QU Men's Basketball Makes Short Trip To Fairfield Monday Night

Monday, February 6

Fairfield, CT

7:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Fairfield University

QU Men's Basketball Makes Short Trip To Fairfield Monday Night

2/5/2017 12:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: QU Sports Information

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (9-14, 6-7 MAAC) at
Fairfield University Stags (11-10, 6-6 MAAC)
Date: Monday, Feb. 6, 2017 (7 p.m.)
Location: Webster Bank Arena | Bridgeport, Conn.
All-Time Series vs. Fairfield: QU leads 4-3
Current Streak: FFD - 1 straight
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DIXON, KISS HONORED SIX 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 six MAAC Rookie of the Week honors this year, including the last four. Dixon had won three in a row from Jan.9-23 before Kiss broke the streak with his second on Jan. 30 after scoring a career-high 22 points at Monmouth (he will likely win again when the new awards are announced on Monday after a 23-point, 13-rebound, eight-assist effort in Saturday's win over Niagara, establishing new career highs in all three categories). 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
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. 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 eighth (through Sunday). 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 2/5)
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. 17.1 T.J. Leaf, UCLA
7. 17.0 Michael Weathers, Miami (Ohio)
8. 16.74 Mikey Dixon, Quinnipiac
9. 16.65 Christian Keeling, Charleston Southern
10. 16.5 Ervin Mitchell, Grambling

DIXON ON HISTORIC PACE
Mikey Dixon should easily break the Quinnipiac Div. I record for freshman scoring at his 16.7 ppg pace (Rob Monroe holds it at 13.0 ppg). He also could break the all-divisions record of 16.7, set by Frank Berretta at the Div. II level in 1979-80, while Peter Kiss (13.6) could pass Monroe's DI record.

All-Time QU Freshman Scoring Leaders (All Divisions)
1. 16.7 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. 13.6 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 (16.7 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. 17 overall (all classes) among MAAC scoring leaders (and No. 3 and No. 11 in league games). On a national level, there are only five schools that have two freshman guards averaging at least 10 ppg through Sunday's games, and only four schools whose top two freshmen combine to average at least 30 ppg (see below charts):

Teams with Two Fr. Guards at 10+ PPG (thru 2/5)
Quinnipiac: Mikey Dixon (16.7), Peter Kiss (13.2)
Kentucky: Malik Monk (21.9), De'Aron Fox (16.0)
Saint John's: Marcus LoVett (17.2), Shamorie Ponds (17.2)
Arizona: Rawle Alkins (11.7), Kobi Simmons (11.3)
Auburn: Mustapha Heron (15.2), Jared Harper (12.9)

Teams with Top Two Freshmen at 30+ ppg (thru 2/5)
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)
32.1 UCLA: TJ Leaf (17.1), Lonzo Ball (15.1)
30.3 Quinnipiac: Mikey Dixon (16.7), Peter Kiss (13.6)

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 (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). 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), while so far this year, Daniels has 39 blocks again this year and 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). Daniel 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 seven-way tie by shooting 4-4 on threes against Canisius on Jan. 20.

DOUBLING UP
Quinnipiac has had 12 double-doubles this season from four different players after Chaise Daniels (24 points, 10 rebounds) and Peter Kiss (23 points, 13 rebounds) each had them on Saturday against Niagara. Daniels has five to lead the team, while Donovan Smith has three, Abdulai Bundu has two, and Kiss now has two. Kiss had eight assists 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)

LAST GAME RECAP (QUINNIPIAC 89, NIAGARA 81)
Quinnipiac roared out to a 28-point lead in the first half, and then fended off a second-half Niagara rally to capture an 89-81 home win on Saturday. The Bobcats jumped out to early leads of 6-0, 14-2 and 18-3 and then took their largest lead of the night at 44-16 late in the first half. Niagara used a 10-2 run to close to within 48-26 lead at the break and then got as close as six points twice late in the game. The first came with the score 81-75 with 2:30 to go, but Peter Kiss stepped up with a big three-point play to push the lead to nine, and Phil Winston and Chaise Daniels went 4-for-4 at the foul line in the final minute to help seal it. Kiss flirted with a triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, setting new career highs in all three categories, while Daniels had 24 points and 10 rebounds. Kahlil Dukes had 20 of his 29 in the second half to lead Niagara.

Inside the Box Score vs. Niagara
• Quinnipiac was +12 on the boards (48-36), one game after suffering a -25 deficit against Siena on Jan. 30, the worst rebounding deficit in Head Coach Tom Moore's 10 seasons. The Bobcats have traditionally been one of the top rebounding teams in the nation, outrebounding teams by 10 or more 113 times in the last 10 years, and suffering a -10 or worse deficit only eight times (four this season).
• Quinnipiac improved to 8-0 this season when scoring 80 or more points. The Bobcats are 1-14 when scoring less than 80.
• Ja'Kwan Jones saw his first game action since Dec. 11 at Holy Cross, due to an injury to senior forward Donovan Smith, and contributed three points and five rebounds.
• Mikey Dixon's 18 points marked the 18th time in the last 19 games that he has scored at least 13 (since being held scoreless by Seton Hall on Nov. 25).
• Quinnipiac won the jump ball, which has been a good omen. The Bobcats are 9-4 when winning the tap, and oddly 0-10 when they lose it.

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 42-17 (.712) 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 win over Niagara on Saturday. 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 237 wins (161 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 76.8 points per game, up over 11 points from a year ago (65.6 ppg). The Bobcats have also reached 70 points 19 times in 23 games this year, after hitting that mark only 10 times in 30 games last year. Quinnipiac has scored 70 or more in 12 of 13 conference games so far this season, falling short only in a 58-54 defeat at Saint Peter's on Jan. 9.

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 who have played professionally in Europe since Head Coach Tom Moore took over the job in 2007-08, including four from the Class of 2015 (most of any class). 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 playing his second season of professional basketball in Israel this year.

NEXT UP
Quinnipiac will host Saint Peter's on Thursday night as part of a MAAC Game of the Week doubleheader on ESPN3 at 8 p.m., following the Quinnipiac women's game against Marist at 5 p.m.