Sunday, January 29
New Rochelle, NY / Hynes Athletic Center
1:00 PM
Quinnipiac University
at
Iona
Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com
QU Travels to Iona Sunday to Defend 6-Game Winning Streak
1/28/2023 5:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bobcats, Gaels Set for 1:00 PM Opening Tip on ESPN3
Quinnipiac Bobcats (15-5, 6-3 MAAC) at Iona Gaels (13-7, 6-3 MAAC)
Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023 | 1:00 PM
Hynes Athletics Center | New Rochelle, NY
Game Notes: Quinnipiac | Iona
Watch: ESPN3
Stats: Click Here
In-Game Updates: @QU_MBB
NEW ROCHELLE, NY – Quinnipiac men's basketball takes its six-game MAAC winning streak to New Rochelle on Sunday afternoon, squaring off with Iona at 2:00 PM on ESPN3.
6-GAME WINNING STREAK
HEAD COACH BAKER DUNLEAVY
Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023 | 1:00 PM
Hynes Athletics Center | New Rochelle, NY
Game Notes: Quinnipiac | Iona
Watch: ESPN3
Stats: Click Here
In-Game Updates: @QU_MBB
NEW ROCHELLE, NY – Quinnipiac men's basketball takes its six-game MAAC winning streak to New Rochelle on Sunday afternoon, squaring off with Iona at 2:00 PM on ESPN3.
6-GAME WINNING STREAK
- The Bobcats have won six consecutive MAAC games since Jan. 1.
- Quinnipiac has downed Manhattan (1/1), Rider (1/6), Iona (1/8), Saint Peter's (1/13), Mount St. Mary's (1/15) and Canisius (1/22) during that span.
- The Bobcats have outscored opponents 440-370 over the last six (+11.7 per game), shooting 43.2 percent from the floor. QU has assisted on 96 of 146 baskets (16.0 APG).
- QU's defense has held opponents to 39.6 percent shooting during the last six matchups.
- Dezi Jones has posted 13.8 PPG / 5.3 APG / 4.0 RPG during the winning streak, while Paul Otieno has recorded 12.7 PPG / 9.3 RPG in the same span.
- Ike Nweke posted a career-high 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting, powering Quinnipiac's men's basketball past Canisius by the final score of 87-82 on Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Arena.
- The win is Quinnipiac's sixth consecutive victory. The Bobcats move to 15-5 so far in 2022-23.
- QU outscored Canisius 50-26 in the paint. The Bobcats led for 19:08 in total.
- Five Bobcats posted double-figure scoring totals – including a double-double for Paul Otieno (14 points, 10 rebounds).
- Quinnipiac is 15-5 to begin the 2022-23 season.
- The Bobcats won each of their first seven games of the 2022-23 campaign – marking the best start to a new year for the program since 1969-70.
- QU began the season with a road win at A10-foe Rhode Island.
- The Bobcats wrapped up a 2-1 trip to Canada for The Northern Classic (Nov. 25-27). Quinnipiac downed both Stephen F. Austin and Montana State for impressive wins at Place Bell Arena in Quebec, before falling 72-70 vs. Hofstra on the final day of the tournament.
- Dezi Jones leads the Bobcats in scoring with 11.2 PPG, while also chipping in with 3.8 RPG and 3.6 APG.
- Graduate transfer Ike Nweke has added 10.9 PPG and 6.1 RPG, shooting 49.2% from the floor.
- Preseason All-MAAC First Team selection Matt Balanc had also chipped in with 10.7 PPG and 4.2 RPG.
- Luis Kortright has stuffed the stat sheet (9.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.8 APG) off the bench.
- Paul Otieno (8.3 PPG & 7.6 RPG) leads QU in rebounding. He has four double-doubles this year – three of which have come in MAAC action.
- Quinnipiac currently leads the MAAC in rebound margin (+5.9 RPG) and rebounds per game (39.15).
- Opponents have shot 40.6% from the floor against QU, the lowest shooting mark that any MAAC defense has posted this year.
- The Gaels enter play at 13-7 overall, going 6-3 so far in conference action.
- Hall of Fame Coach Rick Pitino was named head basketball coach of Iona College on March 14, 2020. Pitino has taken four different programs to the NCAA tournament and coached two national championship teams.
- During his 32 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Pitino has a 770-271 overall record and a 54-19 record in the NCAA Tournament. 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 is 6-12 vs. Iona since the Bobcats joined the MAAC in 2013-14. QU won the first meeting between the teams, 81-58, earlier this year in Hamden (Jan. 8, 2023).
- Quinnipiac returns return 5 of its top 7 scorers from a season ago – led by All-MAAC selection Matt Balanc (14.6 PPG in 2021-22).
- QU brings back seven rotational players from a year ago. Matt Balanc, Dezi Jones, Savion Lewis, Tyrese Williams, Tymu Chenery, Luis Kortright and JJ Riggins have all returned back after playing significant minutes in 2021-22.
- Quinnipiac added four impact transfers during the offseason: Ike Nweke (Columbia), Paul Otieno. (Kilgore CC), Alexis Reyes (East Carolina), and Elijah Taylor (Notre Dame).
- Ike Nweke transfers to Quinnipiac after playing in three seasons at Columbia University (2018-19, 2019-20, 2021-22). He played in 65 total games during that span, making 39 starts. The Woodbine, Maryland-native led the Lions in scoring last season over 10 games played. He recorded 15.9 PPG & 6.3 RPG for Columbia, scoring double-digit point totals on nine occasions.
