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

Quinnipiac Men’s Basketball is scheduled to begin MAAC play Friday night as the Bobcats travel to Rider for a 7 p.m. 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 posted 5.8 RPG and 2.6 SPG. Monroe has posted double-digit scores 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 graduate great has three consecutive double-doubles for QU and four so far in the 2024-25 season.
• Point guard Savion Lewis Leads all MAAC players with 5.8 assists per game. Last year, Lewis ranked fourth nationally with an APG of 7.3.
• 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: BOBCAT’S CASH AT STONEHILL (12/1)

• Quinnipiac fell 88-74 at Merkert Gymnasium at Stonehill on Sunday night.
• Paul Otieno recorded his fourth double-double of the season for the Bobcats. Otieno led QU with 17 points and 10 rebounds (seven offensive boards) and was 7 of 9 from the field in more than 36 minutes.
• Khaden Bennett added 17 points while Doug Young contributed 16 points off the bench.

Scouting driver

• The Broncs come into the game with an overall score of 4-5. Rider fell 78-75 in the MAAC opener on Wednesday in Fairfield.
• TJ Weeks Jr. is averaging 13.4 PPG and 5.2 RPG this year, leading the way for Rider. Tariq Ingraham (10.9 PPG, 6.6 RPG) and Jay Alvarez (10.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG) also posted double-digit scoring averages.
• 13th year head coach Kevin Baggett‘s teams have compiled a record of 196-188 at Rider. Baggett was named MAAC Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2018.
• Quinnipiac has won seven of the last eight meetings against Rider, although the Broncs won the last game in New Jersey on February 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 was voted the preseason favorite in the 2024-25 MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll, the league office announced on October 8, 2024.
• Quinnipiac scored a total of 166 points (11 first-place votes) in the preseason coaches poll. It is the first time QU has been voted the MAAC preseason favorite. The reigning MAAC regular season champions posted a 15-5 record in league play (24-10 overall) under head coach last season. Tom Pecora. The Bobcats secured a spot in the 2024 RO College Basketball Invitational (CBI) after setting a program record for overall wins.

QU RETURNS PRE-SEASON ALL-MAAC TRIO

• A total of three Bobcats (Amarri Monroe, Savion Lewis, Paul Otieno) received recognition before the season. Monroe and Lewis are Preseason All-MAAC First Team selections while being big men 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 and filled the stat sheet with 12.9 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG. He scored 14.4 PPG and 7.2 RPG in MAAC play. Monroe was the only player to finish in the league’s top five in rebounds, blocks and steals. He scored more than 10 points 25 times and recorded five separate double-doubles.
• Savion Lewis finished the 2023-24 campaign averaging 8.1 PPG, 7.3 APG and 3.2 RPG for the Bobcats. He ranked second nationally in total assists (248). Lewis recorded 5+ assists 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 and 6.9 RPG, starting in all 34 contests for the Bobcats. He recorded four double-doubles a season ago.

VETERAN GROUP

6 NEW PRODUCTS

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

IMMEDIATE EFFECT

• Both Jaden Zimmerman And Grant Randall made an immediate impact in their first college season.
• Zimmerman is averaging 8.4 PPG in four contests and shooting 42.0% from the floor. The guard has scored double-digit points in three of eight games.
• Grant Randall contributed with 2.7 PPG and 3.4 RPG off the bench. Randall posted the highest score of his career at Quinnipiac’s final competition in Saint Louis.

BENCHMARK SEASON 2023-24

• The Bobcats finished the benchmark campaign with a total of 24 wins (a new program record).
• Quinnipiac won its first-ever MAAC regular season title under the first-year head coach Tom Pecora.
• QU also set a new program mark for total points scored in a single season (2,630).
• The Bobcats’ 19-4 start through their first 23 games marked the program’s best start to the year since the 1965-66 season.
• Quinnipiac won 10 straight games from January 5th to February 8th.
• 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 head coaching experience at the Division I level – just completed his first season as head coach at Quinnipiac University in 2023-24. Pecora just completed his seventh season with the Bobcats (previously serving 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-setting 2023-24 season in his first year at the helm, ultimately earning MAAC Coach of the Year honors after leading the Bobcats to the top of 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 win the program’s first MAAC regular season championship. The Bobcats set a new program record for total points (2,630) under Pecora. Quinnipiac defeated every MAAC opponent at least once.
• Prior to Quinnipiac, Pecora was the head coach at Hofstra for nine years (2001-2010) and at Fordham for five seasons (2010-15). He also served as assistant head coach under Jay Wright for seven seasons before taking the head job at Hofstra. The last two seasons resulted in America East Conference titles and NCAA Tournament berths.
• Pecora was the head coach at Hofstra for nine years (2001-2010) and at Fordham for five seasons (2010-15). Before taking the head coaching position at Hofstra, Pecora served as associate head coach under Jay Wright for seven seasons, with the last two seasons resulting in America East Conference titles and NCAA Tournament berths.
• As head coach at Hofstra, Pecora posted a 155-126 record in nine seasons and led the Pride to four postseason appearances (three NIT and one CBI), the most for a New York team in that nine-year span. In 16 years at Hofstra with Pecora on the team (nine as head coach, seven as assistant), the Pride averaged 19 wins per season (246-161).
• During his time in Hempstead, Hofstra was the most successful program in the New York metropolitan area. In his final six years, Hofstra won 121 games, including four 20-win seasons. He was named Coach of the Year by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) in 2006 and 2009 and also received Regional Coach of the Year awards from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY ).
• Before coming to Hofstra, Pecora had previous experience leading a program and was head basketball coach at the State University of New York at Farmingdale from 1989 to 1992. In three seasons in Farmingdale, the Rams compiled a 62-24 record, won the 1992 Region 15 championship (when they finished 20-9), advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament and were ranked in the top 20 the country’s junior college programs.

FUTURE BOBCATS

• Quinnipiac Men’s Basketball has announced the addition of three players during the early signing period, the head coach announced Tom Pecora and the Bobcats on Wednesday, November 13, 2024. Keith Mcknight (Teaneck, NJ), Jayden Reid (Cheshire, Conn.) and Lateef Patrick (Milton, Mass.) will join the reigning MAAC regular season champions ahead of the 2025 season -26.
• Full press release: CLICK HERE

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