Quinnipiac Begins MAAC Tournament Play Tuesday vs. Iona (ESPN+)

#8 Quinnipiac (9-12, 7-10 MAAC) vs. #9 Iona (8-5, 6-3 MAAC)
Tuesday, March 9, 2021 | 5:00 PM
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | Atlantic City, N.J.
Game Notes: Quinnipiac | Iona

Watch: ESPN+
Live Statistics: statbroadcast.com
In-Game Updates: @QU_MBB

D1 Era vs. Iona: 6-9
Last Meeting vs. Iona: W, 74-70 (Feb. 17, 2021)

2021 MAAC Tournament: Championship Bracket
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall: Arena Information
Spectator Policy: MAAC to Allow Limited 'Friends and Families'
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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Quinnipiac men's basketball begins postseason play on Tuesday night, squaring off with Iona in the opening round of the 2021 MAAC Tournament.

The No. 8 Bobcats will face the No. 9 Gaels at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall at 5:00 PM (televised live on ESPN+).

DOMINANT DEFENSE

Quinnipiac enters the MAAC Tournament ranked No. 5 nationally in defensive field goal percentage, allowing opponents to shoot just 38.6 percent from the floor this year.
The Bobcats have grabbed 28.5 defensive rebounds per contest, which ranks best in the MAAC and No. 18 nationally.

RIGONI BECOMES BOBCATS' THREE-POINT KING

Senior All-MAAC Second Team selection Jacob Rigoni set a new Quinnipiac career record on Sunday, March 1 at Marist, surpassing Rob Monroe to become the Bobcats' newest three-point record holder. Rigoni now has 257 career three-pointers, surpassing the previous program record set by Rob Monroe (253, 2001-05).
Rigoni also reached 1,000 career points in the Bobcats' win over Niagara on Jan. 23, 2021. He's up to 1,150 career points with the Bobcats in 115 games played.
He is the 43^rd player in QU history to reach 1,000 points, and the 17^th at the Division I level for the Bobcats.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT

Luis Kortright (10.5 PPG) and Tymu Chenery (10.0 PPG) were both named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team, as announced by the league office on Monday, March 8.
Kortright ranks third in scoring among MAAC first-year players, while Chenery ranks fourth.
Chenery has posted 10.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, shooting 40.6 percent from the floor.
Kortright has stuffed the stat sheet with 10.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
The Bobcats have taken home four MAAC Rookie of the Week honors: Tymu Chenery (Nov. 30), Luis Kortright (Feb. 8), Luis Kortright (Feb. 22), Luis Kortright (Mar. 1).

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS

7-foot-1 sophomore forward Seth Pinkney is 62-of-79 from the field (79.5 percent) so far through 21 games this year. He's averaging 8.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in 2020-21.
Pinkney leads the entire country in three separate KenPom statistics: Effective FG Percentage (83.3), True Shooting Percentage (80.1), Free Throw Rate (82.1)
Pinkney currently ranks No. 21 nationally in blocks per game (2.3).
Over his first two collegiate years, Pinkney has shot 99-of-128 (77.3 percent).

SCOUTING IONA

The Gaels enter at 8-5 (6-3 MAAC), earning the No. 9 seed in the MAAC Tournament.
Iona is led by Isaiah Ross – who has scored a MAAC-best 20.5 points per game. The senior enters postseason action shooting 48.9 percent from the floor, and 41.8 percent from three-point distance.
Fellow senior Asante Gist has tallied 12.2 points and 4.0 assists per game, and first-year forward Nelly Junior Joseph has record 12.1 points and 7.1 rebounds a night.
Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino is in his first year at Iona. Pitino has taken four different programs to the NCAA tournament and coached two national championship teams. He became the first coach to take three different schools to the NCAA Final Four and first coach to win an NCAA Championship at two different schools.
Quinnipiac took the lone meeting between the two teams this year (74-70) in Hamden. Tyrese Williams led the Bobcats with a season-high 21 points, knocking down three triples. Williams went 10-of-11 from the foul line in the win. Eight different players scored for Quinnipiac, as QU assisted on 16 of its 23 made field goal attempts.

