QU Men's Basketball Heads To MAAC Road Battle At Saint Peter's Monday

Monday, January 9

Jersey City, NJ

7:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Saint Peter's University

Donovan Smith tied Quinnipiac's DI record with 7 blocks Saturday (photo by Alex Serbetzian)

QU Men's Basketball Heads To MAAC Road Battle At Saint Peter's Monday

1/8/2017 11:23:00 AM | Men's Basketball

By: QU Sports Information

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (6-9, 3-2 MAAC) at
Saint Peter's University Peacocks (6-8, 2-2 MAAC)
Date: Monday, Jan. 9, 2017 (7 p.m.)
Location: Yanitelli Center | Jersey City, N.J.)
All-Time Series vs. Saint Peter's: SPU leads 5-3
Current Streak: QU 1 straight
Follow the Bobcats:

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Quinnipiac Game Notes
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LAST GAME RECAP (QUIINNIPIAC 81, MANHATTAN 72)
Freshman guards Mikey Dixon (23 points, seven assists) and Peter Kiss (20 points, 10 rebounds) had huge afternoons to lead Quinnipiac to an 81-72 win over Manhattan on Saturday at the TD Bank Sports Center. Senior forward Donovan Smith (pictured) added 11 points, seven rebounds, and a Quinnipiac-record tying seven blocked shots. The Bobcats led 40-32 at the break and had a 10-point lead early in the second half before Manhattan trimmed it all the way down to one. Dixon answered with a jumper, and a 10-1 run, starting with a Daniel Harris three-pointer and ending with two Dixon free throws, restored a double-digit lead with under four minutes to play. Reggie Oliver was also in double figures for the Bobcats with 12 points.

Inside the Box Score vs. Manhattan
• Mikey Dixon's 23 points came on only 11 shots from the field (7-11), and marked his third time scoring 23 points in his four career starts.
• Mikey Dixon was 8-8 at the foul line, extending his streak of consecutive made foul shots to 30, dating back to a miss against Holy Cross on Dec. 12.
• Donovan Smith's seven blocked shots matched the high total for the entire Quinnipiac team this season (7 vs. Niagara). The 11 blocks for the Bobcats were the most since they recorded 13 against Albany on 12/1/15.
• Manhattan shot 38.6 percent from the floor, the third time in the last four games that QU has held its opponent below 40, something it did not accomplish in its first 11 games.
• Peter Kiss was 4-4 from the three-point line, the second time this year he has been perfect from beyond the arc in four attempts (along with Seton Hall on 11/25).

PROMISING FUTURE FOR BOBCATS
Freshman guards Mikey Dixon (15.8) and Peter Kiss (12.0) are the top two scorers for the Bobcats and the top two freshman scorers in the MAAC, with Stevie Jordan (Rider) just behind Kiss at 11.9 (through Saturday). In league games only, Dixon ranks seventh in scoring (18.8 ppg) and Kiss is 11th (16.8 ppg).

MAAC - Freshman Scoring Leaders (thru 1/7)
1. Mikey Dixon, Quinnipiac   15.8 ppg
2. Peter Kiss, Quinnipiac   12.0 ppg
3. Stevie Jordan, Rider   11.9 ppg
4. Aaron Walker Jr., Manhattan   9.0 ppg
5. E.J. Crawford, Iona   8.8 ppg

FRESHMEN BACKCOURTS
There are very few teams in the country with a pair of freshman guards as productive as Peter Kiss and Mikey Dixon. In fact, there are only six schools nationally that have two freshman guards averaging at least 10 ppg entering through Saturday's games:

Teams with Two Fr. Guards at 10+ PPG (thru 1/7)
Quinnipiac: Mikey Dixon (15.8), Peter Kiss (12.0)
Kentucky: Malik Monk (21.9), De'Aron Fox (16.3)
Saint John's: Marcus LoVett (18.1), Shamorie Ponds (17.8)
Arizona: Rawle Alkins (12.3), Kobi Simmons (11.7)
Citadel: Preston Parks (14.6), Kaelon Harris (11.1)
Auburn: Mustapha Heron (16.2), Jared Harper (13.7)

KISS, DIXON WIN BACK TO BACK MAAC ROOKIE HONORS
Freshman guard Peter Kiss and freshman guard Mikey Dixon won two straight MAAC Rookie of the Week honors late in the 2016 calendar year. 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 in a loss against preseason favorite Monmouth on Dec. 1 and 14 on 6-10 shooting in only 19 minutes in a win over Marist on Dec. 4.

