MAAC Monday: Inside Quinnipiac’s ascent, stat leaders, power rankings

Baker Dunleavy has seen improvement in his Quinnipiac team this year, as Bobcats have flown under the radar into top half of MAAC standings. (Photo by The Quinnipiac Chronicle)

In this week’s edition of MAAC Monday, the rise of Quinnipiac is profiled in the team spotlight before giving way to an updated list of stat leaders in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and a new set of power rankings of each of the 11 MAAC teams.

HAMDEN, Conn. — Picked ninth in the MAAC’s preseason coaches’ poll this past October, Quinnipiac’s standing in the prognostication was attributed more to the league being stronger as a whole than toward any inefficiency the Bobcats may have possessed. After all, the cadre of guards in Baker Dunleavy’s program remained together, with Savion Lewis and Tyrese Williams leading a group that included a pair of All-Rookie selections in Tymu Chenery and Luis Kortright. And up front, while Seth Pinkney transferred, the portal dished out an assist when Kevin Marfo decided to return to the place where he led the nation in rebounding two years ago, following a season at Texas A&M that proved the grass was not greener on the other side.

Nine games into the conference season, Quinnipiac has undergone minor cosmetic enhancements. Marfo is back at the top of the rebound charts once again, but the guard depth has been tested immensely. Lewis’ torn Achilles’ tendon has given rise to Dezi Jones, the Bobcats’ second-leading scorer in the backcourt behind Matt Balanc, who has supplemented Lewis as the flag-bearer in Dunleavy’s offense. Add the experience of Jacob Rigoni to Chenery’s uptick, and you have a starting five that has helped produce a 5-4 record in the league slate thus far, but when asked if it was where he thought his team would be, Dunleavy was noncommittal due to both the nature of the season to date and the remaining unwritten chapters in the story of the 2021-22 campaign.

“It’s really hard to say,” the fifth-year head coach admitted. “It’s one of those things where, year to year now, given the fluidity of rosters and transfers, player movement, it’s hard to have expectations. Personally, I was hoping we could be a balanced team, find ways to be good both offensively and defensively, and be in the top tier in the league of both, and that would lead to us being able to win some games. I think to this point, we’ve kind of been able to do that.”

“Adding Kevin back really helps us rebound the ball and finish possessions, and offensively, we have some guys that could get it done on the offensive end. So I would say we’re kind of right there. I would say by the end, we would like to be in the position that we’re in right now, competing for that bye and playing one less game in (Atlantic City). But there’s just so much time before that point that we’ve got to look at it as a positive that there’s so much time left for improvement.”

In Sunday’s loss to Iona, Balanc struggled, making just one of his nine field goal attempts. However, Kortright had arguably his best game of his sophomore season in Balanc’s stead, while Williams, Brendan McGuire and JJ Riggins provided equally understated contributions to a team that has, more often than not, been defined by its depth, and will continue to be moving forward.

“I think we’re just going to naturally be the type of team that is going to have different guys step up in different games,” Dunleavy said of his second unit and its importance as an integral piece of the puzzle on both ends of the floor. “We don’t have that one guy that’s going to lead us in scoring, so based on how the defense plays, based on what’s open that game, what we’re executing, different guys are going to have to step up, and that’s got to be a positive for us this season.”

Scoring Leaders

1) Jose Perez, Manhattan (17.8 PPG)

2) Marcus Hammond, Niagara (17.3)

3) George Papas, Monmouth (15.6)

4) Ricardo Wright, Marist (15.2)

5) Tyson Jolly, Iona (15.0)

6) Shavar Reynolds, Monmouth (14.9)

7) Walker Miller, Monmouth (14.5)

8) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (14.4)

9) Jao Ituka, Marist (14.3)

10) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (13.6)

Rebounding Leaders

1) Kevin Marfo, Quinnipiac (10.5 RPG)

2) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (8.4)

3) Supreme Cook, Fairfield (8.1)

4) Dimencio Vaughn, Rider (7.5)

5) Fousseyni Drame, Saint Peter’s (7.2)

6) Jackson Stormo, Siena (6.8)

7) Nikkei Rutty, Monmouth (6.8)

8) Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson, Rider (6.6)

9) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (6.2)

10) KC Ndefo, Saint Peter’s (6.1)

Assist Leaders

1) Jose Perez, Manhattan (5.1 APG)

2) Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider (4.2)

3) Kevin Marfo, Quinnipiac (4.1)

4) Noah Thomasson, Niagara (3.6)

5) Ahamadou Fofana, Canisius (3.5)

6) Dylan van Eyck, Iona (3.3)

7) George Papas, Monmouth (3.2)

8) Elijah Joiner, Iona (3.0)

