MAAC Monday: Quinnipiac's progression to legitimate contender, stat leaders, power rankings

By Jaden Daly (@jadendaly) and Vincent Simone (@VTSimone)

Officially into the second half of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference season this week, we prepare for the impending stretch drive with the usual refresh of stat leaders and power rankings, but the opening segment features a closer look at a team expected to contend, one that has done exactly that while also fortifying its prospects to be among the flag-bearers in the conference for years to come:

Picked last of eleven teams in the MAAC's preseason poll in 2017-18, Quinnipiac made short work of its prognostications, finding ways to win close games throughout head coach Baker Dunleavy's first season and ultimately coming two wins shy of what would have been an improbable conference title for a program that just joined the league in 2013 by way of the Northeast Conference.

The Bobcats were picked in a third-place tie this season based not only on last season's overachieving nature, but also the roster returning to Hamden this year, anchored by senior swingman Cameron Young and a deep backcourt reminiscent of the units Dunleavy helped Jay Wright coach to long-term success at Villanova. At 7-4 in league play this season -- only one game behind Monmouth for the MAAC lead -- Quinnipiac is not only ready to crash the conference tournament party, but spend a significant amount of time among its highlights, a vision that became clearer in the wake of Friday's win at Iona, the Bobcats' first-ever in New Rochelle.

"I think it's about playing off my shot and making better reads," sophomore Jacob Rigoni -- one of the more improved Bobcats after a promising freshman campaign -- said of his additional progression into year two, where the Australian is averaging ten points per game and shooting at a 39 percent rate on three-point attempts, but has proven himself to be more than just an outside shooter. "I'm trying to move off the ball and keep working harder at different areas of my game. I'm getting more opportunities to show that."

So too is Cameron Young, the MAAC's leading scorer at 21.1 points per game, a figure that rises by nearly three markers in conference games. Add to that the rebounding prowess of Kevin Marfo -- which figures to grow stronger once the George Washington transfer is back at full strength from a knee injury that sidelined him earlier this season, plus the impressive contributions of Tyrese Williams and Rich Kelly despite their relative youth, and the MAAC has itself a team that can not only make a splash this year, but spend the next several as one of the forces to be reckoned with in a league where parity appears to be the norm.

"He's huge," Dunleavy said of Marfo, who established himself as the MAAC's leading rebounder before his injury and is still working to return to that level. "He had surgery four weeks ago, so I think for him to be playing just shows his toughness and his dedication. His presence -- in a multifaceted way -- gets us back to feeling a little bit more comfortable and confident."

Guards Savion Lewis and Matt Balanc, highly touted when each signed last year, have redshirted this season to underscore the massive guard depth that will only multiply next season as well, with Kelly and Williams returning -- as well as forward Travis Atson -- to a team whose only major losses to its rotation will be Young and four-year veteran Abdulai Bundu.

"I think we've known since the end of last year that we had an opportunity to bring back a group that can be pretty good," said Dunleavy. "But what has really happened here is we've got a group of guys that like playing together, and have grown. Last year, we lost seven of eight games down the stretch and we felt like we were getting better, and we were improving even though the results weren't there. This year, we're winning some close games that we didn't last year, which is validation of our improvement, but we can't stop getting better."

Scoring Leaders
1) Cameron Young, Quinnipiac (21.1 PPG)
2) E.J. Crawford, Iona (18.0)
3) Marvin Prochet, Niagara (17.5)
4) Takal Molson, Canisius (16.9)
5) Davauhnte Turner, Saint Peter's (16.9)
6) Evan Fisher, Siena (15.6)
7) Rickey McGill, Iona (15.3)
8) Jalen Pickett, Siena (14.5)
9) Brian Parker, Marist (14.3)
10) Rich Kelly, Quinnipiac (12.5)

Rebounding Leaders
1) Jonathan Kasibabu, Fairfield (7.7 RPG)
2) Tajuan Agee, Iona (7.4)
3) Marvin Prochet, Niagara (7.4)
4) Tyere Marshall, Rider (6.3)
5) Evan Fisher, Siena (6.1)
6) Isaiah Reese, Canisius (5.9)
7) Frederick Scott, Rider (5.7)
8) Kevin Degnan, Siena (5.7)
9) Abdulai Bundu, Quinnipiac (5.7)
10) Manny Camper, Siena (5.7)

Assist Leaders
1) Jalen Pickett, Siena (6.2 APG)
2) Rickey McGill, Iona (5.4)
3) Rich Kelly, Quinnipiac (4.7)
4) Isaiah Reese, Canisius (4.4)
5) Malik Johnson, Canisius (4.3)
6) Stevie Jordan, Rider (4.2)
7) James Towns, Niagara (3.9)
8) Brian Parker, Marist (3.4)
9) Neftali Alvarez, Fairfield (3.3)
10) Aidas Kavaliauskas, Fairfield (2.8)

Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Jonathan Kasibabu, Fairfield (.593)
2) Warren Williams, Manhattan (.532)
3) Samuel Idowu, Saint Peter's (.529)
4) Dominic Robb, Niagara (.518)
5) E.J. Crawford, Iona (.512)
6) Evan Fisher, Siena (.508)
7) Stevie Jordan, Rider (.490)
8) Scott Hitchon, Canisius (.486)
9) Aleksandar Dozic, Marist (.478)
10) Tyere Marshall, Rider (.477)

Free Throw Percentage Leaders
1) Rich Kelly, Quinnipiac (.839)
T-2) E.J. Crawford, Iona (.818)
T-2) James Towns, Niagara (.818)
4) Davauhnte Turner, Saint Peter's (.773)
5) Quinn Taylor, Saint Peter's (.768)
6) Takal Molson, Canisius (.762)
7) Cameron Young, Quinnipiac (.761)
8) Ray Salnave, Monmouth (.760)
9) Asante Gist, Iona (.754)
10) Rickey McGill, Iona (.752)

Three-Point Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Marvin Prochet, Niagara (.462)
2) Samir Stewart, Manhattan (.440)
3) Rich Kelly, Quinnipiac (.439)
4) Tyler Reynolds, Manhattan (.426)
5) Landon Taliaferro, Fairfield (.423)
6) Isaiah Lamb, Marist (.421)
7) David Knudsen, Marist (.413)
8) Ben Perez, Iona (.413)
9) Cameron Young, Quinnipiac (.412)
T-10) Kevin Degnan, Siena (.393)
T-10) Jacob Rigoni, Quinnipiac (.393)

Steal Leaders
1) Rickey McGill, Iona (2.3 SPG)
2) Jalen Pickett, Siena (2.0)
3) Dimencio Vaughn, Rider (2.0)
4) Malik Johnson, Canisius (1.9)
5) Stevie Jordan, Rider (1.8)

Blocked Shot Leaders
1) Dominic Robb, Niagara (2.3 BPG)
2) Samuel Idowu, Saint Peter's (1.8)
3) KC Ndefo, Saint Peter's (1.2)
4) Niksa Nikolic, Iona (0.9)
5) Jonathan Kasibabu, Fairfield (0.8)

Power Rankings
1) Monmouth (10-16, 9-4 MAAC)
Last Week: T-2
Last Game: Saturday 2/9 at Fairfield (W 61-49)
Next Game: Friday 2/15 at Rider, 7 p.m.

2) Siena (13-12, 8-4 MAAC)
Last Week: 5
Last Game: Sunday 2/10 at Rider (W 59-57)
Next Game: Wednesday 2/13 vs. Iona, 7 p.m.

3) Canisius (11-13, 8-4 MAAC)
Last Week: T-2
Last Game: Sunday 2/10 at Saint Peter's (W 64-60)
Next Game: Friday 2/15 vs. Fairfield, 7 p.m.

4) Quinnipiac (12-10, 7-4 MAAC)
Last Week: 4
Last Game: Friday 2/8 at Iona (W 66-65)
Next Game: Tuesday 2/12 vs. Rider, 7 p.m.

5) Rider (12-12, 7-5 MAAC)
Last Week: 1
Last Game: Sunday 2/10 vs. Siena (L 59-57)
Next Game: Tuesday 2/12 at Quinnipiac, 7 p.m.

6) Iona (8-15, 6-6 MAAC)
Last Week: 6
Last Game: Sunday 2/10 vs. Niagara (W 79-76)
Next Game: Wednesday 2/13 at Siena, 7 p.m.

7) Manhattan (7-17, 5-7 MAAC)
Last Week: T-8
Last Game: Friday 2/8 vs. Siena (L 51-49)
Next Game: Friday 2/15 at Niagara, 7 p.m.

8) Marist (10-14, 5-7 MAAC)
Last Week: 10
Last Game: Friday 2/8 vs. Niagara (W 79-58)
Next Game: Friday 2/15 at Quinnipiac, 8 p.m.

9) Niagara (11-14, 4-8 MAAC)
Last Week: 7
Last Game: Sunday 2/10 at Iona (L 79-76)
Next Game: Friday 2/15 vs. Manhattan, 7 p.m.

10) Fairfield (7-18, 4-9 MAAC)
Last Week: T-8
Last Game: Saturday 2/9 vs. Monmouth (L 61-49)
Next Game: Friday 2/15 at Canisius, 7 p.m.

11) Saint Peter's (6-17, 3-8 MAAC)
Last Week: 11
Last Game: Sunday 2/10 vs. Canisius (L 64-60)
Next Game: Friday 2/15 at Iona, 7 p.m.