QU Men's Basketball Travels To First-Place Monmouth Friday (ESPNU)

Friday, January 27

West Long Branch, NJ

7:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Monmouth University

QU Men's Basketball Travels To First-Place Monmouth Friday (ESPNU)

1/26/2017 8:53:00 AM | Men's Basketball

By: QU Sports Information

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (8-12, 5-5 MAAC) at
Monmouth University Hawks (16-5, 8-2 MAAC)
Date: Friday, Jan. 27, 2017 (7 p.m.)
Location: OceanFirst Bank Center | West Long Branch, N.J.
Television: ESPNU
All-Time Series vs. Monmouth: QU leads 19-16
Current Streak: MU 1 straight
Follow the Bobcats:

Live Video (ESPNU/Watch ESPN)
Live Audio Link (WQUN Internet Only) (Bob Mortali, play-by-play, Bob Tipson, color)
Live Stats Link
Quinnipiac Game Notes
Follow on Twitter

DIXON WINS THREE STRAIGHT MAAC ROOKIE HONORS
Freshman guard Mikey Dixon won his third straight MAAC Rookie of the Week Award on Monday and fourth this season after scoring 29 points in a 95-90 home win over Canisius, including two big three-pointers in the final 1:30 to seal the win. He also earned it on Jan. 16 after scoring 27 in a 97-91 win over Iona, and on Jan. 9 after averaging 20.7 points in a 2-1 week, with a game-winning jumper against Niagara with 22.4 seconds left. He won his first honor on Dec. 5 after averaging 16.0 points in two games on Quinnipiac's MAAC opening week, including 18 against Monmouth. Peter Kiss also was the MAAC Rookie of the Week honor on Nov. 28 after averaging 16.0 points at the AdvoCare Invitational, including 18 against No. 11 Gonzaga and 19 against Seton Hall.

Quinnipiac - MAAC Weekly Honors
Jan. 23   Mikey Dixon (Rookie of the Week)
Jan. 16   Mikey Dixon (Rookie of the Week)
Jan. 9   Mikey Dixon (Rookie of the Week)
Dec. 5   Mikey Dixon (Rookie of the Week)
Nov. 28   Peter Kiss (Rookie of the Week)

DIXON BREAKS QUINNIPIAC DI RECORD FOR FRESHMEN
Freshman guard Mikey Dixon had 29 points in Quinnipiac's 95-90 win over Canisius on Friday. That established a new program record for most points in a DI game by a freshman, passing the previous mark of 27, which he tied last week against Iona. The 27-point record was first set by Kason Mims in 2000-01 and matched a year later by Rob Monroe

Most Points In A Game For A QU Freshman (DI Level)
29 Mikey Dixon   1/20/17 vs. Canisius
27 Mikey Dixon   1/14/17 vs. Iona
27 Kason Mims   1/29/01 vs. LIU
27 Rob Monroe   3/1/02 vs. Wagner
25 Bill Romano   1/21/99 vs. LIU
25 Rob Monroe   2/14/02 vs. Sacred Heart

DIXON ON HISTORIC PACE
Freshman guard Mikey Dixon is on pace to easily break the Quinnipiac Division I record for highest scoring average as a freshman at his 16.8 ppg pace (Rob Monroe holds it at 13.0 ppg). He also has a good chance to break the all-divisions record of 16.7, set by Frank Berretta at the Division II level in 1979-80. Since becoming a starter against Brown on Dec. 29, Dixon is averaging 20.3 ppg over his last nine games.

All-Time QU Freshman Scoring Leaders (All Divisions)
1. 16.8 Mikey Dixon, 2016-17 (as of now)
2. 16.7 Frank Berretta, 1979-80
3. 16.5 Troy Adams, 1986-87
4. 16.4 Harold Driver, 1974-75
5. 14.4 Rick Barry, 1991-92
6. 13.5 Lester Ayala, 1987-88
7. 13.0 Rob Monroe, 2001-02 - DI record

DIXON IN TOP 10 NATIONALLY IN FRESHMAN SCORING
Freshman guard Mikey Dixon has scored 76 points in the last three games to move his scoring average up to 16.8 ppg, which ranks him ninth nationally in scoring average for freshmen (through 1/25). Markelle Fultz of Washington (23.7 ppg) and Malik Monk of Kentucky (21.9) are ahead of the pack, but only one point separates eight players between fifth and 12th place (De'Aron Fox of Kentucky at 16.2 ppg).