MOORE ONE AWAY FROM 600TH COACHING WIN
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 599 wins, one shy of 600, including 498 at the Division I level in 23 years. His total breaks down to 234 as a head coach (158 at Quinnipiac, 76 at Worcester State) and 365 as an assistant (340 at UConn, 25 at DIII level).

DOUBLING UP
Quinnipiac has had seven double-doubles this season, with four different players contributing. Chaise Daniels has 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 and then had his second with 12 points and 10 rebounds at Maine on Dec. 18. Donovan Smith picked up his first one of the year against Hartford on Dec. 7 with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and then added his second against Niagara with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman guard Peter Kiss joined the double-double club on Saturday vs. Manhattan 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)

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 has had two games of 4-4 this season (Seton Hall, Manhattan), which ties him for fifth place.

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   6 times (including Peter Kiss twice)

SMITH LEADS BLOCK PARTY
Donovan Smith had a big game on defense in Quinnipiac's 81-72 win over Manhattan on Saturday, finishing with seven blocked shots. Not only was that a personal best, breaking his old mark of four set last season, 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.

Quinnipiac Single-Game Blocked Shot Leaders (DI Era)
7 Donovan Smith vs. Manhattan, 1/7/17
   Ousmane Drame vs. Manhattan, 3/1/15
   Ousmane Drame vs. Yale, 11/14/14
Ousmane Drame vs. Marist, 2/10/14
   Ousmane Drame vs. Monmouth, 1/16/14
6   Ousmane Drame vs. Fairfield, 12/6/13
   Ousmane Drame vs. Boston U, 12/31/11
5. Chaise Daniels vs. SHU, 11/13/15
       (tied with many others)

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 now fourth with 43 (2002-03). Junior Chaise Daniels finished with 39 blocks last season (fifth place), ranking him fourth in the MAAC.

INCREASED SCORING
Quinnipiac has had a much improved offense so far this season, averaging 75.5 points per game, up just about 10 points from a year ago (65.6 ppg). The Bobcats have also reached 70 points 11 times in 14 games this year, which is already more times than they reached that plateau during 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. 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). In 2013-14, the Bobcats led the nation in all four major rebounding categories (total rebounds, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds and rebounding margin), the only school to do that since Quinnipiac joined the Division I ranks in 1998-99.

CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS
With Tom Moore at the helm, Quinnipiac has outrebounded its opponent in 254 of 296 games (85.9 percent). In 111 of those 295 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 88-23 (.793) 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 111 times in the last 10 years, and suffered a -10 margin or worse only five times in that same span. Quinnipiac is now 121-13-4 in the rebounding department in the 138 games since the 2012-13 season, including two entire years 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 2,521 (12,417-9,896). To put that total in perspective, if all of the Bobcats vacated the floor against Saint Peter's and the Peacocks 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 2:59 was left in overtime.

CAN WE POOL OUR POINTS?
The TD Bank Sports Center has banners with the 1000-point scorers in Quinnipiac basketball history, but nobody on the 2016-17 team is halfway there. The closest is junior forward Chaise Daniels with 482, who has a chance to reach 1,000 as a senior at his 10.7 ppg pace. Freshmen Mikey Dixon (15.8 ppg) and Peter Kiss (12.0 ppg) are on an early pace to reach that milestone as juniors.

QU Career Scoring Leaders
   Player   Total
   Chaise Daniels   482
   Daniel Harris   428
   Donovan Smith   318
   Abdulai Bundu   308
   Mikey Dixon   247
   Peter Kiss   180
   Reggie Oliver   130
   Andrew Robinson   90
   Alain Chigha   62
   Phil Winston    45
   Greg Tarca   4
   Aaron Robinson   3
   Ja'Kwan Jones   1
       Total   2,278

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
Under Head Coach Tom Moore, Quinnipiac has had great success sending its players on to professional careers overseas. A total of 13 players have played professionally in Europe since 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.

NEXT UP
Quinnipiac heads right back to the road to face Siena on Thursday for an 8 p.m. contest. The Bobcats will then be back home at the TD Bank Sports Center to face Iona on Saturday at 2 p.m. Both games will be shown on ESPN3 as part of the MAAC Game of the Week package.