Men's Basketball Looks For Sixth Straight Win Thursday Against Bryant

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (11-6, 5-1 NEC) vs.
Bryant University Bulldogs (0-18, 0-6 NEC)
Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010 - 7:30 p.m.
TD Bank Sports Center - Hamden, Conn.

Bobcats Look For Season Sweep Against Bryant Thursday
The Quinnipiac University men's basketball team looks to stay hot when it plays host to Bryant, Thursday night at the TD Bank Sports Center. The Bobcats are coming off five straight wins, including an 80-66 victory at Bryant. The Bulldogs are 0-18 this season, including an 0-6 mark in the NEC. Quinnipiac owns a 38-16 advantage in the all-time series, though Bryant has won seven of the last nine meetings, including a season sweep last year.

Scouting the Bryant Bulldogs
The Bulldogs are playing without leading scorer Cecil Gresham (14.5 ppg), who was lost for the season with a leg injury. The Bulldogs' next-leading scorer is freshman post player Vladyslav Kondratyev at 7.4 points per game. Junior walk on Mike Choney's 4.5 rebounds and Papa Lo's 1.9 blocks per game are team highs. Chris Birrell's 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game lead Bryant.

Last Time Against Bryant
James Feldeine scored 24 points, while James Johnson (16) and Jeremy Baker (11) also finished in double figures as the Bobcats defeated Bryant, 80-66, Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center. QU committed just seven turnovers, its third consecutive game with fewer than 10. The win was the Bobcats' fifth straight and QU tied its best start at Division I and in the NEC.

On The Air
Thursday's game will be broadcast live on AM 1220 WQUN. The voice of the Bobcats, Bill Schweizer, will have the play-by-play call, while Bill Mecca and Bob Tipson will provide color commentary. The game can also be seen live on Bobcat Channel, the web streaming arm of the official Quinnipiac Athletics website. Live stats will also be available through www.quinnipiacbobcats.com. To access live audio, video and stats, please click on the appropriate links on the men's basketball schedule on www.quinnipiacbobcats.com.

Feldeine Reaches 1,000 Career Points, Climbs Charts
With 17 points Jan. 7 against Mount St. Mary's, James Feldeine became the 33rd player in Quinnipiac history and the seventh in the program's Division I history to reach 1,000 career points. Making the feat more impressive is that Feldeine scored just seven points in his freshman season of 2006-07. He currently ranks 26th in program history at 1,086 points, having passed DeMario Anderson '07 (1,063) and Franklin Johnson (1,077) last time out at Bryant.

Rutty Grabs Quinnipiac Division I Rebound Record
With 11 rebounds against Wagner, Justin Rutty took over the Quinnipiac Division I Rebound lead from Bill Romano '02 (580). Rutty currently has 615 career rebounds while in just his junior season. Rutty previously passed C.J. Vick '05 (577), Kason Mims '04 (548) and Jeremy Bishop '03 (547).

QU In the RPI
According to www.kenpom.com, the Bobcats are the top NEC team in the RPI (ratings percentage index). QU is ranked No. 158, with the next-closest team being Mount St. Mary's at No. 204.

C-T State of Mind
Quinnipiac is 9-0 in games played in Connecticut, including a 6-0 mark at the TD Bank Sports Center. The 6-0 start at home is the best in QU Division I history. Ironically, Quinnipiac has started three of the last four decades with at least six straight home victories. Quinnipiac started the 90's 8-0 at home in 1990-91 and the 80's 7-0 in 1980-81.

Historic Start
At 11-6 overall and 5-1 in the Northeast Conference, the Bobcats have tied for the best start in program Division I history. Quinnipiac was exactly 11-6 and 5-1 in the NEC through 17 games of the 1999-2000 season, before falling in its 18th game. A win Thursday would give the Bobcats' their best 18-game start to a season and six-game start in to the NEC slate in QU Division I history.

Taking Care of the Ball
The Bobcats have committed just 22 turnovers in the last three games, including no more than nine turnovers in any of the three. By contrast, QU has dished out 47 assists, good for a 2.14 assist-to-turnover ratio. The three-game stretch without committing 10 turnovers in any game is a first in QU Division I history and the 22 turnovers are the fewest in a three-game stretch. In Tom Moore's two and a half years at QU, the Bobcats have had nine single-digit turnover games. In the prior nine seasons at D-I, QU had seven.

On the Rebound
Quinnipiac has outrebounded each of its opponents this year, and owns a +9.9 rebounding margin, good for fourth in the nation.

Bobcats, Rutty On NCAA Rebound Charts
Led by Justin Rutty's 10.4 rebounds per game (14th-NCAA), the Bobcats rank 17th in the nation in rebounds per game (40.9 rpg.).

