QU Men's Basketball Welcomes Siena For Monday Night Home Contest (SNY TV)

Monday, January 30

Hamden, CT

7:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Siena College

Buy Tickets

QU Men's Basketball Welcomes Siena For Monday Night Home Contest (SNY TV)

1/29/2017 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: QU Sports Information

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (8-13, 5-6 MAAC) vs.
Siena College Saints (9-13, 6-5 MAAC)
Date: Monday, January 30, 2017 (7 p.m.)
Location: TD Bank Sports Center | Hamden, Conn.)
All-Time Series vs. Siena: Siena leads 7-2
Current Streak: Siena - 4 straight
Earlier Meeting This Year: Siena 81-74 (Jan. 12 at Siena)

Follow the Bobcats:

SNY TV Bill Schweizer, play-by-play; Bill Mecca, color)
Free Live Video Link
Live Audio Link (WQUN) (Bob Mortali, play-by-play, Bob Tipson color)
Live Stats Link
Ticket Information or call 203-582-3905
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, Jan. 23 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 during MAAC opening week. 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 Jan. 20. 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 in the previous game against Iona on Jan. 14. 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 16.6 ppg pace (Rob Monroe holds it at 13.0 ppg). He 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, while Peter Kiss could also pass Monroe's DI record.

All-Time QU Freshman Scoring Leaders (All Divisions)
1. 16.7 Frank Berretta, 1979-80
2. 16.6 Mikey Dixon, 2016-17 (as of now)
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
8. 12.9 Peter Kiss, 2016-17 (as of now)

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 16.6 ppg, which ranks him eighth nationally in scoring average for freshmen (through 1/28). Markelle Fultz of Washington (23.7 ppg) and Malik Monk of Kentucky (21.7) are ahead of the pack, but only one point separates seven players between fourth and tenth place.

National Freshman Scoring Leaders (through 1/28)
1. 23.7 Markelle Fultz, Washington
2. 21.7 Malik Monk, Kentucky
3. 19.5 Dennis Smith, Jr., N.C. State
4. 17.4 Michael Weathers, Miami (Ohio)
5. 17.2 Marcus LoVett, Saint John's
6. 17.0 Lauri Markkanen, Arizona
7. 17.0 Shamorie Ponds, Saint John's
8. 16.6 Mikey Dixon, Quinnipiac
9. 16.6 Preston Parks, Citadel
10. 16.5 Christian Keeling, Charleston Southern

BOBCATS FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT BEHIND DIXON, KISS
There are very few teams in the country with a pair of freshman guards as productive as Mikey Dixon (16.6 ppg) and Peter Kiss (12.9 ppg), who currently rank 1-2 on the Bobcats in scoring, as well as in the top 20 in the MAAC (top 10 in conference games). Dixon and Kiss are also currently first and second n the MAAC among freshmen in scoring, with Stevie Jordan of Rider in third at 11.8 ppg. On a national level, there are only five schools that have two freshman guards averaging at least 10 ppg entering through Saturday's games, and only six schools with at least two freshmen averaging 12 ppg regardless of position:

Teams with Two Fr. Guards at 10+ PPG (thru 1/28)
Quinnipiac: Mikey Dixon (16.6), Peter Kiss (12.9)
Kentucky: Malik Monk (21.7), De'Aron Fox (15.9)
Saint John's: Marcus LoVett (17.2), Shamorie Ponds (17.0)
Arizona: Rawle Alkins (11.9), Kobi Simmons (11.8)
Auburn: Mustapha Heron (15.4), Jared Harper (12.4)

Teams with Two Freshmen (All Positions) at 12+ PPG (thru 1/28)
Quinnipiac: Mikey Dixon (16.6), Peter Kiss (12.9)
Kentucky: Malik Monk (21.7), De"Aron Fox (15.9), Edrice Adebayo (13.3)
Saint John's: Marcus LoVett (17.2), Shamorie Ponds (17.0)
Auburn: Mustapha Heron (15.4), Jared Harper (12.4)
UCLA: TJ Leaf (16.3), Lonzo Ball (14.9)
Michigan State: Miles Bridges (16.4), Nick Ward (13.2)

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. Smith also 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 30 blocks, ranking fourth in the MAAC at 1.5 per game, and Daniels has 29 to rank sixth.

INCREASED SCORING
Quinnipiac has had a much improved offense so far this season, averaging 76.3 points per game, up over 10 points from a year ago (65.6 ppg). The Bobcats have also reached 70 points 17 times in 21 games this year, after hitting that mark only 10 times in 30 games last year.

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, as the Bobcats currently rank highest in offensive rebounding (14.0 per game), putting them 12th nationally.

CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS
With Tom Moore at the helm, Quinnipiac has outrebounded its opponent in 257 of 302 games (85.5 percent). In 112 of those 302 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 2,514 (12,657-10,143). To put that total in perspective, if all of the Bobcats vacated the floor against Siena and the Saints 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 3:06 was left in overtime.

LAST GAME RECAP (MONMOUTH 95, QUINNIPIAC 76)
Quinnipiac battled closely for much of the game at league-leading Monmouth, before a 14-2 Hawks run over the final four minutes put the game away in a 95-76 win. The Bobcats were within seven points at the half (49-42) and had the lead down to seven on seven different occasions in the second half, the last coming at 81-74 with five minutes left on a floater from Mikey Dixon. After getting a steal, the Bobcats had a three in the air from Andrew Robinson to try to close it to four, but it popped out, and Monmouth started on their game-closing run. Peter Kiss led the Bobcats with 22 points on 9-18 shooting, setting a new career high, while Chaise Daniels had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Justin Robinson led Monmouth with 22 points, although he was held to 7-22 shooting from the floor, while Micah Seaborn chipped in with 21.

Inside the Box Score vs. Monmouth
• Chaise Daniels' double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds give him four this season, including both meetings with Monmouth.
• Peter Kiss had 22 points and nine rebounds, just missing his second double-double, while passing his previous high of 20 points set against Manhattan.
• Quinnipiac had 24 offensive rebounds, setting a new season high, including seven from Chaise Daniels and five from Donovan Smith.
• Mikey Dixon's 13 points marked his second-lowest total in the last 17 games (since he was held scoreless by Seton Hall on Nov. 25). He was held to eight points at Saint Peter's, but had 14 or more in every other game since Seton Hall.
• Quinnipiac had a chance to win with a late comeback despite shooting just 4-26 from three, matching its season low in makes.
• Quinnipiac lost the jump ball. The Bobcats are 8-4 when winning the tap, and oddly 0-9 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 10 double-doubles this season from four different players. Chaise Daniels has four to lead the team, while Donovan Smith has three, Abdulai Bundu has two, and 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)
Jan. 27: Chaise Daniels vs. Monmouth (15 pts, 12 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 Jan. 20.

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.

NEXT UP
Quinnipiac will be back at the TD Bank Sports Center on Saturday night to face Niagara for a 7 p.m. contest.