BAKER'S BOBCATS

The 2020-21 season marks the fourth year at the helm of the Bobcats' program for Baker Dunleavy, a very successful former player and coach under Jay Wright at Villanova.
Quinnipiac has recorded 52 total wins during Dunleavy's first three-plus seasons as a collegiate head coach.
The Bobcats earned a first-round bye in the MAAC Tournament during both the 2018-19 (No. 3 seed) and 2019-20 (No. 5 seed) seasons. During both of those years, Quinnipiac ranked fifth nationally in three-pointers per game.
Dunleavy led the Bobcats all the way to the MAAC Semifinals during his first year with the program in 2017-18 – defeating No. 10 Siena and No. 2 Canisius in the postseason.
During his playing days – behind future NBA guards Randy Foye and Kyle Lowry – the Wildcats were an Elite Eight team in 2005-06. In his four seasons as an associate head coach from 2013-17, Villanova compiled an overall record of 129-17, including a national title in 2016 and four straight BIG EAST regular season titles. He is only the seventh head coach in Quinnipiac's history (since 1951-52).
Dunleavy has been consistently ranked among college basketball's top young head coaches. Dunleavy earned a spot on Seth Davis' "40 under 40" list published by The Athletic in October of 2020, and was also selected to ESPN's "40 under 40" in May of 2020.

Dunleavy Season-by-Season at QU:

YEAR 1 at QU: In his first season with the Bobcats, Dunleavy led the program to the MAAC semifinals for just the second time since Quinnipiac joined the conference in 2013-14. Quinnipiac went 12-21 in 2017-18 (7-11 MAAC), topping No. 10 Siena and No. 2 Canisius in the MAAC Tournament to advance to the Semifinal Round.
YEAR 2 at QU: The Bobcats then went 16-15 in Dunleavy's second season at the helm, going 11-7 in MAAC play to earn the No. 3 seed in the postseason tournament. The Bobcats won eight of their last 12 regular season contests, helping the program achieve its first winning season since 2013-14.
YEAR 3 at QU: Quinnipiac went 15-15 (10-10 MAAC) in 2019-20, earning the No. 5 seed in the MAAC tournament. The Bobcats earned a first-round bye in the conference postseason tournament for the second consecutive season under Dunleavy, winning three straight games to finish the regular season.

FAMILY TIES

Quinnipiac head coach Baker Dunleavy's father, Mike, enjoyed a long NBA coaching career, including stops with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. Baker's older brother, Mike Jr., had a 16-year NBA career (most recently with the Atlanta Hawks) after winning a national title in college with Duke in 2001.
Mike Jr. is currently the Assistant General Manager for the Golden State Warriors, while Mike Sr. last served as Head Coach at Tulane from 2016-19.

BUILDING A WINNING STAFF

After being hired as the Quinnipiac head coach in March of 2017, Baker Dunleavy quickly assembled a very successful coaching staff.

ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH TOM PECORA

Associate Head Coach Tom Pecora, an assistant to Jay Wright at Hofstra (before taking over the head coaching duties when Wright left for Villanova) served as the head coach at Hofstra for nine years (2001-2010) and at Fordham for five seasons (2010-15).
Pecora was a part of seven 20-win seasons with Hofstra (four as a head coach, three as an assistant). He had two 26-win teams (one as a head coach, one as an assistant) at Hofstra – the program's highest win total at the Division I level. As a head coach at Hofstra, Pecora compiled a 155-126 mark in nine seasons, leading the Pride to four postseason appearances (three NIT and one CBI) – the most for any New York City team over that nine-year span. Pecora also had tremendous success in developing guards while at Hofstra. As an assistant he recruited NBA guards Speedy Claxton and Norman Richardson, while as a head coach he recruited three guards who scored over 2,000 career points: Loren Stokes, Antoine Agudio and Charles Jenkins. Claxton, Richardson, Stokes and Jenkins all won their conference Player of the Year Awards, while Jenkins also played in the NBA for the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers.
Pecora took over as Head Coach at Fordham prior to the 2010-11 season, joining a program that was at the basement of the A10 (2-29, 0-16 A10) just a year prior. During his tenure at Rose Hill, Pecora recruited Jon Severe - a Parade All-American and the 2013 New York City and New York State Player of the Year from Christ the King High School in Queens. He also brought in Eric Pascall (later transferred to Villanova) and Joseph Chartouny (later transferred to Marquette), laying the ground work for the program's first winning season in 2015-16.

