
QU Men's Basketball Heads To Holy Cross Sunday, Looking To Continue Recent Surge
12/9/2016 10:32:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (3-5) at
Holy Cross Crusaders (3-6)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016 (1 p.m.)
Location: Hart Center | Worcester, Mass.)
All-Time Series vs. Holy Cross: HC leads 2-1
Current Streak: QU 1 straight
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LAST GAME RECAP (QUINNIPIAC 99, HARTFORD 79)
Quinnipiac used a balanced offense with five players in double figures to capture a 99-79 home win over Hartford on Wednesday. Daniel Harris led the way with 18 points on 7-9 shooting from the floor, Donovan Smith tallied his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Mikey Dixon had 17 points, seven assists and one turnover. Peter Kiss and Reggie Oliver each added 12 points, while Phil Winston had 10 assists. Quinnipiac led by as many as 17 points in the first half before settling for a 52-41 lead at the break, then started the second half with a quick 7-0 run and were never challenged the rest of the way.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE vs HARTFORD
• Quinnipiac scored 52 points in the first half, the first time that it has reached 50 by halftime since Jan. 11, 2010 against Brown (50-37)
• The 99 points were the most for the Bobcats in regulation since a 102-61 win over Maine on Nov. 25, 2013
• Phil Winston's 10 assists marked the first time in almost five years that a Bobcat reached that plateau. Dave Johnson had 10 against Niagara on Dec. 22, 2011.
• Quinnipiac had a +22 margin on the boards, its largest of the season and the 31st time under Head Coach Tom Moore (10 years) that the Bobcats have been +20 or better. Quinnipiac has never been outrebounded by 20 under Moore.
• Daniel Harris and Peter Kiss each started the game 4-4 from the floor and 2-2 on threes before their first miss
• For the second game in a row, the Bobcats never trailed while jumping out to a big first half lead. Quinnipiac led by 20 in the first half against Marist on Sunday and 17 in the first half against Hartford.
KISS, DIXON WIN BACK TO BACK MAAC ROOKIE HONORS
Freshman guard Peter Kiss and freshman guard Mikey Dixon have won the last two 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 for the Bobcats, tallying 18 points against preseason favorite Monmouth and 14 on 6-10 shooting in only 19 minutes in Sunday's win over Marist.
PROMISING FUTURE FOR BOBCATS
Freshman guards Peter Kiss and Mikey Dixon are the top two scorers for the Bobcats off the bench in the early going (Kiss has 12.8 ppg and Dixon is tied with Chaise Daniels for second at 12.4 ppg). Currently they are ranked 1-2 in the MAAC among freshmen in scoring, as no other rookie in the league is currently averaging in double figures in the early going. Quinnipiac is also one of only seven schools in the country with two freshmen averaging at least 12 points per game.
MAAC - Freshman Scoring Leaders (thru 12/8)
1. Peter Kiss, Quinnipiac 12.8 ppg
2. Mikey Dixon, Quinnipiac 12.4 ppg
3. E.J. Crawford, Iona 9.4 ppg
4. Aaron Walker Jr., Manhattan 9.2 ppg
5. Stevie Jordan, Rider 8.3 ppg
NCAA Teams With At Least Two Freshman
Averaging 12+ PPG (through 12/8)
Quinnipiac: Peter Kiss (12.8), Mikey Dixon (12.4)
Kentucky: Malik Monk (19.3), De'Aron Fox (15.1), Edrice Adebayo (12.4)
Auburn: Mustapha Heron (15.4), Danjel Purifoy (14.9), Jared Harper (12.0)
UCLA: T.J. Leaf (17.2), Lonzo Ball (14.6)
Michigan State: Miles Bridges (16.6), Nick Ward (12.1)
Saint John's: Marcus LoVett (18.8), Shamorie Ponds (17.3)
Harvard: Seth Towns (13.9), Bryce Aiken (12.4)
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, and 495 at the Division I level, five away from 500 in 23 years.
