Men's Basketball Looks For Fifth Straight Win At Boston University Wednesday

Bobcats Look For 5th Straight At BU
The Quinnipiac University men's basketball team looks for its fifth straight win Wednesday, when it travels to Boston to take on Boston University. The Bobcats are coming off an impressive 88-63 win at Niagara in which James Johnson knocked down seven of Quinnipiac's 12 three-point field goals. Dominique Langston also added his first career double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds. BU defeated St. Joseph's, 85-79, on Dec. 21. Darryl Partin scored 29 points, while John Holland added 19. The Terriers shot 56.3 percent (9-16) from long range in the contest. The Terriers lead the all-time series, 1-0, having taken a 66-60 victory against the Bobcats on Nov. 24, 2000, in Washington, D.C.

Rebounding Dominance
The Bobcats lead the nation in both rebounds per game (45.2) and offensive rebounds per game (18.0), and are fifth nationally in rebound margin (+10.9). Quinnipiac is one of just four teams in the nation ranked in the top 10 in all three categories. Joining the Bobcats in the exclusive club are No. 4 Connecticut, No. 6 Pittsburgh and Old Dominion, which receives votes in the latest Associated Press and Coaches Polls. The Bobcats and Panthers are the only teams in the nation ranked in the top five in all three categories.

Scouting the BU Terriers
The Terriers (5-7) are led by senior wing John Holland, who's averaged a team-high 17.6 points to go along with 5.1 rebounds per game. Junior guard Darryl Partin has added 12.5 points per game, while Jake O'Brien is also in double figures at 11.4 points per game. O'Brien is the Terriers' leading rebounder at 5.7 boards per game, one of four BU players averaging at least 5.0 rebounds per game. The Terriers shoot the three at 37.0 percent.

Last Time Out Against Niagara
The Bobcats used an early 10-0 run to establish a lead and never trailed, coasting to an 88-63 road victory at Niagara, Dec. 22. James Johnson drilled seven of Quinnipiac's season-high 12 three-pointers to total 23 points. Dominique Langston added a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Deontay Twyman established new career highs in points (19), rebounds (7) and assists (7). Justin Rutty also added 12 points and eight rebounds.

Last Time Against BU
Collin Charles had a team-high 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench, but the Bobcats fell to the Terriers, 66-60, Nov. 24, 2000, in the opening round of the Red Auerbach Colonial Classic at the Smith Center in Washington, D.C. Bill Romano also chipped in with 15 points and five rebounds for the Bobcats.

Follow the Bobcats
Wednesday's game can be heard live on AM 1220 WQUN. The voice of the Bobcats, Bill Schweizer, will have the play-by-play call, while Bill Mecca will provide color commentary. A live video webcast will also be provided by the BU athletics website, www.goterriers.com, at a cost of $9.95. Live stats will also be provided free of charge by the BU athletics website.

Bobcats Helping Bobcats
The Bobcats have averaged 20.0 assists per game over the last three, pushing their season average to 16.70 apg., good for 23rd in the nation. Their 1.16 assist-to-turnover ratio is 53rd in the nation.

Starting Off Strong
At 8-2, the Bobcats are off to the best 10-game start to a season in Quinnipiac Division I history, and the second-best all-time for the program. The next-best QU start at Division I is 6-4, accomplished in 2008-09, 2002-03 and 1999-2000. The best start in program history came in 1969-70, when the Braves won 10-of-11 games to begin the year. The 1961-62, 1963-64, 1965-66, and 1972-73 squads also started the season with eight wins in the first 10 games.

Johnson Feelin' It From Long Range
James Johnson extended a red-hot three-point shooting streak with a 7-for-11 performance from beyond the arc at Niagara. The seven three-pointers, most by a Bobcat since Van Crafton '07 knocked down seven, Dec. 7, 2006 at Mount St. Mary's, push Johnson's percentage to 56.7 percent (17-30) over the last four games.

The Rest of the Team Can Knock Down the Three, Too
Led by Johnson's seven trifectas, the Bobcats hit 12 three-pointers, Dec. 22 at Niagara, the most by a Quinnipiac team since the Bobcats knocked down 12 in Tom Moore's debut in Hamden, Nov. 11, 2007, a double-overtime thriller that QU won against Hartford, 85-79.