- Paul Otieno started in all 34 games for Kilgore last season (2021-22), posting 11.0 PPG & 7.6 RPG on 68.7% shooting. Otieno scored a season-high 24 points vs. Missouri State West Plains (11/7), registering 16 separate double-digit point totals during the course of the campaign.
- Alexis Reyes will join the Bobcats for the upcoming 2022-23 season after spending his freshman campaign at East Carolina University. The 6-foot-7 sharpshooter played his senior season of high school in Connecticut at Putnam Science Academy. He appeared in 10 games last season for the Pirates, making a pair of starts.
- Elijah Taylor, a Philadelphia-native, played for Head Coach Andrew Noble at Imhotep Charter High School, coming out of high school as the fifth-best ranked recruit on the state of Pennsylvania (247Sports). He played alongside current Quinnipiac forward JJ Riggins at Imhotep.
- Quinnipiac led the MAAC in 3-pointers per game (8.9) last season.
- QU finished 5th in the country in 3-pointers per game in both 2018-19 and 2019-20. The Bobcats made 11.2 triples per game in 2018-19, then sunk 10.3 triples per night in 2019-20.
- QU has made 7.8 triples per game this year – which ranks third in the MAAC.
HEAD COACH BAKER DUNLEAVY
- Head Coach Baker Dunleavy – a very successful former player and coach under Jay Wright at Villanova – is in his sixth season at Quinnipiac in 2022-23.
- Dunleavy joined the Bobcats after spending seven years on the men's basketball staff at Villanova University, where under Jay Wright, he helped the Wildcats capture the 2016 national championship with a 77-74 win over North Carolina. He began at Villanova as the director of basketball operations in 2010, before being elevated to assistant coach in 2012 and to the associate head coach position in 2013.
- 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 appeared in 28 games over his four seasons for the Wildcats (2006 graduate). As a senior, he was part of the first Villanova team to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2006.
- During his playing days – behind future NBA guards Randy Foye and Kyle Lowry – the Wildcats were an Elite Eight team in 2005-06.
- Quinnipiac men's basketball has won 81 total games under Dunleavy since 2017.
- The Bobcats earned a first-round bye in the MAAC Tournament during two of Dunleavy's first four years with the program.
- QU has advanced to the MAAC Tournament semifinal round twice under Dunleavy's tutelage.
- 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.
- Most recently, the Bobcats became the first No. 11 seed in league history to reach the semifinal round after winning two games in Atlantic City in March of 2022.
- He has been 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.
- 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.
- Matt Balanc enjoyed a breakout redshirt-junior season, averaging 14.6 points per game in 2021-22. Balanc finished sixth in the MAAC in scoring. He posted 14.8 PPG & 5.5 RPG in MAAC play.
- Balanc scored 10+ points in 23 of 20 games played, including a career-high 31 points in QU's MAAC victory at Manhattan (12/5/22).
- He has 942 career points as a Bobcat (9.6 PPG) over four years.
- Missouri-native Dezi Jones finished second on the team in scoring (11.5 PPG) during his first year with the Bobcats. He also contributed 3.1 RPG and 3.0 APG, and shot 47.4% from the floor.
- Jones flirted with a triple-double in the Bobcats' opening round MAAC Tournament win (3/8/22) – posting 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists vs. No. 6 Marist.
- He posted 12.0 PPG in MAAC play for the Bobcats during the regular season.
- Jones spent two full seasons at Moberly Area Community College before joining the Bobcats in 2021-22.
- Guard Tyrese Williams returns for his graduate season at QU. He's posted 8.4 PPG for QU off the bench.
- He reached 1,000 career points on Dec. 22, 2022 at Penn State. The Beacon, New York-native surpassed 1,000 points over 116 career games – all with the Bobcats.
- Williams becomes the 44th player in Quinnipiac program history to reach 1,000 career points. He's the 18th player to reach the mark at the Division I level.
- The guard was a MAAC All-Rookie selection in 2018-19 stuffing the stat sheet with 8.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 2.4 APG.
- Tymu Chenery is back his junior campaign after making 48 starts over his first two season in Hamden.
- The 2020-21 MAAC All-Rookie Team honoree has 8.1 PPG and 3.7 RPG for his career thus far. The 6-foot-6 wing also has 59 steals and 35 blocks.
- Fellow 2020-21 MAAC All-Rookie selection Luis Kortright also returns to the Bobcats' backcourt. He's played in 58 games so far at QU, averaging 7.3 points per contest.
- Kortright posted 10.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.7 APG as a first-year student two seasons ago, earning a spot on the MAAC All-Rookie squad.
- Savion Lewis is back in Hamden for another season. He's played in 48 games for QU since the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
- He scored a career-best 15 points at Canisius on Jan. 11, 2022.
- Over 62 career games, JJ Riggins has added 3.8 PPG and 2.1 RPG off the bench.
- He scored a career-best 15 points at Canisius on Jan. 11, 2022.
- QU went 14-17 (7-13 MAAC) last season.
- The Bobcats became the first No. 11 seed in league history to reach the semifinal round after winning two games in Atlantic City in March of 2022. QU downed No. 6 Marist in the opening round and defeated No. 3 Siena in the quarterfinals.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard/Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard/Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball2025 MAAC Basketball Tip-Off Event - ESPN+ Show
Tuesday, September 30
Coaches Road Show at Bears BBQ
Thursday, September 04
Quinnipiac Athletics 2024-25 Highlight Video
Tuesday, May 20
Back with the Bobcats - Amarri Monroe Interview
Wednesday, April 30