THE REST OF THE STAFF

Shaun Morris, who was an associate head coach at Boston University for Joe Jones (another of Jay Wright's former assistants at Villanova), helped the Terriers to their winningest season ever (24) in 2013-14. During his time with the Terriers, Morris helped guide his teams to three postseason berths, the 2016 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), the 2014 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and the 2013 CIT. In 2013-14, Morris helped the Terriers earn their first regular season league championship, capturing their first conference regular season title in 10 years, while finishing with 24 wins, the second-highest total in program history. Prior to joining the staff at Boston University, Morris spent the previous two years at Division III powerhouse Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., where he was an assistant for former Marist head coach Mike Maker. The Ephs reached the NCAA Division III Final Four both years, including a runner-up finish in 2010.
Dwayne Lee officially joined the Bobcats' staff as an assistant coach in July of 2019. Most recently, Lee spent two seasons as an assistant on Mark Schmidt's staff at St. Bonaventure (2017-18, 2018-19). In his first season at SBU, he helped the Bonnies to a program-record 26 wins as well as an NCAA Tournament victory in the First Four over UCLA in 2017-18. Lee and the Bonnies then went 18-16 in 2018-19 (12-6 A10), advancing to the conference championship game at the Barclay's Center vs. Saint Louis. From Feb. 6 to March 16, the program won 10 of 12 games en route to claiming the No. 4 seed in the ACC Tournament. Prior to joining the St. Bonaventure staff, Lee served as an assistant coach at Fairleigh Dickinson for four seasons. A graduate of famed St. Anthony's (N.J.) and Saint Joseph's University, Lee has roots in the Atlantic 10 Conference and throughout the northeast.
Director of Operations Ryan Harkins is reunited with Head Coach Baker Dunleavy at Quinnipiac, after spending two years (2014-15, 2015-16) as a graduate assistant and video coordinator at Villanova while Dunleavy was the program's associate head coach. Harkins was on the staff for Villanova's 2016 national championship, when the Wildcats defeated North Carolina at the buzzer 77-74.

THREE-GONI

Jacob Rigoni is back for his senior season. He's played in 115 career games (96 games started) so far at Quinnipiac.
The Australia-native now has 1,150 career points. He's the 17^th Quinnipiac student-athlete to reach 1,000 points in the Bobcats' Division I history.
Rigoni also has made 257 career three-pointers – a new QU program record.
The forward is 257-of-633 (40.6 percent) from distance in his four-year career.
As a sophomore, he poured in a career-high 30 points in the opening round of the MAAC Tournament vs. Monmouth on Feb. 24, 2019.
Rigoni started all 30 games for the Bobcats last year, posting 8.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He finished his junior year shooting a team-best 40.2 percent (66-of-164) from three-point range, recording 13 games of 10+ points. The forward tallied a season-high 21 points vs. Rider on Jan. 7, 2020 in Hamden, knocking down each of his first seven attempts from distance.

WILLIAMS' WAY

Three-year starter Tyrese Williams is back for the Bobcats in 2020-21 as a junior.
He's recorded 8.9 points and 3.6 rebounds a night this year, playing in 18 of Quinnipiac's 21 games.
Williams recorded a season-best mark of 21 points in the Bobcats' win against Iona (Wednesday, Feb. 17).
As a sophomore, he averaged 9.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last year. Williams played in all 30 games for the Bobcats in 2019-20, knocking down 57 three-pointers. He scored a career-high 26 points at Canisius on Jan. 13, 2020, shooting 8-of-11 from three-point distance.
The Bobcats are 13-2 over the last two seasons when Williams knocks down three or more three-point field goals.
He scored a career-high 26 points in the Bobcats' win at Canisius on Jan. 31, 2020, shooting 9-of-14 from the floor and 8-of-11 from three-point distance.
Williams was also a MAAC All-Rookie selection, stuffing the stat sheet with 8.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in 2018-19.

SAVION SAVES THE DAY

Savion Lewis is back for his redshirt sophomore season. The point guard played in eight games last year, recording 6.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
Lewis has already tallied eight games of 10+ points for QU in 2020-21. The point guard has stuffed the stat sheet with 8.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.2 APG this year.
Lewis was voted New York's 2018 Mr. Basketball after recording 34.0 points, 7.0 assists and 5.0 steals per contest as a senior at Half Hollow Hills East High School in 2017-18. He scored 16 points on 8-of-13 shooting at Miami on Nov. 16. He then added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists at Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 3, and is averaging 6.5 points, 2.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds a night in eight games played.