National Freshman Scoring Leaders (through 1/25)
1. 23.7 Markelle Fultz, Washington
2. 21.9 Malik Monk, Kentucky
3. 19.5 Dennis Smith, Jr., N.C. State
4. 18.1 Michael Weathers, Miami (Ohio)
5. 17.2 Marcus LoVett, Saint John's
6. 17.1 Lauri Markkanen, Arizona
7. 17.0 Shamorie Ponds, Saint John's
8. 16.9 Preston Parks, Citadel
9. 16.8 Mikey Dixon, Quinnipiac
10. 16.5 Christian Keeling, Charleston Southern
11. 16.3 T.J. Leaf, UCLA
12. 16.2 De'Aron Fox, Kentucky

FRESHMEN BACKCOURTS
There are very few teams in the country with a pair of freshman guards as productive as Mikey Dixon (16.8 ppg) and Peter Kiss (12.5 ppg), who currently rank 1-2 on the Bobcats in scoring, as well as in the top 15 in the MAAC in scoring in conference games (Dixon fourth at 19.2, Kiss 13th at 15.3). Dixon and Kiss are also currently first and second n the MAAC among freshmen in scoring, with Stevie Jordan of Rider in third at 11.9 ppg. On a national level, there are only five schools that have two freshman guards averaging at least 10 ppg entering through Wednesday's games:

Teams with Two Fr. Guards at 10+ PPG (thru 1/25)
Quinnipiac: Mikey Dixon (16.8), Peter Kiss (12.5)
Kentucky: Malik Monk (21.9), De'Aron Fox (16.2)
Saint John's: Marcus LoVett (17.2), Shamorie Ponds (17.0)
Arizona: Kobi Simmons (12.1), Rawle Alkins (11.9)
Auburn: Mustapha Heron (15.4), Jared Harper (12.4)

SMITH LEADS BLOCK PARTY
Donovan Smith had a big game on defense in Quinnipiac's 81-72 win over Manhattan on Jan. 7, finishing with seven blocked shots. Not only was that a personal best, breaking his old mark of four, it tied Quinnipiac's school record for most blocks in a Division I game, matching the standard set four times by Ousmane Drame. Quinnipiac's high total for blocked shots as a team this season was just seven heading into the game (at Niagara on Jan. 2) and Smith matched that total by himself. The 11 blocks Quinnipiac had as a team against Manhattan was the most since tallying 13 against Albany on Dec. 1, 2015.

SMITH THIRD ON QU SINGLE-SEASON 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 fourth with 43 (2002-03). Junior Chaise Daniels finished with 39 blocks last season (fifth place), ranking him fourth in the MAAC. So far this year, Smith has 29 blocks, ranking third in the MAAC at 1.5 per game, and Daniels has 27.

INCREASED SCORING
Quinnipiac has had a much improved offense so far this season, averaging 76.5 points per game, up over 10 points from a year ago (65.6 ppg). The Bobcats have also reached 70 points 16 times in 20 games this year, which is already more than they reached that plateau all of last year (10 times in 30 games).

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. The streak will likely end this year, due to the Bobcats fielding a smaller lineup than usual and playing multiple defenses, as they currently rank 23rd nationally in offensive rebounding (13.5 per game).

CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS
With Tom Moore at the helm, Quinnipiac has outrebounded its opponent in 256 of 301 games (85.4 percent). In 112 of those 301 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 88-24 (.786) 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 112 times in the last 10 years, and suffered a -10 margin or worse only seven times in that same span (three of which have been this year).

BOARD SCORES
Over the 10-year Tom Moore Era, Quinnipiac is outrebounding its opponents by a spread of 2,509 (12,606-10,097). To put that total in perspective, if all of the Bobcats vacated the floor against Iona and the Gaels 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 an even zero until 3:11 was left in overtime.