Have A Day, Tay
Deontay Twyman established new career highs with 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while adding a highlight-reel block at Niagara, sprinting back on defense to prevent a fast-break bucket.

900-Marks Set To Fall At BU
Should they reach their season averages, James Johnson (884 career points) and Justin Rutty (896 career rebounds) will eclipse 900 for their careers in points and rebounds, respectively.

Dom's Double-Double
Dominique Langston had produced double-figure points and rebounds previously in his nine games as a Bobcat, but gave Quinnipiac both in the same game with 10 points and 12 rebounds for his first career double-double at Niagara.

Bo Knows (Insert Statistical Category Here)
James Johnson's name is listed among the statistical leaders in the Northeast Conference in nine of 13 categories kept by the league. More impressive, he's in the top five in seven categories, the leader in three and second in three more. He leads the league in scoring (18.1 ppg), three-point field-goal percentage (.449) and three-point field goals made per game (3.10). He's second in free-throw percentage (.909), steals per game (2.30) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.28). He ranks fifth in assists per game (4.10), ninth in minutes per game (33.10) and 15th in defensive rebounds per game (3.80).

Lookin' Up At QU
The Bobcats are in the top three in 13 of 19 statistical categories kept by the NEC, including the top spot in nine. They're first in scoring margin (+7.0), field-goal percentage defense (.412), three-point field-goal percentage defense (.270), rebounding offense (45.2), rebounding margin (+10.9), assists (16.70), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.16), offensive rebounds (18.0) and defensive rebounds (27.20). QU ranks second in scoring offense (75.5), field-goal percentage (.429) and rebounding defense (34.3), and third in three-point field-goal percentage (.374).

Another Impressive QU Rebounding Stat
The Bobcats have grabbed at least 50 rebounds in three of their first 10 games this season, including a program Division I record 60 against Lehigh on Dec. 7. Quinnipiac had three 50-rebound games in all of 2009-10, and never achieved the feat in 11 prior years at Division I. Quinnipiac has corralled 50 rebounds in a game nine times in Tom Moore's four years at QU. In nine prior years at Division I, QU had just five 50-rebound games, with only two coming against teams classified at Division I at the time of competition.

Movin' On Up
With 896 rebounds, Justin Rutty ranks fifth all-time at QU and ninth all-time in the NEC. Rutty passed Al Carfora '80 (846) for fifth on the QU list with eight rebounds against Maine on Nov. 29, while moving past Wagner's Durell Vinson (893) on the NEC list with eight rebounds Dec. 22 at Niagara. FDU's Greg Foster (916), Marist's Ted Taylor (923) and FDU's Rahshon Turner (927) are next on Rutty's climb up the NEC list, while Ed Skwara '69 (933) is next on the QU list.

Three Streak Extended
With 12 threes at Niagara, QU extended its streak of making at least one three-pointer in each of the last 294 contests. The streak dates back to Dec. 19, 2000, at Dartmouth (0-11).

Rutty Moves Up QU Career Scoring List
With 1,317 career points, Rutty now ranks 15th on the Quinnipiac career scoring list and fifth on the Quinnipiac Division I scoring list. With 13 points against Rhode Island, Dec. 11, Rutty moved past Joe Trimarchi '98 (1,293). Former teammate James Feldeine '10 is next on both the all-time and Division I lists (1,320).

Rutty Eyes Exclusive 1,000-1,000 Club
Justin Rutty currently stands at 1,317 points and 896 rebounds in his career. With at least 19 more games left this season, Rutty's career 8.9 rebounds per game average would leave him at 1,065 boards, while his three-year average of 10.30 boards per game would put him at 1,092 rebounds. Just two prior Quinnipiac players have reached both 1,000 points and rebounds.

Second-Half Stifling
The Bobcats' defense has been considerably better in the second halves of games this season, especially the last six. Against Dartmouth, Maine, UMass, Mount St. Mary's, Lehigh, Rhode Island and Niagara, the opposition has shot 42.9 percent (88-205) in the first halves, before Tom Moore's halftime speeches have inspired the Bobcats to hold opponents to 36.9 percent in the latter stanza (73-198). Overall, opponents have shot 42.9 percent (121-282) in the first halves, while being held to 39.5 percent (111-281) in the second halves. The Bobcats have also taken much greater care of the ball in the second halves. Their 1.64 assist-to-turnover ratio in the second halves is strikingly more favorable than their 0.88 assist-to-turnover ratio in first halves. As such, the Bobcats have edged the opposition, 348-332, in first halves, while dominating second halves, 407-353.