LAST YEAR VS HOLY CROSS
Current junior Chaise Daniels (pictured) celebrated his 20th birthday with 20 points (and 12 rebounds) as Quinnipiac took a 62-56 home win over Holy Cross a year ago on Nov. 22, 2015. The Bobcats trailed most of the game, until current senior Daniel Harris (16 points) hit a tying three to make the score 50-50 with just under four minutes left, then stole the ball in the backcourt and made two foul shots. Matt Husek led Holy Cross with 15 points.
DOUBLING UP
Quinnipiac has had four double-doubles in the last four games, coming from three different players. Chaise Daniels has two, tallying 14 points and 11 rebounds against Seton Hall and 13 points and 10 rebounds against Monmouth. Abdulai Bundu had 15 points and 12 rebounds against Indiana State while Donovan Smith picked up his first one of the year against Hartford with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The one exception in the last five games was a 77-63 win over Marist on Sunday, 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.
SECOND HALF'S THE CHARM
Junior forward Chaise Daniels is averaging 12.4 ppg, tied for second on the team, and has been particularly impressive in second halves of games this season. Daniels has scored 69 of his 99 points after halftime, including two games in which he scored all of his points after intermission. One of those saw him score 12 points in the second half of an 80-77 win over Indiana State on Nov. 27, including the winning basket with 24 seconds left.
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 247 of 289 games (85.6 percent). In 110 of those 289 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 116-11-4 in the rebounding department in the 131 games since the start of 2012-13, 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 2,501 (12,140-9,639). To put that total in perspective, if all of the Bobcats vacated the floor against Holy Cross, and the Crusaders 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 3:19 was left in overtime (of a rather bizarre 0-0 contest).
REBOUNDING IN REBOUNDING
Quinnipiac has historically been one of the top rebounding teams in the nation under Head Coach Tom Moore, but uncharacteristically struggled recently. 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 four games, outrebounding their opponents by a combined 52 (13 per game), including three games of +10 or better. Wednesday's win over Hartford saw Quinnipiac finish +22 on the boards (46-24), the 31st time under Moore that it has been +20 or better (the worst deficit the Bobcats have suffered in that span is -17, to Iona last year and Gonzaga this year).
FIVE PLAYERS IN DOUBLES
Quinnipiac has had a much improved offense so far this season, averaging 77.1 points per game through the first eight contests, up over 10 points from a year ago (65.6 ppg). The Bobcats have also reached 70 points seven times in eight games this year, falling short only against No. 11 Gonzaga (with 62), after reaching 70 only 10 times all of last year. They've done it with balance as five players curren;y average in double figures, between 10.1 and 12.8 points per game.
PLENTY IN RESERVE
Quinnipiac has averaged 35.2 bench points per game so far this year, including four straight games of 40 or more (41 vs. Indiana State, 44 vs. Monmouth, 40 vs. Marist, 50 vs. Hartford. The bench has 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 has banners listing all of the 1000-point scorers in Quinnipiac basketball history, but nobody on the 2016-17 team entered the year even a third of the way there. Collectively, the Bobcats now have 1,762 points, enough to make the banner, but the closest individual is Chaise Daniels with 420, still needing 580. Daniels (12.4 ppg) has a good chance to reach 1,000 as a senior, while freshmen Peter Kiss (12.8 ppg) and Mikey Dixon (12.4 ppg) are on an early pace to reach the milestone as juniors.
QU Career Scoring Leaders
Player Total
Chaise Daniels 420
Daniel Harris 389
Abdulai Bundu 271
Donovan Smith 261
Peter Kiss 102
Mikey Dixon 99
Reggie Oliver 81
Andrew Robinson 72
Alain Chigha 48
Phil Winston 21
Greg Tarca 4
Aaron Robinson 3
Ja'Kwan Jones 1
Total 1,762
NEXT UP
Quinnipiac has a week off for finals before returning to action with a road game at Maine on Sunday, Dec. 18, which will be played in Portland. The Bobcats will then return home to meet Drexel on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m.
Holy Cross Crusaders (3-6)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016 (1 p.m.)
