QU Men's Basketball Takes Road Trip To Rider Saturday

Saturday, February 11

Lawrenceville, NJ

2:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Rider University

QU Men's Basketball Takes Road Trip To Rider Saturday

2/10/2017 10:58:00 AM | Men's Basketball

By: QU Sports Information

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (10-15, 7-8 MAAC) at
Rider University Broncs (13-12, 6-8 MAAC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017 (2 p.m.)
Location: Alumni Gymnasium | Lawrenceville, N.J.
All-Time Series vs. Rider: Rider Leads 6-2
Current Streak: Rider - 2 straight
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DIXON, KISS HONORED SEVEN TIMES BY MAAC
Freshman guards Mikey Dixon and Peter Kiss have seen their names come up on the MAAC weekly awards quite frequently this season. The two freshmen have combined to win seven MAAC Rookie of the Week honors this year, including the last five. Dixon had won three in a row from Jan. 9-23 and Kiss has won the last two. Kiss was the first to be honored on Nov. 28 after averaging 16.0 points at the AdvoCare Invitational, while Dixon followed suit the following week.

Quinnipiac - MAAC Weekly Honors
Feb. 6   Peter Kiss (Rookie of the Week)
Jan. 30   Peter Kiss (Rookie of the Week)
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 SETS QUINNIPIAC DI FRESHMAN SCORING MARK
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 old mark of 27, which he tied in the previous game against Iona on Jan. 14. The 27-point record was 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 IN TOP 10 NATIONALLY IN FRESHMAN SCORING
Freshman guard Mikey Dixon had 56 points in a two-game stretch against Iona and Canisius (see above) to move into the top 10 nationally in scoring among freshmen, where he currently ranks tenth (through Thursday). Markelle Fultz of Washington (23.2 ppg) and Malik Monk of Kentucky (21.9) are ahead of the pack, but less than a point separates fourth and tenth place.

National Freshman Scoring Leaders (through 2/9)
1. 23.2 Markelle Fultz, Washington
2. 21.9 Malik Monk, Kentucky
3. 19.2 Dennis Smith, Jr., N.C. State
4. 17.2 Marcus LoVett, Saint John's
5. 17.2 Shamorie Ponds, Saint John's
6. 16.7 T.J. Leaf, UCLA
7. 16.7 Christian Keeling, Charleston Southern
8. 16.5 Michael Weathers, Miami (Ohio)
9. 16.4 Ervin Mitchell, Grambling
10. 16.2 Mikey Dixon, Quinnipiac

DIXON ON HISTORIC PACE
Mikey Dixon should easily break the Quinnipiac Div. I record for freshman scoring at his current 16.2 ppg pace (Rob Monroe holds it at 13.0 ppg). Dixon also has a chance to break the all-divisions record of 16.7, set by Frank Berretta at the Div. II level in 1979-80 (he's averaged 18.1 ppg since moving into the starting lineup on Dec. 29), while Peter Kiss (13.6) is also on pace to pass Monroe's DI record.

All-Time QU Freshman Scoring Leaders (All Divisions)
1. 16.7 Frank Berretta, 1979-80
3. 16.5 Troy Adams, 1986-87
4. 16.4 Harold Driver, 1974-75
2. 16.2 Mikey Dixon, 2016-17 (as of now)
5. 14.4 Rick Barry, 1991-92
6. 13.6 Peter Kiss, 2016-17 (as of now)
7. 13.5 Lester Ayala, 1987-88
8. 13.0 Rob Monroe, 2001-02 - Current DI record

GUARDED OPTIMISM FOR QU FUTURE
There are very few teams in the country with a pair of freshman guards as productive as Mikey Dixon (16.2 ppg) and Peter Kiss (13.6 ppg), who currently rank 1-2 among MAAC freshmen in scoring, with Stevie Jordan of Rider third at 11.5. Dixon and Kiss also rank No. 8 and No. 16 overall (all classes) among MAAC scoring leaders (and No. 5 and No. 10 in league games - see previous page). On a national level, there are only seven schools that have two freshman guards averaging at least 10 ppg through Thursday's games, while Dixon and Kiss are the fourth-highest freshman scoring combination in the country (see below).

Teams with Two Fr. Guards at 10+ PPG (thru 2/9)
Quinnipiac: Mikey Dixon (16.2), Peter Kiss (13.6)
Kentucky: Malik Monk (21.9), De'Aron Fox (16.0)
Saint John's: Marcus LoVett (17.2), Shamorie Ponds (17.2)
Arizona: Rawle Alkins (11.8), Kobi Simmons (11.2)
Auburn: Mustapha Heron (15.3), Jared Harper (12.7)
Mississippi State: Lamar Peters (12.4), Mario Kegler (10.1)
Drexel: Kurk Lee (14.6), Kari Jonsson (10.0)

Top Scoring Freshman Combinations (thru 2/9)
37.9 Kentucky: Malik Monk (21.9), De'Aron Fox (16.0)
34.4 Saint John's: Shamorie Ponds (17.2), Marcus LoVett (17.2)
31.8 UCLA: TJ Leaf (16.7), Lonzo Ball (15.1)
29.8 Quinnipiac: Mikey Dixon (16.2), Peter Kiss (13.6)
29.2 Michigan State: Miles Bridges (16.2), Nick Ward (13.0)

POISE BEYOND THEIR YEARS
Not only have freshmen Mikey Dixon and Peter Kiss put up impressive stats, they have also shown early signs of having the clutch gene. Twice this season on key possessions at the end of MAAC road games, the Bobcats have put the ball in the hands of their two rookies to create their own shots, and both times they have been successful. Trailing by one at Niagara on Jan. 2, Dixon got into the paint and knocked down a stepback jumper with 22.4 seconds left to put the Bobcats ahead to stay. With the score tied at Fairfield on Feb. 1, and just one second separating the game clock and shot clock, Quinnipiac had Kiss hold the ball for the last shot and he was able to knock down a 10-foot floater with 1.9 seconds left for a 73-71 win.