Johnson's Elite Company
With the 72nd consecutive start to begin his collegiate career Dec. 7, James Johnson broke Jared Grasso's '02 Quinnipiac record for consecutive starts (71) from the outset of his Bobcats' career at Division I. The streak has now reached 74 games, second among all QU D-I starts streaks, behind only Kason Mims' '04 record 88-game consecutive starts streak. Johnson became just the eighth freshman in QU Division I history to start his collegiate debut, and started all 31 of Quinnipiac's games in 2008-09, joining just 19 other freshmen in the nation to start every game their team played. Each player to start his first game and complete four years at QU has scored over 1,000 points. Rob Monroe, Bill Romano, Justin Rutty and Grasso started their first games and rank first, second, fifth and seventh, on the QU scoring list.

More Exclusive Company For Rutty
Justin Rutty connected on his 500th career field goal against Yale, Nov. 13, becoming one of just three Quinnipiac players at the Division I level to achieve the feat. With 10 made field goals, Dec. 1 against UMass, Rutty (557) jumped ahead of Rob Monroe '05 (523), and now trails only at Bill Romano '02 (599).

Johnson Steals Milestone
With five steals Nov. 20 against Vermont, James Johnson became the 13th Quinnipiac player all-time and fifth at Division I to compile 100 career steals. Ironically, the five steals tied Johnson's career-high, originally set Dec. 21, 2008, against the same Vermont team on the same Lender Court before a regional television audience on NESN. Johnson now stands at 118 career steals, good for 10th all-time and fourth at Division I at QU.

Free 'N' Easy
Justin Rutty, a career 48.8 percent free-throw shooter entering the Dec. 7 game against Lehigh, went 11-for-11 from the charity stripe against the Mountain Hawks. The streak reached 14 consecutive against URI, before he missed his first free throw at Niagara on Dec. 22.

Rutty, Langston Earn NEC Recognition
Justin Rutty and Dominique Langston earned NEC Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, on Dec. 13, after leading the Bobcats to a 2-0 week against Lehigh and Rhode Island. Rutty averaged 20.0 points and 9.0 rebounds, while Langston added 7.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.

Quinnipiac Picks Up Signature Victory
The Bobcats picked up perhaps the most impressive win in program history when they defeated Rhode Island, 73-66, Dec. 11 at the TD Bank Sports Center. The win is the first in program history over an Atlantic-10 school.

Welcome to the Fold, T-Bask
Highly-touted recruit Tevin Baskin became eligible for play following the last day of final exams at Quinnipiac, and saw his first game action Dec. 22 at Niagara.

New (Le)High Rebounding Mark
The Bobcats established a new program Division I record with 60 rebounds, Dec. 7 against Lehigh. The prior record of 58 rebounds came twice in recent years - a double-overtime game against Hartford, Nov. 11, 2007, and a Jan. 2, 2005 overtime contest against Division II Longwood.

What Can Brown Do For Q?
Lance Brown was granted a waiver by the NCAA, Nov. 23, to become immediately eligible for play after transferring from Fordham this past Spring. Brown scored seven points and added four rebounds in 13 minutes in his Bobcats debut at Dartmouth, but missed the next four games due to injury. He returned, Dec. 11 against Rhode Island.

Jump and Run
The Bobcats began five of their first six games on a run. They scored the first nine points against Yale, before scoring seven straight against Hartford. QU scored five straight to open against Vermont, before scoring the first four and 15 of the first 17 at Dartmouth. The Bobcats also scored six of the first eight points against Maine, and five straight against Mount St. Mary's.

Block Party
Six different Bobcats accounted for eight blocks against Lehigh, Dec. 7. The eight-block performance was only the fourth of its kind for Quinnipiac at Division I, and the first since the 1999-2000 season. The Braves blocked a program Division I record nine shots against Yale, Dec. 3, 1999, while registering eight blocks at Fordham and Long Island, Dec. 21 and Jan. 17, respectively, in the same season.

Dom-inating the Boards
Dominique Langston grabbed 14 rebounds against Lehigh, Dec. 7, the most by a Quinnipiac player so far this season.