Location: Hart Center | Worcester, Mass.)
All-Time Series vs. Holy Cross: HC leads 2-1
Current Streak: QU 1 straight
Follow the Bobcats:
- Live Video Link (Patriot League Network - Campus Insiders)
- Live Audio Link (WQUN) (Bob Mortali, play-by-play; Bob Tipson color)
- Live Stats Link
- Quinnipiac Game Notes
- Follow on Twitter
LAST GAME RECAP (QUINNIPIAC 99, HARTFORD 79)
Quinnipiac used a balanced offense with five players in double figures to capture a 99-79 home win over Hartford on Wednesday. Daniel Harris led the way with 18 points on 7-9 shooting from the floor, Donovan Smith tallied his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Mikey Dixon had 17 points, seven assists and one turnover. Peter Kiss and Reggie Oliver each added 12 points, while Phil Winston had 10 assists. Quinnipiac led by as many as 17 points in the first half before settling for a 52-41 lead at the break, then started the second half with a quick 7-0 run and were never challenged the rest of the way.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE vs HARTFORD
• Quinnipiac scored 52 points in the first half, the first time that it has reached 50 by halftime since Jan. 11, 2010 against Brown (50-37)
• The 99 points were the most for the Bobcats in regulation since a 102-61 win over Maine on Nov. 25, 2013
• Phil Winston's 10 assists marked the first time in almost five years that a Bobcat reached that plateau. Dave Johnson had 10 against Niagara on Dec. 22, 2011.
• Quinnipiac had a +22 margin on the boards, its largest of the season and the 31st time under Head Coach Tom Moore (10 years) that the Bobcats have been +20 or better. Quinnipiac has never been outrebounded by 20 under Moore.
• Daniel Harris and Peter Kiss each started the game 4-4 from the floor and 2-2 on threes before their first miss
• For the second game in a row, the Bobcats never trailed while jumping out to a big first half lead. Quinnipiac led by 20 in the first half against Marist on Sunday and 17 in the first half against Hartford.
KISS, DIXON WIN BACK TO BACK MAAC ROOKIE HONORS
Freshman guard Peter Kiss and freshman guard Mikey Dixon have won the last two 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 for the Bobcats, tallying 18 points against preseason favorite Monmouth and 14 on 6-10 shooting in only 19 minutes in Sunday's win over Marist.
PROMISING FUTURE FOR BOBCATS
Freshman guards Peter Kiss and Mikey Dixon are the top two scorers for the Bobcats off the bench in the early going (Kiss has 12.8 ppg and Dixon is tied with Chaise Daniels for second at 12.4 ppg). Currently they are ranked 1-2 in the MAAC among freshmen in scoring, as no other rookie in the league is currently averaging in double figures in the early going. Quinnipiac is also one of only seven schools in the country with two freshmen averaging at least 12 points per game.
MAAC - Freshman Scoring Leaders (thru 12/8)
1. Peter Kiss, Quinnipiac 12.8 ppg
2. Mikey Dixon, Quinnipiac 12.4 ppg
3. E.J. Crawford, Iona 9.4 ppg
4. Aaron Walker Jr., Manhattan 9.2 ppg
5. Stevie Jordan, Rider 8.3 ppg
NCAA Teams With At Least Two Freshman
Averaging 12+ PPG (through 12/8)
Quinnipiac: Peter Kiss (12.8), Mikey Dixon (12.4)
Kentucky: Malik Monk (19.3), De'Aron Fox (15.1), Edrice Adebayo (12.4)
Auburn: Mustapha Heron (15.4), Danjel Purifoy (14.9), Jared Harper (12.0)
UCLA: T.J. Leaf (17.2), Lonzo Ball (14.6)
Michigan State: Miles Bridges (16.6), Nick Ward (12.1)
Saint John's: Marcus LoVett (18.8), Shamorie Ponds (17.3)
Harvard: Seth Towns (13.9), Bryce Aiken (12.4)
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, and 495 at the Division I level, five away from 500 in 23 years.
