QU Begins MAAC Play Friday Night at Rider

Quinnipiac (3-5, 0-0 MAAC) at Rider (4-5, 0-1 MAAC)
Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 | 7:00 PM
Lawrenceville, NJ | Alumni Gym
Game Notes: Quinnipiac | Rider

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LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Quinnipiac Men's Basketball is set to begin MAAC play on Friday night, as the Bobcats will travel to Rider for a 7:00 PM contest at Alumni Gym.

NEWS & NOTES

Preseason MAAC Player of the Year Amarri Monroe leads QU in scoring (12.6 PPG) so far this season, and has also recorded 5.8 RPG and 2.6 SPG. Monroe has tallied double-digit scoring totals in five of eight contests.
Big man Paul Otieno leads the entire country in offensive rebounds per game (4.9). Otieno has posted 12.4 PPG and 8.9 RPG so far this year. The grad big man has three consecutive double-doubles for QU, and four so far in 2024-25.
Point guard Savion Lewis leads all MAAC players with 5.8 assists per game. Last year, Lewis finished fourth nationally with 7.3 APG.
The Bobcats' defense has recorded 9.5 steals per game – which leads all MAAC teams so far in 2024-25.
Opponents have shot just 41.7% against QU's defense this year (second among all MAAC teams).

LAST TIME OUT: BOBCATS FALL AT STONEHILL (12/1)

Quinnipiac fell at Stonehill, 88-74, on Sunday evening at Merkert Gymnasium.
Paul Otieno registered his fourth double-double of the season for the Bobcats. Otieno paced QU with 17 points and 10 rebounds (seven offensive boards), going 7-of-9 from the floor in 36+ minutes.
Khaden Bennett added 17 points, while Doug Young chipped in with 16 points off the bench.

SCOUTING RIDER

The Broncs enter at 4-5 overall. Rider fell at Fairfield, 78-75, in its MAAC opener on Wednesday.
TJ Weeks Jr. is averaging 13.4 PPG and 5.2 RPG this year to lead the way for Rider. Tariq Ingraham (10.9 PPG, 6.6 RPG) and Jay Alvarez (10.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG) have also posted double-digit scoring averages.
13th-year Head Coach Kevin Baggett's teams have posted a 196-188 record at Rider. Baggett won MAAC Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2018.
Quinnipiac has taken seven of the last eight meetings against Rider, though the Broncs won the latest matchup in New Jersey on 2/25/2024 (88-78 final). Amarri Monroe had 22 points and eight rebounds in the February contest last season.

QU SELECTED AS PRESEASON LEAGUE FAVORITE

Quinnipiac Men's Basketball has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2024-25 MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, as revealed by the league office on Oct. 8, 2024.
Quinnipiac earned 166 points in total in the preseason coaches' poll (11 first-place votes). It marks the first time that QU has ever been selected as the preseason MAAC favorite. The defending MAAC regular season champs went 15-5 in league play (24-10 overall) last season under Head Coach Tom Pecora. The Bobcats earned a berth to the 2024 Ro College Basketball Invitational (CBI) after setting a program record for total wins.

QU RETURNS PRESEASON ALL-MAAC TRIO

Three Bobcats in total (Amarri Monroe, Savion Lewis, Paul Otieno) received preseason recognition. Monroe and Lewis are Preseason All-MAAC First Team selections, while big man Paul Otieno earned a spot on the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team.
Preseason MAAC Player of the Year Amarri Monroe (formerly Amarri Tice) played in all 34 games for Quinnipiac a season ago, stuffing the stat sheet with 12.9 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG. He posted 14.4 PPG & 7.2 RPG in MAAC play. Monroe was the only player that finished inside the league's Top 5 in rebounds, blocks, and steals. He scored 10+ points 25 different times, and registered five separate double-doubles.
Savion Lewis wrapped up the 2023-24 campaign averaging 8.1 PPG, 7.3 APG & 3.2 RPG for the Bobcats. He finished second nationally in total assists (248). Lewis recorded 5+ helpers in 28 of Quinnipiac's 34 contests, including an impressive 17-assist night against Rider in Hamden (1/5/23).
Graduate forward Paul Otieno returns for another year after leading the MAAC in field goal percentage (63.8%) in 2023-24. He averaged 11.0 PPG & 6.9 RPG, starting in all 34 contests for the Bobcats. He registered four double-doubles a season ago.

VETERAN GROUP

The Bobcats return six of nine players that logged 200+ minutes last season.
Amarri Monroe (12.9 PPG), Paul Otieno (11.0 PPG), Savion Lewis (8.1 PPG), Alexis Reyes (7.8 PPG), Doug Young (6.3 PPG), Richie Springs (3.8 PPG) are all back for Quinnipiac ahead of the new season.