LAST GAME RECAP (IONA 84, QUINNIPIAC 74)
Quinnipiac came back from a 13-point deficit in the first half to tie the score midway through the second half, but Iona fought off the challenge and earned an 84-74 win over the Bobcats on Monday. Mikey Dixon (20 points) tied the score at 57-57 with just under 10 minutes left on a pair of foul shots and hit a three to make it a 63-62 Iona lead with 7:30 to go. However, the Gaels used a pair of 6-0 runs, the first to stretch the lead to 69-62 and the second to pull ahead 77-66 with less than three minutes to go. Dixon had a steak and a jumper to close to 77-70 with 1:20 on the clock, and the Bobcats had a chance to pull within four points on a three-pointer, but the shot missed an Iona was able to hold on down the stretch. It was a big day for freshmen as Dixon (20) and Peter Kiss (16) were the lone Bobcats in double figures while E.J. Crawford (20) tied for team-high honors for Iona.

Inside the Box Score vs. Iona
• Mikey Dixon's 20 points marked the eighth time this season that he's reached that plateau, including six times in his nine games as a starter. The rest of the Bobcats combined have scored 20 or more twice (Peter Kiss once, Chaise Daniels once).
• Iona had 20 turnovers, the first time the Bobcats have forced 20 turnovers in a game since Nov. 12, 2012 against American.
• Iona outrebounded the Bobcats by 17 (51-34), tying the largest margin that Quinnipiac has suffered in the 10-year Tom Moore era. Gonzaga also was +17 against the Bobcats earlier this season (48-31).
• Iona hit nine three-pointers in the first half, but the Bobcats held the Gales to just 1-6 from beyond the arc after halftime.
• Quinnipiac lost the opening tap and the game. The Bobcats are 8-4 when winning the tap, and 0-8 when they lose it.

MILESTONE SEASONS 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), including 23 years at the Division I level (13 as a UConn assistant, 10 at Quinnipiac). As a head coach, he has earned 236 wins (160 at Quinnipiac and 76 in five years at Division III Worcester State). As an assistant coach, he was a part of 365 wins (340 at UConn, 25 in two years at DIII).

DOUBLING UP
Quinnipiac has had nine double-doubles this season from four different players. Chaise Daniels and Donovan Smith each have three, after they both tallied them in the overtime win over Iona on Saturday. Abdulai Bundu has two double-doubles this season, while Peter Kiss picked up the first of his career against Manhattan on Jan. 7 with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Quinnipiac Double-Doubles
Nov. 25: Chaise Daniels vs. Seton Hall (14 pts, 11 rebs)
Nov. 27: Abdulai Bundu vs. Indiana State (15 pts, 12 rebs)
Dec. 1: Chaise Daniels vs. Monmouth (13 pts, 10 rebs)
Dec. 7: Donovan Smith vs. Hartford (15 pts, 10 rebs)
Dec. 18: Abdulai Bundu vs. Maine (12 pts, 10 rebs)
Jan. 2: Donovan Smith vs. Niagara (13 pts, 13 rebs)
Jan. 7: Peter Kiss vs. Manhattan (20 pts, 10 rebs)
Jan. 14; Donovan Smith vs. Iona (15 pts, 11 rebs)
Jan. 14: Chaise Daniels vs. Iona (22 pts, 11 rebs)

THREE-FOR-ALL
Three current Quinnipiac guards are in the school 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 (along with Iona associate head coach Jared Grasso), behind only a 6-6 effort from Rashaun Banjo in 2001-02. Peter Kiss has had two games of 4-4 this season (Seton Hall, Manhattan), which ties him for fifth place, while Reggie Oliver joined that tie by shooting 4-4 on threes against Canisius on Friday.

BOBCATS SIGN TWO IN FALL PERIOD
Quinnipiac earned a pair of commitments in the fall signing period, landing 6-3 shooting guard Ezekiel Charles of Barton Community College and 6-9 forward Milos Supica of Freedom Christian Academy in Fayetteville, N.C. Charles played scholastically at prestigious Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, while Supica is originally from Belgrade, Serbia.

BOBCATS OVERSEAS
Quinnipiac has had a total of 13 players have played professionally in Europe since Head Coach Tom Moore took over the job in 2007-08, including four from the Class of 2015. Ousmane Drame (Turkey) and Zaid Hearst (Spain) are starters on their teams in 2016-17, while James Feldeine (Greece) helped his team to a 25-1 record in 2015-16. Justin Rutty (Uruguay) is also back playing again after a strong season in France last year, while Evan Conti is in his second year playing in Israel.

NEXT UP
Quinnipiac is back in action on Monday when it hosts Siena for a 7 p.m. contest, which will be televised by SNY.