Suffolk University junior Matt Pepdjonovic (Quincy, Mass.) scored his 1,000th career point on Tuesday evening becoming the 26th player in Men's Basketball program history to reach the milestone.
Pepdjonovic hit the career mark at 12:25 in the first half in the Rams' 98-65 loss at Tufts University as he connected on a free-throw as he led the Rams scoring 24 points on the evening.
The junior forward is currently averaging 17.6 points per game for Suffolk during the 2011-12 season in 14 games. He is currently second among all NCAA Division-III Men's Basketball players in the nation with a 13.8 rebounds per game average. This season Pepdjonovic has already recorded 10 double-doubles on the year, a feat he has now accomplished 39 times in his third season.
Through Tuesday's game Pepdjonovic has now scored 1,013 career points in 65 career games which ranks as the 25th highest total in Suffolk program history. He has scored at a 15.6 points per game clip, while grabbing 12.7 rebounds per game. He is currently on pace to finish his career as only the second player ever to record 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds in Suffolk University history. Christos Tsiotos ('77) is the only other player to do so as he achieved 1,639 points and 1,016 rebounds. Tsiotos was a 2009 inductee into the Suffolk University Hall of Fame. Pepdjonovic has totaled 828 career rebounds so far in his career.
Pepdjonovic becomes the 53rd player in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) history to achieve 1,000 career points since the league's inception in 1996. Suffolk has been members of the GNAC since the 1999-2000 season. Last season he became the league's 34th member of the 500 career rebound club. If Pepdjonovic continues to score and rebound at his current pace he will become only the third player in GNAC history to record the grand total plateau in points and rebounds joining Ray Askew ('12) of Albertus Magnus College and Jeff Carpenter ('08) of Rivier College. He also has a chance to be only the fifth player in league history to maintain a double-double points and rebounds per-game average for a career.
Pepdjonovic was a first-team All-Conference selection for the 2010-11 season by the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC). Pepdjonovic finished the season averaging 17.0 points and 13.3 rebounds in 26 games this season for the Rams. His 13.3 boards per game were ranked third among all NCAA Division-III players, while it was the highest total among GNAC players. His 17.0 points per game average was eighth among scorers in the league. Pepdjonovic was also one of the league's top defenders averaging 2.1 blocks per game (55 total), while collecting a league best 9.5 defensive boards per game. Pepdjonovic started all 26 games on the season for the Rams at center logging a team-best 33 minutes per game. During the year, Pepdjonovic posted 17 double-doubles on the year (10th most in the nation) and combined to record at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game on three occasions.
In 2009-10, Pepdjonovic was named GNAC Rookie of the Year, while also garnering 3rd team All-Conference honors. That season the 6'6 Rams center provided a dominant force in the paint for the Rams starting all 25 games and leading his team in points, averaging 13.0 points per game and was one of the leading rebounders in the nation. His 11.6 rebounds per game was ranked ninth among all NCAA Division-III players and was second in the league as a freshman.