6 NEWCOMERS

The Bobcats added six newcomers in total.
Ryan Mabrey transferred in from Miami University, where the former All-MAC Freshman Team selection played in 58 games with the RedHawks over the last two seasons.
Quinnipiac also brought in five true first-year athletes: Grant Randall (Queens, NY), Samson Reilly (Manchester, CT), Spence Wewe (Bristol, England), Braylan Ritvo (Harlem, NY), Jaden Zimmerman (Bronx, NY).

INSTANT IMPACT

Both Jaden Zimmerman and Grant Randall have made an immediate impact during their first collegiate season.
Zimmerman is averaging 8.4 PPG through four contests, shooting 42.0% from the floor. The guard has posted double-digit scoring totals in three of eight games.
Grant Randall has chipped in with 2.7 PPG and 3.4 RPG off the bench. Randall scored a career-high six points during Quinnipiac's latest contest at Saint Louis.

BENCHMARK 2023-24 SEASON

The Bobcats finished off the benchmark campaign with 24 total wins (new program record).
Quinnipiac won its first-ever MAAC regular season title under first-year Head Coach Tom Pecora.
QU also set a new program mark for total points in a single season (2,630).
The Bobcats' 19-4 start over their first 23 games marked the program's best start to a year since the 1965-66 campaign.
Quinnipiac won 10 consecutive games from Jan. 5 – Feb. 8.
The Bobcats finished the month of January with a 7-0 record, marking the first perfect month in the university's Division I history.

HEAD COACH TOM PECORA

Tom Pecora – a veteran with 15 years of experience as a head coach at the Division I level – just wrapped up his first season as Head Coach at Quinnipiac University in 2023-24. Pecora just completed his seventh season in total with the Bobcats (previously served as Associate HC from 2017-2023). He was announced as Quinnipiac's next Head Coach on Thursday, April 13, 2023.
Pecora led the Bobcats to a record-breaking 2023-24 campaign during his first year at the helm, eventually earning MAAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Bobcats to the top seed in the conference. Quinnipiac set a new program record for wins (24) during the benchmark season, as the Bobcats went 15-5 in league play to capture the program's first-ever MAAC Regular Season Championship. The Bobcats set a new program record for total points (2,630) under Pecora. Quinnipiac defeated each MAAC opponent at least once.
Prior to his time at Quinnipiac, Pecora served as the head coach at Hofstra for nine years (2001-2010) and at Fordham for five seasons (2010-15). He also served as the associate head coach under Jay Wright for seven seasons before taking the head job at Hofstra, the last two of which resulted in America East Conference titles and NCAA Tournament berths.
Pecora served as the head coach at Hofstra for nine years (2001-2010) and at Fordham for five seasons (2010-15). Prior to taking over the head coaching position at Hofstra, Pecora served as the associate head coach under Jay Wright for seven seasons, the last two of which resulted in America East Conference titles and NCAA Tournament berths.
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. In 16 years at Hofstra with Pecora on the staff (nine years as a head coach, seven as an assistant), the Pride averaged 19 wins a season (246-161).
During his time in Hempstead, Hofstra was the winningest program in the Metropolitan New York area. Over his last six years, Hofstra won 121 games, including four 20-win seasons. In 2006 and 2009, he was named Coach of the Year by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) and he also received regional Coach of the Year honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY).
Prior to joining the staff at Hofstra, Pecora also had previous experience in running a program, serving as head basketball coach at the State University of New York at Farmingdale from 1989-92. In three seasons at Farmingdale, the Rams posted a 62-24 record, captured the Region 15 championship in 1992 (when they finished 20-9), advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament and were ranked as one of the nation's top 20 junior college programs.

FUTURE BOBCATS

Quinnipiac Men's Basketball has announced the addition of three players during the early signing period, as revealed by Head Coach Tom Pecora and the Bobcats on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. Keith Mcknight (Teaneck, N.J.), Jayden Reid (Cheshire, Conn.), and Lateef Patrick (Milton, Mass.) will are all set to join the reigning MAAC regular season champions ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Full Press Release: CLICK HERE

To stay up to date with all Quinnipiac men's basketball news, follow the program on Twitter/Instagram @QU_MBB or visit www.gobobcats.com/mbb.

Schedule

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Khaden Bennett

Savion Lewis

Ryan Mabrey

Amarri Monroe

Paul Otieno

Grant Randall

Samson Reilly

Alexis Reyes

Braylan Ritvo

Richie Springs

Spence Wewe

Doug Young

Jaden Zimmerman

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