QU Plays Host to Rider Sunday in Hamden

Sunday, December 7

Hamden, CT

2:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Rider

Tickets From $15 - $24

Spence Wewe vs. Stonehill (11/30/25 in Hamden, CT)

Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com

12/6/2025 8:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Bobcats & Broncs Battle at 2:00 PM on ESPN+

By: QU Athletic Communications

Quinnipiac (6-3, 1-0 MAAC) vs. Rider (1-6, 0-1 MAAC)
Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025 | 2:00 PM
M&T Bank Arena | Hamden, CT
Quinnipiac Game Notes

Tickets: Click Here
Watch: ESPN+
Watch: INTL
Live Stats: Click Here
In-Game Updates: @QU_MBB on X/Instagram

HAMDEN, Conn. – Quinnipiac men's basketball is set for its first home MAAC contest of the 2025-26 season on Sunday, as the Bobcats play host to Rider at M&T Bank Arena.

The Bobcats have won five of their last six contests entering play, including a statement victory in the MAAC opener on Friday night in New Rochelle.

LAST TIME OUT: STRONG SECOND HALF LEADS QU PAST IONA (12/5)

Quinnipiac men's basketball began MAAC play with a statement victory on Friday night, as the Bobcats battled to a 89-68 win over Iona at Hynes Athletics Center.
Quinnipiac outscored Iona 53-34 during the second half of action. The Bobcats shot 22-of-37 (59.5%) over the final 20 minutes.
48 rebounds and 23 assists are both season-best marks for the Bobcats against Division I opponents.
Jaden Zimmerman led the Bobcats with 19 points. The sophomore guard also grabbed six rebounds in the win.
Grant Randall registered his first double-double of the year in the victory, posting 13 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
Six different Bobcats registered double-digit point totals: Jaden Zimmerman (19), Grant Randall (13), Asim Jones (13), Amarri Monroe (11), Nate Guerengomba (11) and Keith McKnight (10).

IMPRESSIVE SHOWING AT THE LEGENDS CLASSIC

Quinnipiac is on the heels of a pair of impressive performances against power conference teams during November in the 2025 Legends Classic.

The Bobcats first earned a victory over ACC foe Pitt on Sunday, Nov. 23 at Petersen Events Center. Monroe registered 25 points, leading Quinnipiac past Pitt by the final score of 83-75. The victory is Quinnipiac's first-ever win over an ACC opponent. The Bobcats earn their first Power 5 win since Dec. 21, 2014, when Quinnipiac defeated Pac-12 foe Oregon State in Hamden. The Bobcat shot 28-of-49 in total (57.1%), and 11-of-17 from 3-point range (64.7%). QU outscored Pitt 47-37 in the first half of action, then held on for a big road win. Amarri Monroe finished with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He registered 15 points during the second half of action. Grant Randall chipped in with 15 points and five rebounds. All 9 Bobcats that checked into the game got into the scoring column.
Quinnipiac then battled to the finish on Tuesday night at Addition Financial Arena, falling by the final score of 102-91 against Big 12 foe UCF. The Bobcats led 52-47 at halftime after shooting 16-of-28 (57.1%) over the first 20 minutes. Quinnipiac raced out to an early lead after knocking down eight triples in the first half. Jaden Zimmerman led the way with 26 points for QU. He drew eight fouls during the contest and went 14-of-16 from the free throw line. Samson Reilly continued his hot shooting stretch, registering 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. He made three triples in the first half, then buried two more in the second half.

SCOUTING RIDER

The Broncs are 1-6 overall this year. Rider most recently dropped the MAAC opener at Merrimack, 68-66, on Thursday night in North Andover.
Two-time MAAC Coach of the Year Kevin Baggett returns for his 14th season as the Rider University head basketball coach. The 2025-26 season is the 20th for Baggett as a member of the Rider staff, serving two as an assistant coach and four as an associate head coach. In the last 19 years, Rider has compiled 317 wins, second-most in the MAAC behind only Iona (355).
Flash Burton (11.4 PPG) and Zion Cruz (11.1 PPG) lead Rider so far in scoring.
Rider has grabbed 14.29 offensive rebounds per contest, which leads all MAAC programs.
Quinnipiac is 14-12 against Iona since the Bobcats joined the MAAC in 2013-14. QU has taken 12 of the last 14 contests, and the Bobcats won all three matchups against the Broncs last season (including MAAC quarterfinals).

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST

Samson Reilly leads the entire nation in 3-point shooting percentage (65.8%). The redshirt first-year guard is 25-of-38 from distance so far this season for Quinnipiac.
Tai Turnage ranks second in the country in assist/turnover ratio (+8.67)
Amarri Monroe has registered 3.13 steals per game so far this season, a number that ranks No. 6 in the entire nation and leads all MAAC players. Monroe is up to 169 career steals, climbing Quinnipiac's career leaderboard. He is chasing Kason Mims ('04, 189 steals) for the Bobcats' Division I career record. QU's all-time record belongs to Boyd Johnson ('91, 232 steals).
QU also leads all MAAC teams in fastbreak points per game (15.00 PPG), a number that checks in at No. 67 nationally.
The Bobcats lead the MAAC in blocks per game (5.0 BPG).

