.
DOUBLING UP
Quinnipiac recently had four double-doubles in a five-game span, coming from three different players. Chaise Daniels had two, tallying 14 points and 11 rebounds against Seton Hall on Nov. 25 and 13 points and 10 rebounds against Monmouth on Dec. 1. Abdulai Bundu had 15 points and 12 rebounds against Indiana State on Nov. 27, while Donovan Smith picked up his first one of the year against Hartford on Dec. 7 with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The one exception in the five games was a 77-63 win over Marist on Dec. 4, when Peter Kiss had 13 points and nine rebounds -- while losing a tug of war with teammate Daniel Harris for a late rebound that would have been his 10th.
THREE-FOR-ALL
Senior guard Daniel Harris and freshman guard Peter Kiss are both in the Quinnipiac record books for making all of their three point shots in a DI game (minimum four attempts). Harris was 5-5 at Manhattan last season, tying for the second best single-game effort in school history at the Division I level, while Kiss was 4-4 earlier this season vs. Seton Hall, which ties for fifth.
Quinnipiac Top 5 Single-Game 3-pt Pct. (DI Era)
6-6 Rashaun Banjo vs. St. Francis (Pa.) 2/4/02
5-5 Daniel Harris vs. Manhattan 2/11/16
5-5 Jared Grasso vs. UMBC 2/3/00
5-5 Kason Mims vs. Monmouth 2/7/04
4-4 5 players (incl. Peter Kiss v Seton Hall, 11/25/16)
REBOUNDING DOMINANCE
Quinnipiac has a streak of six straight seasons leading the nation in at least one rebounding category, including offensive rebounds in five of the last six. In 2014-15, Quinnipiac ranked second in offensive rebounds (16.4) to West Virginia, but still led the nation in total rebounds (45.4), defensive rebounds (29.0) and rebounding margin (12.4).
CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS
With Tom Moore at the helm, Quinnipiac has outrebounded its opponent in 250 of 290 games (86.2 percent). In 110 of those 290 games, QU has posted a plus-10 or better rebounding margin, as well as 31 games with plus-20 or better. The Bobcats have an 87-23 (.792) mark when holding a plus-10 edge under Moore, and 23-8 (.741) with plus-20. Remarkably, Quinnipiac has held a +10 margin or better on the boards 110 times in the last 10 years, and suffered a -10 margin or worse only five times in that same span (including Vermont and Gonzaga this season). Quinnipiac is now 117-11-4 in the rebounding department in the 132 games since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, including two entire seasons without being outrebounded once (2012-13, 2014-15).
BOARD SCORES
Over the 10-year Tom Moore Era, Quinnipiac is outrebounding its opponents by a spread of 2,504 (12,166-9,662). To put that total in perspective, if all of the Bobcats vacated the floor against Maine, and the Black Bears did a tip drill on the glass and recorded exactly one rebound per second, Quinnipiac's rebounding margin under Moore would not level off at zero until 3:16 was left in overtime.
REBOUNDING IN REBOUNDING
Quinnipiac has historically been one of the top rebounding teams in the nation under Head Coach Tom Moore (see previous page) but uncharacteristically struggled to start the year. The Bobcats were only outrebounded by a double digit margin three times in Moore's first nine seasons (Virginia Tech in the 2010 NIT and against Iona and Siena last year), but it happened twice in the first three games this winter (Vermont and Gonzaga). However, the Bobcats have returned to form in the last five games, outrebounding their opponents by a combined 55 (11 per game), including a high of +22 against Hartford.
MILESTONE YEARS FOR MOORE
Head Coach Tom Moore is in a pair of milestone seasons in his coaching career - his 10th as the head coach at Quinnipiac and his 30th in collegiate coaching (as both an assistant and a head coach). He currently has been a part of 596 wins, four shy of 600, including 495 at the Division I level in 23 years
BALANCED SCORING
Quinnipiac has had a much improved offense so far this season, averaging 74.9 points per game through the first eight contests, up almost 10 points from a year ago (65.6 ppg). The Bobcats have also reached 70 points seven times in nine games this year, falling short only against No. 11 Gonzaga (with 62) and Holy Cross (57) after reaching 70 only 10 times all of last year. They've done it with balance as the top five scorers average between 9.7 and 12.9.
PLENTY IN RESERVE
Quinnipiac has averaged 34.2 bench points per game so far this year, including a recent stretch of four straight games of 40 or more (41 vs. Indiana State, 44 vs. Monmouth, 40 vs. Marist, 50 vs. Hartford. The bench accounted for over half of QU's points in each of those last four contests.
SMITH THIRD ON QU BLOCKS CHART
Senior forward Donovan Smith had 53 blocks in 2015-16 (1.8 per game, ranking him second in the MAAC), which is third on the single-season blocks mark at Quinnipiac during its Division I era (since 1998-99). Ousmane Drame has the top two totals (88 as a senior in 2014-15, 64 as a junior in 2013-14), while C.J. Vick is now fourth with 43 (2002-03). Junior Chaise Daniels finished with 39 blocks last season (fifth place), ranking him fourth in the MAAC.
CAN WE POOL OUR POINTS?
The TD Bank Sports Center lists all of the 1000-point scorers in Quinnipiac basketball history on banners, but nobody on the 2016-17 team is halfway there. Yhe closest is Chaise Daniels with 430, who has a good chance to reach 1,000 as a senior at his 12.1 ppg pace. Freshmen Mikey Dixon (12.9 ppg) and Peter Kiss (11.7 ppg) are on pace to reach it as juniors.
QU Career Scoring Leaders
Player Total
Chaise Daniels 430
Daniel Harris 394
Abdulai Bundu 273
Donovan Smith 263
Mikey Dixon 116
Peter Kiss 105
Reggie Oliver 87
Andrew Robinson 76
Alain Chigha 48
Phil Winston 29
Greg Tarca 4
Aaron Robinson 3
Ja'Kwan Jones 1
Total 1,819
UP NEXT
Quinnipiac returns home for its final game before the holiday break when it entertains Drexel at the TD Bank Sports Center on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest. For ticket information, contact the TD Bank Sports Center Box Office at 203-582-3905 or visit us online at QuinnipiacBobcats.com
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