9) Caleb Green, Fairfield (2.9)

10) Marcus Hammond, Niagara (2.7)

Field Goal Percentage Leaders

1) Josh Roberts, Manhattan (.686)

2) Greg Kuakumensah, Niagara (.607)

3) Warren Williams, Manhattan (.600)

4) Dylan van Eyck, Iona (.590)

5) Jordan Cintron, Niagara (.566)

6) Supreme Cook, Fairfield (.557)

7) Jao Ituka, Marist (.543)

8) Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson, Rider (.540)

9) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (.529)

10) Fousseyni Drame, Saint Peter’s (.518)

Free Throw Percentage Leaders

1) Daryl Banks III, Saint Peter’s (.929)

2) Shavar Reynolds, Monmouth (.878)

3) Scott Hitchon, Canisius (.878)

4) Doug Edert, Saint Peter’s (.861)

5) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (.847)

6) George Papas, Monmouth (.841)

7) Walker Miller, Monmouth (.824)

8) Marcus Hammond, Niagara (.821)

9) Quinn Slazinski, Iona (.814)

10) Jose Perez, Manhattan (.804)

3-Point Field Goal Percentage Leaders

1) Nick Hopkins, Siena (.441)

2) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (.432)

3) Colby Rogers, Siena (.427)

4) Ricardo Wright, Marist (.421)

5) Marcus Hammond, Niagara (.397)

6) Tyson Jolly, Iona (.394)

T-7) Walter Clayton, Jr., Iona (.391)

T-7) Caleb Green, Fairfield (.391)

9) Samir Stewart, Manhattan (.391)

10) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (.382)

Steal Leaders

1) Nick Hopkins, Siena (1.9 SPG)

2) Dimencio Vaughn, Rider (1.8)

3) Jordan Cintron, Niagara (1.7)

4) Anthony Nelson, Manhattan (1.5)

5) Elijah Buchanan, Manhattan (1.5)

Blocked Shot Leaders

1) KC Ndefo, Saint Peter’s (2.2 BPG)

2) Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona (1.7)

3) Berrick JeanLouis, Iona (1.2)

4) Jordan Jones, Marist (1.1)

5) Josh Roberts, Manhattan (1.1)

Power Rankings

1) Iona (16-3, 8-0 MAAC)

Last Week: 1

Last Game: Sunday 1/23 at Quinnipiac (W 76-61)

Next Game: Tuesday 1/25 vs. Siena, 7 p.m.

2) Saint Peter’s (7-7, 5-2 MAAC)

Last Week: 3

Last Game: Sunday 1/23 at Canisius (L 63-60)

Next Game: Wednesday 1/26 at Marist, 7 p.m.

3) Siena (6-7, 3-2 MAAC)

Last Week: 2

Last Game: Friday 1/21 at Manhattan (L 75-68)

Next Game: Tuesday 1/25 at Iona, 7 p.m.

4) Quinnipiac (10-7, 5-4 MAAC)

Last Week: 4

Last Game: Sunday 1/23 vs. Iona (L 76-61)

Next Game: Friday 1/28 vs. Marist, 7 p.m.

5) Monmouth (11-6, 3-3 MAAC)

Last Week: 7

Last Game: Sunday 1/23 vs. Manhattan (W 78-62)

Next Game: Friday 1/28 vs. Canisius, 7 p.m.

6) Manhattan (10-7, 3-4 MAAC)

Last Week: 5

Last Game: Sunday 1/23 at Monmouth (L 78-62)

Next Game: Friday 1/28 at Saint Peter’s, 7 p.m.

7) Fairfield (9-10, 3-5 MAAC)

Last Week: 9

Last Game: Sunday 1/23 at Marist (W 69-66)

Next Game: Friday 1/28 at Rider, 7 p.m.

8) Marist (8-9, 3-5 MAAC)

Last Week: 6

Last Game: Sunday 1/23 vs. Fairfield (L 69-66)

Next Game: Wednesday 1/26 vs. Saint Peter’s, 7 p.m.

9) Niagara (8-10, 3-6 MAAC)

Last Week: 8

Last Game: Sunday 1/23 vs. Rider (L 70-67)

Next Game: Friday 1/28 at Siena, 7 p.m.

10) Canisius (7-12, 3-5 MAAC)

Last Week: 10

Last Game: Sunday 1/23 vs. Saint Peter’s (W 63-60)

Next Game: Friday 1/28 at Monmouth, 7 p.m.

11) Rider (6-12, 2-6 MAAC)

Last Week: 11

Last Game: Sunday 1/23 at Niagara (W 70-67)

Next Game: Friday 1/28 vs. Fairfield, 7 p.m.