Feldeine Honored Twice
James Feldeine was named the Connecticut 6 and Northeast Conference Player of the Week, Jan. 18, after leading the Bobcats to three wins the week prior. Feldeine averaged 18.3 points while shooting 60.0 percent (21-35) from the floor, including 61.5 percent (8-13) from long range in wins against Brown, CCSU and Bryant.

Thrivin' Twyman
Deontay Twyman scored in double-digits in three straight games after scoring 10 or more just twice in his first 13 games with the Bobcats. While the streak was broken with an eight-point performance, Twyman has gone the last three games without committing a turnover while dishing out 11 assists.

Seeking Perfection
21 of the Bobcats' season-high 28 made free throws came from five players who were perfect on the day from the charity stripe. Jeremy Baker led the group with a 7-for-7 performance, while James Johnson (4-4), James Feldeine (4-4), Deontay Twyman (4-4) and Ryan Bogdan (2-2) were also perfect from the line.

Sitting on Top of the NEC Stats
Quinnipiac ranks first in the NEC in 10 of 19 statistical categories and second in another. The Bobcats are first in scoring defense (64.4), scoring margin (+6.9), field-goal percentage (.454), field-goal percentage defense (.406), rebounding offense (40.9), rebounding defense (31.0), rebound margin (+9.9), offensive rebounding (14.71), defensive rebounding (26.18) and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.91). QU ranks second in scoring offense (71.3).

Making More Than They Miss
The Bobcats have shot over 50 percent in four of the last seven games, including the three straight against Wagner, Brown and CCSU. Quinnipiac shot a season-high 57.7 percent against Dartmouth, before shooting 52.9 percent against Wagner, 54.9 percent against Brown, and 52.6 percent at CCSU.

The Q Can Play D, Too
The Bobcats held Central Connecticut to 29.2 percent (14-48) from the floor, Jan. 14 in New Britain. It was the Bobcats' first sub-30 percent field-goal percentage defensive performance since Jan. 15, 2009, when QU held St. Francis (N.Y.) to a program Division I best 25.4 percent.

Dutch Boys
The Bobcats outscored Brown in the paint, 58-16, Jan. 11 at the TD Bank Sports Center.

En Fuego From Three
Quinnipiac shot a season-high 63.6 percent (7-11) from long range, Jan. 14, at CCSU, easily besting their previous best on the season, a 44.4 percent (4-9) showing, Jan. 9, against Wagner.

Bedeviling Performance
Quinnipiac easily scored its largest margin of victory against Central Connecticut, Jan. 14, defeating the Blue Devils by 31 points. The previous mark was set during the 1961-62 season, when Quinnipiac defeated CCSU by 16 points.

Johnson & Johnson No Turnover Solution
The Bobcats committed a season and Division-I-low six turnovers against Brown, spearheaded by point guards Dave and James Johnson, along with Deontay Twyman. The trio accounted for 13 assists to just one turnover against the Bears. The Bobcats followed with a strong performance with the basketball against CCSU, committing just nine turnovers. Twyman had five assists without committing a turnover. The trio was once again successful at Bryant, dishing out eight assists and committing just three of Quinnipiac's seven turnovers.

30-Plus
Quinnipiac outscored an opponent by 30-plus points for the first time in the Tom Moore era, Jan. 14, at CCSU. The 76-45 victory was the first 30-point win for QU since Nov. 22, 2006, when the Bobcats beat Division II Concordia (N.Y.), 106-57, at the Burt Kahn Court.

JB On TV
Three of Jeremy Baker's highest point outputs have come on TV. He scored 22 at Vermont, 15 against Dartmouth and 14 at CCSU.

Quinnipiac, Rutty Grab Top Rankings
The Bobcats are ranked 13th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (14.94). Individually, Justin Rutty ranks sixth nationally at 4.4 offensive boards per game, a year after finishing second in the nation behind only Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair (5.6 oreb/game) with 4.6 offensive caroms per game.

If At First You Don't Succeed...
42.1 percent of the Bobcats' rebounds have come on the offensive end, sixth-most in the NCAA this year.

On Second Thought...
The Bobcats have held opponents to a lesser field-goal percentage in the second half (39.5 percent) as compared to the first half (41.2 percent) through 16 games this season. Included in the mark is a stretch of two second halves in which the Bobcats held Maine and Navy to a combined 26.1 percent (12-46) over the 40 second-half minutes. The Bobcats held Columbia to the same 26.1 percent (6-23), Dec. 23.

Free 'n' Easy
QU recorded its second-best performance from the free-throw line, connecting at an 80.8 percent (21-26) clip, Jan. 7, against Mount St. Mary's. Included in the mark was a 4-for-5 performance from Justin Rutty, a career 42.8 percent free-throw shooter. Rutty's two free throws with QU leading by two with five seconds left made it a two-possession game. The two free throws proved necessary as the Mount's Jeremy Goode hit a three at the buzzer as QU won by one. The Bobcats then made 20 more free throws against Wagner, Jan. 9.