BLOCK PARTY
Chaise Daniels and Donovan Smith have each tied the Quinnipiac Division I record with seven blocks in a game this season. Daniels matched the mark on Jan. 30 against Siena, while Smith had seven blocks in Quinnipiac's 81-72 win over Manhattan on Jan. 7. They both have matched the standard set four times by Ousmane Drame, the 2015 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. Smith had 53 blocks in 2015-16, which is third on the single-season blocks mark at Quinnipiac during its Division I era (since 1998-99). Drame has the top two totals (88 as a senior in 2014-15, 64 as a junior in 2013-14). Daniels finished with 39 blocks last season (fifth place), and has 39 blocks again this year. He also now has 107 blocks in his career, tying him for second in Quinnipiac's DI history.

THREE-FOR-ALL
Three current Quinnipiac guards are in the school's top 10 record books for making all of their three point shots in a DI game (minimum four attempts). Harris was 5-5 from beyond the arc at Manhattan last season, tying for the second best single-game effort in school history at the DI level, 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.

DOUBLING UP
Quinnipiac has had 13 double-doubles this season from four different players after Peter Kiss picked up his second straight on Monday at Fairfield. Daniels has five to lead the team, while Donovan Smith and Kiss each have three and Abdulai Bundu has two. Kiss had 23 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists against Niagara on Feb. 4 to threaten for a triple-double, which hasn't happened since James Feldeine against Monmouth on Feb. 25, 2010 (19 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists).

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)
Feb. 4: Chaise Daniels vs. Niagara (24 pts, 10 rebs)
Feb. 4: Peter Kiss vs. Niagara (23 pts, 13 rebs)
Feb. 6: Peter Kiss vs. Fairfield (18 pts, 12 rebs)

LAST GAME RECAP (SAINT PETER'S 76, QUINNIPIAC 45)
Samuel Idowu came off the bench to score 11 points in a 17-2 run in the first half (over a span of 2:10) to jump-start the Saint Peter's offense and carry the Peacocks to a 76-45 win over Quinnipiac on Thursday night at the TD Bank Sports Center. Idowu's hot streak (four straight baskets, including three three-pointers) helped turn an 8-6 lead into a commanding 25-8 advantage. The Bobcats regrouped to close to within 32-21 on a three-pointer from Daniel Harris, but Saint Peter's closed out the half on an 8-0 run to take a 44-23 lead into halftime. Idowu tied for team high honors in scoring for the game with 14 points, joining Trevis Wyche and Quadir Welton, while Cavon Baker came off the bench to add 12 points on 5-6 shooting from the floor. Quinnipiac did not have a player in double figures, as Peter Kiss finished with a team-high nine points.

Inside the Box Score vs. Saint Peter's
• Quinnipiac held a 44-35 rebounding advantage and has now outrebounded its last three opponents by a combined 33, since Siena held a 52-27 edge in that department on Jan. 30, the worst rebounding deficit in Head Coach Tom Moore's 10 seasons
• The 45 points was by far the lowest the Bobcats have scored this season, surpassing the previous low water mark of 54, which was also set by Saint Peter's on Jan. 9.
• Quinnipiac has scored 70 or more points in 13 of 15 MAAC games this season, with Saint Peter's the only team to hold them below that mark twice.
• Mikey Dixon's six points marked only the second time in the last 21 games that he has been held below 13 points. Saint Peter's also did it the other time, when they held him to eight on Jan. 9.
• Quinnipiac lost the jump ball, which has been a bad omen. The Bobcats have not won a game in which they didn't control the opening tip, now falling to 0-11. Quinnipiac is 10-4 when winning the tip.

MOVING MONTH
The Bobcats will be hoping for a traditional February push this season, Over the past seven-plus years (since 2009-10), Quinnipiac is an impressive 43-18 (.705) in February games, with all of those games coming against league opponents as it has made a late push up the standings. Last year was an exception (3-7) but the Bobcats started off this February with a pair of wins in their first two games. All of the February games over the last eight seasons have come against conference opponents as the Bobcats have usually been successful at making a late push up the standings heading into the postseason tournaments.

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 238 wins (162 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).

INCREASED SCORING
Quinnipiac has had a much improved offense so far this season, averaging 75.4 points per game, up almost 10 points from a year ago (65.6 ppg). The Bobcats have also reached 70 points 21 times in 25 games this year, after hitting that mark only 10 times in 30 games last year. Quinnipiac has scored 70 or more in 13 of 15 conference games so far this season, falling short only in both games with Saint Peter's.

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 has six days off before a rematch with Fairfield on Friday night at 9 p.m. at the TD Bank Sports Center. The Bobcats won the first meeting 73-71 on a jumper from Peter Kiss with 1.9 seconds left.