Bobcats Host Rider Saturday in Hamden

Quinnipiac (11-8, 7-1 MAAC) vs. Rider (7-12, 3-5 MAAC)
Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025 | 2:00 PM
M&T Bank Arena | Hamden, CT
Game Notes: Quinnipiac | Rider

Watch: ESPN+
Watch: INTL
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In-Game Updates: @QU_MBB on X/Instagram

HAMDEN, Conn. – Quinnipiac Men's Basketball looks to make it five-straight wins on Saturday afternoon at M&T Bank Arena, as the Bobcats are set to play host to Rider to continue the league schedule at 2:00 PM on ESPN+.
QU enters at 7-1 in league play, while the Broncs have gone 3-5 over their first eight league matchups.
LAST TIME OUT: HOT SECOND HALF LEADS QU OVER MOUNT ST. MARY'S

Amarri Monroe poured in a career-high 25 points on Saturday afternoon at Knott Arena, leading Quinnipiac past Mount St. Mary's by the final score of 91-57.
QU set season-high marks in points (91), 3-pointers (14), and field goal percentage (51.6%).
The 34-point victory is QU's second-largest win over a Division I opponent. Quinnipiac defeated Maine 102-61 back on Nov. 25, 2013 in Bangor.
The victory also marks the Bobcats' largest MAAC win since joining the league in 2013-14.
Quinnipiac led by one point at halftime, then the Bobcats routed The Mount 55-22 in total during the second half of play.

MONROE NAMED MAAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Quinnipiac forward Amarri Monroe has been named MAAC Player of the Week following a pair of wins over Merrimack and Mount St. Mary's, as revealed by the league office on Jan. 20, 2025.
The Preseason Player of the Year led the first-place Bobcats to two more wins this past week, averaging 23.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game on 42.9% shooting.
Monroe posted a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds on Thursday night in Hamden vs. Merrimack, then followed up with a season-high 25 points and nine rebounds at Mount St. Mary's on Saturday afternoon.

7-1 MAAC START FOR QU

The Bobcats are 7-1 over their first six MAAC games, tied for first place in the league standings.
QU has earned league wins over Rider (12/6), Sacred Heart (12/8), Saint Peter's (1/3), Siena (1/10), Iona (1/12), Merrimack (1/16), and Mount St. Mary's (1/18) so far in 2024-25.
Preseason Player of the Year Amarri Monroe has paced QU in MAAC games, averaging 17.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, & 2.9 steals per game over 8 contests. He's got three double-doubles in league action.
Big man Paul Otieno is averaging 12.8 PPG & 9.4 RPG in MAAC action, shooting 63.5% from the floor. Otieno has nine double-doubles, including four during MAAC play.
Khaden Bennett has averaged 14.1 PPG in MAAC play. He's scored 10+ points in 7 of 8 league games.
Opponents have shot just 38.5% against QU during league action.

MAAC SUCCESS

The Bobcats are 22-6 in regular season MAAC games over the last two seasons under Head Coach Tom Pecora.

HOME SWEET HOME

Quinnipiac is 19-4 in home games over the last two seasons under Pecora.
The Bobcats have shot 42.8% from the field in home games during 2024-25, and have held opponents to just 37.0% shooting.
QU is +10.7 rebounds per game on average during home contests this year (281-206 total advantage).

NEWS & NOTES

Preseason MAAC Player of the Year Amarri Monroe leads QU in scoring (15.5 PPG) overall so far this season, and has also recorded 7.5 RPG. Monroe has tallied double-digit scoring totals in 16 of 19 contests. He has 3+ steals in nine separate games, including eight steals against Sacred Heart on 12/8.
Paul Otieno leads the MAAC with nine double-doubles already this season. Otieno has posted 12.8 PPG and 8.9 RPG in 2024-25, shooting 60.0% from the field.
Point guard Savion Lewis is averaging 5.2 assists per game. Last year, Lewis finished fourth nationally with 7.3 APG.
Khaden Bennett has posted 11.4 PPG & 4.4 RPG to date. He's got 10+ points in 12 of his last 14 contests.
First-year guard Jaden Zimmerman has come on strong as of late, averaging 9.8 PPG so far during 2024-25. The Bronx, New York-native has scored 10+ in seven of his last nine outings. He poured in a career-high 16 points at Saint Peter's (1/3).

TOP OF THE LEAGUE

The Bobcats currently rank best in the MAAC in rebounds per game (39.11 RPG), and in blocked shots per game (5.0 BPG).
Big man Paul Otieno leads the league on the individual front in rebounds per game (8.9 RPG), in offensive rebounds per game (4.3), in field goal percentage (60.0%), and in double-doubles (9). He ranks second in the MAAC in blocks (39). Otieno ranks third nationally in offensive rebounds per game.
MAAC Preseason Player of the Year Amarri Monroe ranks atop the league in total steals (50), and he's currently 7^th nationally in that category. Monroe also leads the MAAC in defensive rebounds per game (5.7 DRPG).

SCOUTING RIDER

The Broncs enter at 7-12 overall, and enter action with 3 wins in their last 4 outings.
Rider lost its last time out on Thursday night vs. Iona, 73-67, in Lawrenceville.
Graduate student TJ Weeks Jr. leads the team in scoring (13.1 PPG), while Jay Alvarez (12.7 PPG) and Tariq Ingraham (10.5 PPG) have also posted double-digit scoring averages.
Quinnipiac took the previous meeting this year on Dec. 6, as the Bobcats earned a 72-67 victory on the road in their MAAC opener. Amarri Monroe registered a double-double (20 points, 13 rebounds), and four Bobcats reached double-figure scoring totals in the victory. Doug Young made a driving layup with 1:22 left to give Quinnipiac a two-point lead, then Monroe buried a 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining to help clinch the victory.
The Bobcats have won eight of the last nine meetings against Rider.

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).

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 X/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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