Johnson & Johnson - 14 & 14
Dave and James Johnson had more than their last name in common, Jan. 2, at Monmouth. The duo each scored 14 points, a career-high for Dave.

Shooting Lights Out
The Bobcats shot a season-high 57.7 percent (30-52) against Dartmouth, Dec. 30, besting their previous best of 55.4 percent, Dec. 8, at Rhode Island.

Rebounding Dominance
The Bobcats outrebounded an opponent by 20 or more rebounds for the second time this season, Dec. 30, against Dartmouth. Quinnipiac took a 42-22 advantage on the boards against the Big Green after taking a 23-rebound advantage against Yale, Nov. 21, in New Haven.

Bench Warming Up
The Bobcats got a season-high 23 points from their bench players, Dec. 23, against Columbia. Dave Johnson led the way, tying his career-high with 10 points. Jamee Jackson contributed seven points and Deontay Twyman added six.

Lion Tamers
The Bobcats held Columbia to just 26.1 percent shooting in the second half, Dec. 23. Quinnipiac ran away with the victory, outscoring the Lions, 15-1, during a span of 5:53 in the decisive stanza.

Action Jackson
Jamee Jackson had seven points and eight rebounds, including a career-high seven offensive rebounds, Dec. 23, against Columbia.

Feldeine Seeing 20-20-20-20-20
James Feldeine scored at least 20 points in five straight games against Navy, Massachusetts, Fairleigh Dickinson, Rhode Island and Vermont. He averaged 23.0 points in the span.

3 Straight With 20-Plus For 2
The Bobcats had two players score at least 20 points in each of three straight games, Dec. 5, 8, and 13. James Feldeine and Justin Rutty accomplished the feat against Fairleigh Dickinson and Rhode Island. Meanwhile, Jeremy Baker scored 22 points and Feldeine added 21 at Vermont. Rutty scored 23 and 30 points against FDU and Rhode Island, respectively, while Feldeine had 22 and 28.

Rutty, Feldeine Scoring Explosion
Justin Rutty (30 points) and James Feldeine (28 points) both ranked in the top five in the nation in single-game scoring, Dec. 8, at Rhode Island. Rutty ranked second, while Feldeine ranked fifth.

Rutty Atop ESPN Nightly Rankings
Justin Rutty ranked as the most productive player in the nation, Dec. 8, as decided by the ESPN Rating. The ESPN Rating weighs points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, turnovers, field goals, three-point field goals and free throws. Rutty scored 30 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and made four steals.

Dynamic Duo
Justin Rutty and James Feldeine combined for 58 points, Dec. 8, at Rhode Island. The 58 points between two players are the third-most by Bobcats teammates in QU Division I history. Rob Monroe (41) and Karl Anderson (20) combined for 61 points against Division II Longwood, Jan. 2, 2005, while Monroe (32) and Craig Benson (27) scored 59 combined points, Dec. 4, 2004, at Robert Morris.

Give a Dime, Take a Dime
The Bobcats tied their season-high with 17 assists, Dec. 5, against Fairleigh Dickinson.

Small Man, Big Game
Dave Johnson had a breakout performance against Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 5, establishing new career highs in points (10), assists (6) and steals (3).

Bobcats Sign Two For 2010-11
Quinnipiac Head Coach Tom Moore has announced the signings of Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) and Dominique Langston (Bridgeport, Conn.) to National Letters of Intent. Azotam is a 6-foot-7 forward currently enrolled at Marianapolis Prep in Thompson, Conn., for a post-graduate year. Langston, a 6-foot-3 guard also opted for a post-grad year, and is attending St. Thomas Moore in Oakdale, Conn.

Bobcats In NEC Openers
With a win Dec. 5 against Fairleigh Dickinson, Quinnipiac improved to 7-5 in Northeast Conference openers, including a 3-0 mark under Head Coach Tom Moore.

Grabbing A New High Again
The Bobcats shattered their previous record of 24 offensive rebounds in a single game at the Division I level with 28 offensive caroms at UMass on Dec. 2. Quinnipiac's previous high of 24 was accomplished just three games earlier at Yale on Nov. 21. Justin Rutty was monumental in both efforts, grabbing 10 offensive boards at Yale and nine at UMass.

10 Great Minutes
The Bobcats held Navy without a field goal for a stretch of 10:29 in the second half, Nov. 30. The Midshipmen managed eight points, all on free throws, in the span.

Fordham Elevates Grasso To Head Coach
Jared Grasso '02 has been elevated to Interim Head Coach at Fordham University after more than three years as an assistant coach at the school. Grasso, who played for four years at QU (1998-02) and served as an assistant coach during the 2005-06 season, is fifth on the Quinnipiac Division I career scoring list with 1,134 points. His name is stamped all over the QU Division I record book. In addition to his scoring record, he's second in three-point field goals (216), third in assists (404) and three-point field goal percentage (39.4%) and fourth in free throws made (233).