Will-ing His Way Into The Line-up
After seeing just 11 minutes in four games to begin the year, William Harrison made the most of his 13 minutes, Dec. 7 against Lehigh. Harrison scored four points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out two assists, including a nifty dime ahead of the pack to Deontay Twyman to create separation in crunch time.

Super Bo
James Johnson scored eight points in the final 57 seconds to propel the Bobcats to victory against Mount St. Mary's, Dec. 4. Trailing by four in the final minute, Johnson nailed two three-pointers, stripped the Mount's Julian Norfleet with five seconds left, and made the game-winning runner just prior to the final buzzer.

Owning the Offensive Boards Against UMass
A year after grabbing a program Division I-record 28 offensive rebounds at UMass, Dec. 2, 2009, the Bobcats tied their second-greatest total on the offensive glass with 24 against UMass, Dec. 1, 2010. Quinnipiac also took 24 offensive caroms against Yale, Nov. 16, 2009. Justin Rutty led the way with seven offensive boards in the latest installment against UMass.

Dom Stealin' and Stuffin'
Dominique Langston established an early career high of four steals, including the theft and breakaway dunk that completed the Bobcats' comeback from down 19 against UMass, Dec. 1.

Defense Offensive...Then Gets Defensive
After a first half against Maine in which the Bobcats allowed the Black Bears to shoot 52.2 percent (12-23), the Bobcats buckled down in the second half, holding Maine to 25.9 percent (7-27) from the floor.

Not Up In Here!
Jamee Jackson had three second-half blocks against Maine, each leading to Bobcats offensive production. After his first block just less than two minutes in, James Johnson hit a three on the ensuing possession. Immediately following his block at the 11:53 mark, Dave Johnson nailed one from long range. Finally, following his rejection at the 5:08 mark, James Johnson hit a jumper on the next time down on offense.

A Lot To Like With Ike
Ike Azotam went 7-for-7 from the floor for 15 points to go along with seven rebounds, Nov. 23, at Dartmouth. The 100 percent performance was the first of five or more attempts for the Bobcats since Karl Anderson went 5-for-5 at Monmouth on Feb. 21, 2008. For his effort, Azotam was named the NEC Co-Rookie of the Week on Nov. 29.

Langston Huge
Dominique Langston has emerged as a solid contributor off the bench, averaging 13.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game over two games against Hartford and Vermont.

Bo Knows Scoring
James Johnson scored a game-high 23 points Nov. 16 against Hartford. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists.

Sweet 16's
Deontay Twyman tied his then-career-high with 16 points against Yale at the Connecticut 6 Classic, Nov. 13. James Johnson matched Twyman's 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting and 4-for-4 from the line.

Gabriel's Impressive QU Debut
Mike Gabriel was impressive in his Quinnipiac debut against Yale, Nov. 13, scoring 10 points in just 13 minutes off the bench. He was very efficient, making 3-of-4 field-goal attempts and 4-of-6 free throw attempts.

Dom From Trey
Dominique Langston made both of his three-point attempts in his collegiate debut against Yale, Nov. 13, to account for his six points.

Bonding Overseas
The Bobcats took a 10-day trip to The Netherlands, Belgium and France this past August. In four games, Quinnipiac went 3-1.

Everybody's Favorite
The Northeast Conference's coaches selected the Bobcats as the league's first unanimous favorite since 1997-98 (Long Island). In addition, The Sporting News, Athlon, Lindy's and the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Report also picked the Bobcats as the NEC favorite.

Moore of the Same
Head Coach Tom Moore has won the season opener in each of his four years at QU, the first three coming against Hartford, while the most recent came this season against Yale. 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 11 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 as many as four straight at any point. Kahn won six straight from 1967-68 through 1972-73.

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

Eight Is Enough
Quinnipiac returns eight players from the 2009-10 squad, and also welcomes eight new players in 2010-11. Six of the eight new players are currently available for play (Azotam, Baskin, Brown, Gabriel, Harrison, Langston), while Austin Alecxih and Garvey Young must sit the year out due to NCAA transfer rules.

Moore Wins
With 23 wins in 2009-10, including 15 NEC victories, the Bobcats set a new program record. The marks edge the 1999-2000 QU team (18-10, 12-6 NEC) for the most wins at D-I, and passed the 1972-73 and 1979-80 teams for the all-time program record.

Eighty Up
The Bobcats were 11-0 when scoring at least 80 points last season.