LAST YEAR VS HOLY CROSS
Current junior Chaise Daniels (pictured) celebrated his 20th birthday with 20 points (and 12 rebounds) as Quinnipiac took a 62-56 home win over Holy Cross a year ago on Nov. 22, 2015. The Bobcats trailed most of the game, until current senior Daniel Harris (16 points) hit a tying three to make the score 50-50 with just under four minutes left, then stole the ball in the backcourt and made two foul shots. Matt Husek led Holy Cross with 15 points.
DOUBLING UP
Quinnipiac has had four double-doubles in the last four games, coming from three different players. Chaise Daniels has two, tallying 14 points and 11 rebounds against Seton Hall and 13 points and 10 rebounds against Monmouth. Abdulai Bundu had 15 points and 12 rebounds against Indiana State while Donovan Smith picked up his first one of the year against Hartford with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The one exception in the last five games was a 77-63 win over Marist on Sunday, 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.
SECOND HALF'S THE CHARM
Junior forward Chaise Daniels is averaging 12.4 ppg, tied for second on the team, and has been particularly impressive in second halves of games this season. Daniels has scored 69 of his 99 points after halftime, including two games in which he scored all of his points after intermission. One of those saw him score 12 points in the second half of an 80-77 win over Indiana State on Nov. 27, including the winning basket with 24 seconds left.
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 247 of 289 games (85.6 percent). In 110 of those 289 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 116-11-4 in the rebounding department in the 131 games since the start of 2012-13, 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 2,501 (12,140-9,639). To put that total in perspective, if all of the Bobcats vacated the floor against Holy Cross, and the Crusaders 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 3:19 was left in overtime (of a rather bizarre 0-0 contest).
REBOUNDING IN REBOUNDING
Quinnipiac has historically been one of the top rebounding teams in the nation under Head Coach Tom Moore, but uncharacteristically struggled recently. 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 four games, outrebounding their opponents by a combined 52 (13 per game), including three games of +10 or better. Wednesday's win over Hartford saw Quinnipiac finish +22 on the boards (46-24), the 31st time under Moore that it has been +20 or better (the worst deficit the Bobcats have suffered in that span is -17, to Iona last year and Gonzaga this year).
FIVE PLAYERS IN DOUBLES
Quinnipiac has had a much improved offense so far this season, averaging 77.1 points per game through the first eight contests, up over 10 points from a year ago (65.6 ppg). The Bobcats have also reached 70 points seven times in eight games this year, falling short only against No. 11 Gonzaga (with 62), after reaching 70 only 10 times all of last year. They've done it with balance as five players curren;y average in double figures, between 10.1 and 12.8 points per game.
PLENTY IN RESERVE
Quinnipiac has averaged 35.2 bench points per game so far this year, including four straight games of 40 or more (41 vs. Indiana State, 44 vs. Monmouth, 40 vs. Marist, 50 vs. Hartford. The bench has 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 has banners listing all of the 1000-point scorers in Quinnipiac basketball history, but nobody on the 2016-17 team entered the year even a third of the way there. Collectively, the Bobcats now have 1,762 points, enough to make the banner, but the closest individual is Chaise Daniels with 420, still needing 580. Daniels (12.4 ppg) has a good chance to reach 1,000 as a senior, while freshmen Peter Kiss (12.8 ppg) and Mikey Dixon (12.4 ppg) are on an early pace to reach the milestone as juniors.
QU Career Scoring Leaders
Player Total
Chaise Daniels 420
Daniel Harris 389
Abdulai Bundu 271
Donovan Smith 261
Peter Kiss 102
Mikey Dixon 99
Reggie Oliver 81
Andrew Robinson 72
Alain Chigha 48
Phil Winston 21
Greg Tarca 4
Aaron Robinson 3
Ja'Kwan Jones 1
Total 1,762
NEXT UP
Quinnipiac has a week off for finals before returning to action with a road game at Maine on Sunday, Dec. 18, which will be played in Portland. The Bobcats will then return home to meet Drexel on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m.
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