THE BEST OF BRENDAN

Sophomore guard/forward Brendan McGuire came on strong during the second half of the season last year, as the Long Island native finished with 3.0 points, 2.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game.
McGuire made his sophomore season debut inside "Bubbleville" at Mohegan Sun.
This year through 20 games, McGuire has posted 6.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
He's scored 10+ points in six games this year.
McGuire scored a career-high 19 points to go along with 10 rebounds in Quinnipiac's win vs. Niagara on Jan. 22.
He added 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists in Quinnipiac's latest win against Rider on Feb. 21.

MIGHTY MATT

Matt Balanc will play as a redshirt sophomore in 2020-21. He played in all 30 games last year, making six starts as a first-year guard. He averaged 7.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest.
This season – he's averaged 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
Balanc recorded 12 games of 10+ points last year, including a career-high 23 points (9-13 FG) in his collegiate debut at Brown on Nov. 13, 2019.
The guard earned his first collegiate double-double on Jan. 10, 2019 vs. Niagara, scoring 12 points and adding 10 rebounds.
Balanc posted 17.6 points per contest as a senior at Springbrook High School in 2017-18, the same school attended by former Bobcats Aaron Robinson and Andrew Robinson.

TYREE'S TURN

Tyree Pickron is back for his junior season. He checked into 28 games as a first year, scoring 58 points for the Bobcats in 2018-19.
Pickron knocked down two three-pointers off the bench in the Bobcats' home win against Iona (Feb. 17).
The guard had eight points, four steals, three rebounds and an assist in QU's opener on Nov. 25. The Bobcats were +18 with Pickron on the floor, the highest +/- of any QU player for the night.
Last year, Pickron made his season debut in QU's win over Fairfield on Jan. 24 in Hamden, logging 28 minutes, three points, three assists and two rebounds.
He's played in 14 games in total during the 2019-20 season, scoring 4.1 points per night.

JJ ALL THE WAY

Jamil Riggins took a redshirt year last season. He has four full seasons of collegiate eligibility entering the new year.
Riggins played high school basketball at Imhotep Institute Charter. Helped lead the team to three straight Philadelphia Public League titles and 4A state championships during his time, as Riggins and the Panthers went undefeated at home during his career and a combined 57-8 over their last two seasons. Riggins is a two-time Imhotep Basketball Defensive Player of the Year
Riggins made his Quinnipiac debut on Nov. 25 vs. FDU.
He scored a career-best seven points – all in the first half – on Jan. 23 against Niagara. Riggins shot a perfect 3-of-3 in 5 minutes played.
He also has recorded three games of six points in MAAC play (Feb. 8 at Fairfield, Feb. 17 vs. Iona, Mar. 4 vs. Saint Peter's).

THE NEWCOMERS
The Bobcats added four newcomers to the roster ahead of 2020-21:

Tymu Chenery: Chenery – a versatile 6-foot-6 wing – will join the Bobcats ahead of the 2020-21 season after playing his high school basketball at Episcopal in Alexandra, Virginia. Chenery averaged 12.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game as a junior at Episcopal in 2018-19, recording double-digit point totals in 16 games. He scored a season-high 28 points vs. Flint Hill on Dec. 12, knocking seven 3-point field goals. In 2017-18 as a sophomore he averaged 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per contest, knocking down 28 three-pointers for the year. He played on the AAU circuit for Team BBC, a member of the Adidas Gold Gauntlet Series based out of Baltimore, Maryland. Chenery is currently ranked inside Prep Hoops' Top-15 for all Virginia recruits.
Bol Akot: Akot joins the Bobcats after completing his senior season at Proctor Academy in Andover, New Hampshire in 2019-20. He has been one of the top point guards in New England during his four years of high school, winning the MVP Award at the prestigious Deng Camp this summer. Akot demonstrated his well-rounded skillset, leading the camp in scoring (17.2 PPG) and passing (7.2 APG). The 6-foot-1 speedy point guard was a four-year starter at Proctor, scoring 1,223 career points. He served as team captain during his senior year in 2019-20, averaging 19.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. He was selected First Team All-NEPSAC AA this year for his efforts, and was tabbed as an All-NEPSAC Honorable Mention honoree as a junior in 2018-19. Akot played on the AAU circuit with the DC Blue Devils.
Elias King: King heads to Quinnipiac after spending his first collegiate season at Santa Monica, a JUCO in California. The 6-foot-9 versatile forward averaged 14.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, shooting 52.1 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent from distance. He scored 10+ points in 18 games, recording three double-doubles during the second half of the season. He made the JUCO California All-State Team for his efforts. King was one of only four freshmen selected to the team, while also earning First Team All-Conference honors. King was selected to the 2017-18 California All-State Boys Basketball team at Jesuit High School in Carmichael, Calif., recording 22 points and 11 rebounds per game. King earned Sacramento Bee All-Metro First Team honors that season, while also being named to the SportsStars Magazine All-NorCal Second Team.
Luis Kortright: The Bronx-native previously played at St. Raymond High School, earning Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) First Team All-League and All-State honors as a senior in 2019-20. Kortright recorded an impressive 21.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game this past season for the Ravens. For his efforts as a senior, Kortright was also named to the New York Sports Writers Association All-State First Team. He will join the Bobcats in 2020-21 as a freshman with four full years of eligibility.

LAST SEASON (2019-20)

Quinnipiac went 15-15 (10-10 MAAC) last season, winning three consecutive contests to end the regular season.
The Bobcats earned a first-round bye in the MAAC Tournament for the second consecutive season under Head Coach Baker Dunleavy (No. 5 seed). The 2020 MAAC Tournament was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic before Quinnipiac participated in postseason play.
QU started the season 5-5 in non-conference action, earning wins vs. Albany, Presbyterian and New Hampshire at home. The Bobcats also won non-league games at Maine, and against Bowling Green at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
The Bobcats then won four straight MAAC games to begin the league schedule from Jan. 3-12, winning at Marist (Jan. 3), vs. Rider (Jan. 7), vs. Niagara (Jan. 10), and vs. Monmouth (Jan. 12).
Quinnipiac also won each of its last three regular season games. The Bobcats topped Fairfield on the road (Feb. 28) when Jacob Rigoni knocked down a three-pointer as time expired, defeated Marist (Mar. 1) at home, then knocked off reigning MAAC champion Iona (Mar. 4) on the road.

QUINNI-THREE-AC

QU finished No. 5 nationally once again in made three-pointers at the end of last year, knocking down 10.3 triples per contest in 2019-20. The Bobcats made 10+ three-pointers in 16 games last year.
The Bobcats finished fifth in the country in triples per game two seasons ago, as well. Quinnipiac made 11.2 3-point field goals per game in 2018-19, as 43.4 percent of the Bobcats offense in 2018-19 came from 3-point distance last season according to KenPom – the fourth highest rate nationally.

PROGRAM HISTORY

Quinnipiac needs just 17 more victories to reach 1,000 in the history of its men's basketball program.
QU enters its 23^rd year as a Division I program (70^th overall) in 2020-21. The Bobcats surpassed 300 D1 victories last year, as the program now owns 323 career victories at the NCAA's highest level.

PRESEASON ALL-MAAC HONORS

Quinnipiac junior guard Tyrese Williams (Preseason All-MAAC Second Team) and senior forward Jacob Rigoni (Preseason All-MAAC Third Team) were both recognized by the league before the season.

Schedule

Quinnipiac Begins MAAC Tournament Play Tuesday vs. Iona (ESPN+)

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bol Akot

Matt Balanc

Tymu Chenery

Elias King

Luis Kortright

Savion Lewis

Brendan McGuire

Tyree Pickron

Seth Pinkney

Jacob Rigoni

Aaron Robinson

Andrew Robinson

Tyrese Williams

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Quinnipiac Begins MAAC Tournament Play Tuesday vs. Iona (ESPN+)

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bol Akot

Matt Balanc

Tymu Chenery

Elias King

Luis Kortright

Savion Lewis

Brendan McGuire

Tyree Pickron

Seth Pinkney

Jacob Rigoni

Aaron Robinson

Andrew Robinson

Tyrese Williams

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