C-T State of Mind
Quinnipiac was 18-1 in games played in Connecticut, including a 14-1 mark at home in 2009-10. In starting 14-0 at home, the Bobcats established the best start at home in program history.

Keeping Good Company
Quinnipiac was one of just four teams in the NCAA ranked in the top 10 nationally in both rebound margin and rebounds per game in 2009-10. The Bobcats ranked second in rebound margin and 10th in rebounds per game. Quinnipiac joined nationally-ranked Kentucky (4th - rebound margin, 5th - rebounds per game) and Kansas (9th - rebound margin, 7th - rebounds per game), as well as Radford (7th - rebound margin, 1st - rebounds per game) in the exclusive club. Quinnipiac also ranked 14th in offensive rebounds (14.61).

Bobcats Experience Historic 2009-10 Season
The Quinnipiac University men's basketball team experienced a historic season of firsts in 2009-10. Jim Phelan NEC Coach of the Year Tom Moore led the Bobcats to a program-record 23 wins, the first Northeast Conference Regular Season Championship in team history, and a berth into the National Invitation Tournament, the first national postseason tournament appearance in program Division I history. Junior forward Justin Rutty was named the NEC Player of the Year, becoming the first player in program history earn the award. Both Rutty and senior wing James Feldeine were named to the All-NEC First Team Moore's recognition as Coach of the Year was also a first in program history.

Twelve In Fourteen
Justin Rutty compiled his Quinnipiac Division I record 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th career double-doubles in seven consecutive games, Feb. 18-Mar. 10, 2010, and had 12 double-doubles in his last 15 games of the season. Rutty began the streak with five straight double-doubles, Jan. 24-Feb. 6. After a two-game stretch when he missed a double-double by two rebounds against St. Francis (N.Y.) and two points against LIU, Rutty reeled off seven more consecutive double-doubles.

If It's Free, It's For Me
The Bobcats enjoyed marked improvement from the free-throw line in the latter portion of the 2009-10 season. After seeing its season free-throw percentage dip to 65.1 percent through 15 games, QU shot 76.7 percent (358-467) over the last 18 games to raise its free-throw percentage to 72.1 percent.

Rutty Grabs Quinnipiac DI Rebound Record
With 11 rebounds against Wagner on Jan. 9, Justin Rutty took over the Quinnipiac Division I Rebound lead from Bill Romano '02 (580).

Rutty's Keeping Good Company
At 15.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, Justin Rutty was one of just 20 players nationally to average a double-double in 2009-10.

Rutty Finds Free-Throw Stroke
Justin Rutty, a career 50.0 percent free-throw shooter, shot 79.4 percent (54-68) from the charity stripe in the last 14 games of the 2009-10 season. Included in the mark were two separate strings of at least 11 consecutive successful attempts. Rutty went 6-for-6 at Sacred Heart, the first 100 percent game of more than three attempts in his career. He followed with a 4-for-4 effort against SHU, and an 8-for-8 performance at Saint Francis (Pa.).

Bobcats, Rutty On NCAA Rebound Charts
Led by Justin Rutty's 10.9 rebounds per game (8th-NCAA), the Bobcats ranked 10th in the nation in rebounds per game (40.4 rpg.).

If At First You Don't Succeed...
41.2 percent of the Bobcats' rebounds in 2009-10 came on the offensive end, fourth-most in the NCAA.

On the Rebound
Quinnipiac was outrebounded just three times in 2009-10, and owned a +8.5 rebounding margin, second-best in the nation.

Quinnipiac, Rutty Grab Top Rankings
The Bobcats ranked 14th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (14.6) in 2009-10. Individually, Justin Rutty ranked second nationally at 4.9 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.

Sitting on Top of the NEC
Quinnipiac ranked in the top three in the NEC in 12 of 19 statistical categories in 2009-10. The Bobcats were first in scoring offense (73.2), scoring margin (+6.7), field-goal percentage (.448), assist-to-turnover ratio (0.98), rebounding offense (40.4), rebounding defense (31.9), rebound margin (+8.5), offensive rebounding (14.61) and defensive rebounding (25.79). QU ranked second in assists (13.42) and free-throw percentage (.721) and third in field-goal percentage defense (.415).

On Deck
The Bobcats return to action Jan. 3, when Northeast Conference play begins in earnest. The Bobcats play host to Wagner with a 7 p.m. tip at the TD Bank Sports Center.