MONROE RETURNS TO HAMDEN

Reigning MAAC Player of the Year Amarri Monroe returns to Hamden for his senior season. He is the Preseason MAAC Player of the Year for the second season in a row, and was a unanimous selection for the Preseason All-MAAC First Team.
Monroe paced Quinnipiac during 2024-25, averaging 18.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game – all of which led the team.
The Newburgh, New York-native impressed in conference play, averaging a double-double (19.8 PPG & 10.5 RPG) over 19 MAAC contests.
He finished 2024-25 as the MAAC leader in rebounds per game (9.1), offensive rebounds per game (6.9), and double-doubles (14).
Monroe has averaged 15.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.1 steals, and 2.2 assists per contest so far in 2025-26.

ZIMMERMAN ALSO BACK FOR THE BOBCATS

Fellow Preseason All-MAAC honoree Jaden Zimmerman returns to Quinnipiac for his sophomore season. The guard was chosen to the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team.
Zimmerman posted 11.0 PPG & 2.1 RPG over 33 contests during his first season with the Bobcats, earning a spot on the 2024-25 MAAC All-Rookie Team.
Zimmerman registered 20 different games with 10+ points in 2024-25.
In 2025-26, the sophomore guard leads QU in scoring with 16.8 points per game. He has led the Bobcats in scoring in three straight contests entering play.

YEAR 2 for GRANT RANDALL

Grant Randall is also back for the Bobcats for his sophomore campaign.
Randall is averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest so far during his sophomore campaign. He posted his first collegiate double-double in the Bobcats win over Iona on Friday night.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT FROM KEITH MCKNIGHT

Keith McKnight paced the Bobcats during his collegiate debut on Nov. 3 at St. John's, pouring in 19 points via 7-of-11 shooting. The first-year Bobcat grabbed three rebounds and added two steals over 22 minutes.
McKnight is averaging 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest through his first nine collegiate contests. He's shooting 59.4% from the floor.

EMERGENCE OF ASIM

Asim Jones is averaging 8.7 points and 4.0 assists per game during his first season with the Bobcats. He has 31 points over Quinnipiac's last two games.

PRESEASON MAAC FAVORITES

For the second straight season, Quinnipiac has been voted as the favorite in the MAAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bobcats earned 158 total points and eight first place votes in the poll.
This marks the second time in program history that the Bobcats have been selected as the preseason favorites, after also being picked first in the preseason poll last year.

BACK-TO-BACK MAAC REGULAR SEASON TITLES

The Bobcats are on the heels of a record-breaking two-year stretch, where Quinnipiac posted two consecutive 20-win seasons during Tom Pecora's first two years at the helm.
The Bobcats went 24-10 in 2023-24, then posted a 20-13 mark last season.
QU captured the league's regular season title during both seasons, posting a 15-5 MAAC record in both 2023-24 & 2024-25.
The Bobcats advanced to the semifinal round of the MAAC Tournament in both years.

THE 2025-26 BOBCATS

The Bobcats return eight players in total: Amarri Monroe, Grant Randall, Ronell Giles Jr., Samson Reilly, Spence Wewe, Braylan Ritvo, Jaden Zimmerman and Akintola Akinniyi.
Quinnipiac has seven total newcomers – a pair of transfers (Asim Jones & Nate Guerengomba), and five other true first-year players (Jayden Reid, Tai Turnage, Christopher Skenderi, Keith Mcknight & Sam Nosakhare.
The Bobcats have 10 players that are 6-foot-5 or taller.

HEAD COACH TOM PECORA

Tom Pecora will enter his third season as Head Coach at Quinnipiac University in 2025-26.
Pecora – a veteran with 17 years of experience as a head coach at the Division I level – has won back-to-back MAAC Coach of the Year awards after leading Quinnipiac to two consecutive regular season titles in 2023-24 and 2024-25. The Bobcats went 15-5 in league play during Pecora's first season at the helm in 2023-24, then followed up with another 15-5 MAAC record in 2024-25. Pecora has more wins (30) over his first two seasons than any men's basketball head coach in the history of the MAAC.
Pecora just completed his eighth 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.
He has guided his teams to 310-282 record as a collegiate Head Coach (stops at SUNY Farmingdale, Hofstra, Fordham, and Quinnipiac).
Pecora reached 300 total wins on Feb. 14, 2025 after helping lead the Bobcats to a win over Sacred Heart on ESPNU. Quinnipiac has won 130 total games during Pecora's time on staff (since 2017), tallying double-digit win totals in seven of eight seasons.
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.
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.
He has coached NBA players at his previous two stops as head coach – Speedy Claxton, Norman Richardson, and Charles Jenkins (at Hofstra), and Eric Paschall (at Fordham).

THE NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Quinnipiac's non-conference slate features a trip to St. John's – a consensus preseason Top 5 team – to open the season (Nov. 3), and two games over a three-day span at the end of November at Pitt (Nov. 23) and at Central Florida (Nov. 25).
The Bobcats have five home dates on the non-conference schedule in total.
Following the season-opening trip to Queens, Quinnipiac will return to Hamden for a pair of home contests against in-state foes Central Connecticut (Nov. 6) and Yale (Nov. 11).
The Bobcats will then head to Maine (Nov. 16) to square off with the Black Bears for the second consecutive season, followed by another home contest against City College of New York (Nov. 19).
Next up, QU heads on its road trip to ACC foe Pittsburgh (Nov. 23) and to Big 12 opponent Central Florida (Nov. 25). The Bobcats close out the month of November at home (Nov. 30) vs. Stonehill at M&T Bank Arena.
Quinnipiac's final home game of the non-conference schedule comes against UMass Lowell (Dec. 13).
The Bobcats then head to former MAAC foe Monmouth (Dec. 17) and to Hofstra (Dec. 21) to wrap up the non-MAAC slate.

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.