Bobcats Set for Short Road Trip to CCSU - Quinnipiac University Athletics

Sunday, November 15

New Britain, CT

12:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

CCSU

Nate Guerengomba at Michigan State (11/2/26 in East Lansing, MI)

Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com

11/14/2026 7:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: QU Athletic Communications

Quinnipiac (2-2, 0-0 Metro) at CCSU (2-2, 0-0 NEC)
Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026 | 12:00 PM
Detrick Gymnasium | New Britain, CT
Watch on NEC Front Row | Live Stats
Quinnipiac Game Notes

HAMDEN, CT – Quinnipiac men's basketball is set for its fifth game of the 2026-27 season on Sunday, making the short trip to Central Connecticut to continue the non-conference schedule.

LAST TIME OUT: BOBCATS FALL vs. MONMOUTH (11/12/26)

The Quinnipiac men's basketball team dropped a tight 74-70 decision vs. Monmouth on Wednesday evening at M&T Bank Arena.
Nas Hart registered a double-double (10 points, 14 rebounds) for the Bobcats on 5-of-7 shooting. Tayeshawn Cunningham-Pemberton led Quinnipiac with 18 points, while Lucas Sekasi put up 17 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Stefanos Spartalis scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Hawks to a road win.
Quinnipiac built momentum in the first half, pushing its lead to as many as nine points at 29-20 following a pair of free throws by Tai Turnage with 6:27 remaining before the break. Tayeshawn Cunningham-Pemberton paced the Bobcats early, pouring in 11 of his 18 points in the opening stanza, capped by a fast-break dunk that put Quinnipiac up 33-26. However, Monmouth closed the half on a 10-4 run to claw back and take a 37-36 edge into the locker room.
The visitors extended their momentum into the second half, building a game-high nine-point advantage at 55-46 with 10:57 left to play.
The teams traded blows down the stretch. Trailing 72-68 inside the final minute, Lucas Sekasi converted two clutch free throws with 11 seconds left to pull the Bobcats within two at 72-70. After Monmouth answered with a fast-break dunk to seal the outcome, Quinnipiac's final late look from beyond the arc missed as time expired.

SCOUTING CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE

CCSU is 2-2 so far this season. The Blue Devils fell against Temple and Syracuse during the first week of the season, and since then have won two consecutive contests against Dartmouth and Sacred Heart.
Raphel Laurent has paced the Central Connecticut offense so far this season, averaging 18.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest.
Ashton Reynolds has chipped in with 13.3 PPG, while Victor Payne has registered 12.7 PPG.
Patrick Sellers was named the 11th head coach in the history of the CCSU men's basketball program on May 14, 2021. A 1991 graduate of CCSU, he returned to New Britain after previously serving as an assistant coach from 1999-03 when he helped guide the Blue Devils to a pair of NCAA Tournaments. He was named the Jim Phelan Northeast Conference Coach of the Year in both 2024 and 2025.
Quinnipiac is 15-17 against CCSU since 2000. The Bobcats have taken four of the last five matchups.

THE RETURN OF KEITH MCKNIGHT

Sophomore forward Keith McKnight returns following an All-Rookie selection in 2025–26.
McKnight was a unanimous selection for the Preseason All-Metro First Team.
The Teaneck, New Jersey native played in all 32 games as a freshman, averaging 11.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 54.6% from the floor (136–249).

KEITH MCKNIGHT DUNK LANDS AS TOP SPOT ON SPORTSCENTER TOP 10

Keith McKnight threw down a dunk with 7:43 left in the second half of Quinnipiac's win over Bryant on 11/5 that landed as the top spot on SportsCenter Top 10 following the win.

Waking up to @keithmcknight_ on SportsCenter 👀📺 McKnight's dunk earned the top spot on #SCTop10! #BobcatNation x #MetroHoops https://t.co/QPohYVi4z5
— Quinnipiac Men's Basketball (@QU_MBB) November 6, 2026

MEET THE 2026–27 BOBCATS

Returners (7): Keith McKnight, Jayden Reid, Tai Turnage, Nate Guerengomba, Christopher Skenderi, Braylan Ritvo, and Akintola Akinniyi.
Transfers (5): Lucas Sekasi (Gannon), Nas Hart (La Salle), Tayeshawn Cunningham-Pemberton (Assumption), Holden Pierre-Louis (Cleveland State), and Mike Parrotta (St. Thomas Aquinas).
First-Years (3): Malik Fields (Bronx, NY), Ali Diouf (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada), and Nedas Cholevinskas (London, England).

PRESEASON POLLS

Quinnipiac was selected No. 6 overall in the Metro Preseason Coaches' Poll with 109 votes.
The Bobcats were named the preseason favorite in the Blue Ribbon Metro Forecast, while Keith McKnight was named Blue Ribbon's Preseason Player of the Year.

THE NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
Quinnipiac's non-league schedule features 11 games, including five home matchups at M&T Bank Arena:

Nov. 2: at #6 Michigan State (L, 59–96)
Nov. 5: vs. Bryant (Home Opener / America East – Metro Challenge)
Nov. 8: at Vermont (America East – Metro Challenge)
Nov. 12: vs. Monmouth
Nov. 15: at Central Connecticut State
Nov. 19: vs. Maine
Nov. 24: vs. Emerson
Nov. 29: at Yale (Battle of Whitney Ave)
Dec. 12: vs. Hofstra
Dec. 19: at UCLA
Dec. 21: at Pepperdine

CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF QUINNIPIAC MEN'S BASKETBALL

The Quinnipiac University Men's Basketball program has officially launched its 75th Year Celebration campaign, marking a milestone anniversary for the university's inaugural varsity athletic program.
Since its inaugural season in 1951–52, the varsity men's basketball team has served as an integral cornerstone of the Quinnipiac and Hamden communities. Over its 75-year history, the program has earned 1,053 overall wins, including 420 victories since making the transition to the NCAA Division I level in the 1998–99 season.
The season-long golden anniversary celebration will feature events, promotions, and interactive initiatives designed to honor every era of Bobcats basketball.
Alumni Day: The Bobcats will welcome back all former student-athletes to Hamden on Feb. 21, 2027, for Alumni Day as QU takes on Mount St. Mary's.
Social Media Campaign & Fan Giveaways: A dedicated season-long campaign will spotlight iconic moments, players, and teams from the past 75 years on social media using the hashtag #QUMBB75. Fans and alumni of all ages can look forward to exclusive anniversary giveaways throughout the season.

HEAD COACH TOM PECORA

Tom Pecora will enter his fourth season as Head Coach at Quinnipiac University in 2026–27. Pecora – a veteran with 17 years of experience as a head coach at the Division I level – has guided the Bobcats to a 65–38 overall record during his first three years at the helm of the program.
He captured back-to-back league Coach of the Year awards after leading Quinnipiac to two consecutive regular season championships in 2023–24 and 2024–25.
Pecora just completed his ninth 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 has guided his teams to a 326–294 record during his career as a collegiate Head Coach (HC stops at SUNY Farmingdale, Hofstra, Fordham, and Quinnipiac).
He reached 300 total wins on Feb. 14, 2025, after helping lead the Bobcats to a win over Sacred Heart on ESPNU. Quinnipiac has won 149 total games during Pecora's time on staff (since 2017).
Pecora 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).
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).

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.