Getting Defensive
The Bobcats held Maine to just 30.6 percent (19-62) shooting on Nov. 24, including just 25.9 percent (7-27) in the second half. The Black Bears converted just two of 16 three-point attempts (12.5 percent).

Bo Knows Offense
James Johnson scored 16 points, including 4-for-6 shooting from long range, at Maine. The output was just one point off his previous career high of 17 points, scored twice last season.

Feldeine Gets Fifth
James Feldeine compiled his fifth career double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds at Lehigh, Nov. 18.

Rutty Named NEC, CT 6 Player of the Week
For his average of 21.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in the Bobcats' 1-1 week, Justin Rutty was named both the Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week and the Connecticut 6 Player of the Week. Rutty scored 19 points and added eight rebounds in a loss at Lehigh, before exploding for 23 points and 14 rebounds, 10 on the offensive glass, at Yale.

Downright Offensive
Justin Rutty scored 23 points and grabbed 10 of his 14 rebounds on the offensive glass in the Bobcats' Nov. 21 victory over local rival Yale.

Rebounding First
Led by Justin Rutty's 10 offensive rebounds, the Bobcats grabbed 24 offensive rebounds at Yale.

Clutch Free-Throw Shooting
With Yale closing quickly on QU's lead down the stretch on Nov. 21 in New Haven, James Johnson and James Feldeine stepped to the charity stripe and combined to go 10-for-10 in the final minute and a half of play.

QU Picked Second In CT6 Poll
Quinnipiac was picked second in the Preseason Connecticut 6 Coaches' Poll. Fairfield claimed the top spot, while Sacred Heart immediately followed the Bobcats in third. Central Connecticut, Yale and Hartford rounded out the poll.

Rutty Picked To Preseason CT6 Team
Justin Rutty was selected as Quinnipiac's representative on the Preseason Connecticut 6 Team. Joining Rutty were CCSU's Shemik Thompson, Fairfield's Anthony Johnson, Hartford's Joe Zeglinski, Sacred Heart's Corey Hassan and Yale's Alex Zampier.

Bobcats 3rd In NEC Coaches' Poll
The Northeast Conference's coaches selected the Bobcats to finish tied for third in the league this season. Mount St. Mary's claimed the top spot, followed by Long Island. Robert Morris was selected to tie QU for third, while Central Connecticut ranked fifth. Sacred Heart, St. Francis (N.Y.), Fairleigh Dickinson, Monmouth, Wagner, Bryant and Saint Francis (Pa.) rounded out the poll.

Johnson's Elite Company
James Johnson became just the eighth freshman in QU Division I history to start his collegiate debut, and started all 31 of Quinnipiac's games, joining just 19 other freshmen in the nation to start every game their team played in 2008-09. With the start in each of this season's contests, Johnson has stretched the streak to his first 48 games as a Bobcat. Each player to start his first game and complete four years with the Bobcats has scored over 1,000 points. Rob Monroe, Bill Romano and Jared Grasso started their first games and rank first, second and fifth, respectively, on the Bobcats D-I scoring list. Johnson joined teammates Justin Rutty and Evann Baker as current players who started their debuts.

Saying "No" To Joe
The Quinnipiac defense once again clamped down on Hartford's Joe Zeglinski, one of the most potent scorers in the America East Conference. After scoring 12 points in the first half of this year's meeting, aided by a 30-foot desperation heave off glass that fell at the halftime buzzer, the Bobcats didn't allow Zeglinski another point in the second half. The Bobcats held the 2007-08 First-Team All-America East selection to just two points on 1-for-10 shooting on Nov. 14, 2008. Zeglinski's career scoring average was 14.6 points entering the contest. He had reached double-figures in 34 of his prior 37 games. The output tied Zeglinski's career low, set during his freshman season, Feb. 3, 2007, at Boston University.

Moore of the Same
Head Coach Tom Moore has won the season opener in each of his three years at QU, all coming against Hartford. Prior to Moore's arrival to Hamden, no Quinnipiac team had won its first game of the season during the school's Division I era. Teams that have had Moore serving on the coaching staff have won 10 consecutive season openers. The last time one of Moore's teams didn't win its first game was Nov. 11, 1999, when defending National Champion and top-ranked UConn was upset by Iowa in the Coaches vs. Cancer IKON Classic. None of Quinnipiac's other five coaches all-time won their first three season openers, and only Burt Kahn won three straight at any point. Kahn won three straight three times, including six straight from 1967-68 through 1972-73.

On Deck
The Bobcats face Central Connecticut in a game televised on NESN, Sunday afternoon at the TD Bank Sports Center. Opening tip is scheduled for 12 p.m.