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Game 12
Niagara (3-8, 1-1 MAAC) vs. St. Bonaventure Bonnies (6-3, 0-0 A-10)
Saturday, December 17 – 1 p.m.
Key Bank Center – Buffalo, New York
TV: Time Warner Cable SportsChannel – Brendan McDaniels and Ben Wagner
Radio: WGR 550 AM – Todd Callen

    The Niagara Purple Eagles will play longtime rival the St. Bonaventure Bonnies as part of the Big 4 Classic Doubleheader on Saturday, December 17 at 1 p.m. from the KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo, New York.
 
Scene Setter
•  The Niagara/St. Bonaventure series dates back to the 1920-21 season. NU trails in the all-time series, 87-69, but has won eight of the last 13 meetings.
•  The teams will play on a neutral court for only the fourth time in the 156 previous meetings between the programs and the third time since 2012.
•  The Purple Eagles are 30-21 in their last 51 Big 4 matchups, but are looking to snap a five-game skid against Big 4 opponents.
•  The Purple Eagles are 13-12 all-time at the KeyBank Center (formerly known as the First Niagara Center) including playing the Bonnies twice. NU fell 70-61 on Dec. 12, 1998 and lost 74-59 on Nov. 29, 2014 as part of the most recent Big 4 Classic Doubleheader.
 
Tipoff Tidbits
•  Two Purple Eagles rank in the MAAC top-10 in scoring; Matt Scott is fifth with 17.7 points per game and Kahlil Dukes is ninth with 16.1 points per game.
•  Kahlil Dukes is the only Purple Eagle to score in double figures in every game, including a career-high 23 points at North Texas.
•  Kahlil Dukes leads the MAAC and is third in the nation in free-throw percentage (.971). Dukes has made 13 straight free throws entering Saturday's game.
•  Dominic Robb leads the MAAC and is 39th in the nation with 2.1 blocks per game while also leading the MAAC and is 27th in the nation in total blocks (24). 
•  Shane Gatling is averaging 15.0 ppg in the last four games, including a career-high 24 points to lead Niagara at Youngstown State on December 14.
• Niagara leads the MAAC in blocked shots per game (4.5) free throws made (190), and free throw attempts (248), and is second in free throw shooting (.766).
 
Big 4 Classic Doubleheader
•  This marks the fifth time all four Western New York schools will play in a doubleheader format. The first Big 4 basketball doubleheader was played in downtown Buffalo on Nov. 30, 1996. The four Western New York programs also played in a doubleheader format on Nov. 29, 1997, Dec. 12, 1998 and Nov. 29, 2014.
 
Classic Feel
•  All four schools will be wearing special "throwback" uniforms, presented by ComDoc and Lawley Insurance.
•  After a fan vote, the Purple Eagles will wear uniforms donned during periods of the 1970s and early 1980s.
 
On The Court
St. Bonaventure Bonnies (6-3, 0-0 Atlantic-10)
•  St. Bonaventure had its five-game winning streak snapped by UNC Wilmington, 81-80, in its last game. 
•  Three Bonnies are averaging double figures scoring; Preseason Big 4 Player of the Year, and one of the top 50 candidates for the John Wooden Award, Jaylen Adams (22.8 ppg), Matt Mobley (20.6 ppg) and Preseason Big 4 Second Team member Denzel Gregg (11.6).
•  St. Bonaventure is the top scoring offense in the Atlantic 10 and is 34th in the nation, averaging 82.9 points per game.
•  The Bonnies are second in the A-10 in scoring margin (+8.3), 3-point field goal percentage (.374) and blocks per game (5.2).
 
Against Common Opponents
•  Niagara and Bona have both played local rival Buffalo this season. The Bonnies defeated the Bulls, 90-84, on December 3, while Niagara fell to UB in the season opener.
   
Against the Bonnies (St. Bonaventure leads 87-69)
•  The Purple Eagles won eight straight games in the series before falling at home on Dec. 30, 2011. NU has dropped the last five meetings.
•  Five of the last seven meetings have been decided by less than 10 points.
 
Last Meeting – December 30, 2015
St. Bonaventure 82, Niagara 68
 
OLEAN, N.Y. – The Niagara University men's basketball team dropped an 82-68 decision to longtime rival the St. Bonaventure Bonnies on Wednesday night to snap its four-game win streak at the Reilly Center
 

The Series	St. Bonaventure leads, 87-69
Last Game	December 30, 2015
	St. Bonaventure 82, Niagara 68
Last Niagara win	December 11, 2010
	Niagara 69, St. Bonaventure 61
Last St. Bonaventure win	December 30, 2015
	St Bonaventure 82, Niagara 68
Last Niagara win at KeyBank Center	Never
Last St. Bonaventure win at KeyBank Center	November 24, 2014
	St. Bonaventure 74, Niagara 59
Current Streak	St. Bonaventure, W5
Coach Casey vs. St. Bonaventure	0-3

 
Against The Atlantic 10
•  Niagara is 113-159 all-time against the Atlantic-10.
•  The Purple Eagles have played the Bonnies the most (156), with La Salle coming in second at 47 meetings (17-30).
 
Electric Shooting Nearly Set Records
•  The Purple Eagles had one of their hottest shooting games in program history in their 93-74 win versus Drexel on Nov. 23.
•  The Purple Eagles shot 83.3 percent (10-for-12) from the 3-point line which is the second highest percentage in program history. The program record is 84.6 percent (11-for-13) which was set on Jan. 19, 1993 against St. Bonaventure. 
•  Niagara shot 62.3 percent (33-for-53) from the field which was 5.6 percent shy of tying the program record of 67.9 percent (36-for-53) which was also set versus the Bonnies in 1993.
•  Both the field goal and 3-point field percentage are MAAC highs.
 
Swat King
•  Sophomore Dominic Robb is in the running of becoming the single season leader in blocks and blocks per game.
•  The single-season record for blocks and blocks per game was set by Mark Henry who had 72 blocks and 2.40 blocks per game during the 1987-88 season.
•  Robb is well on track of surpassing his total of 34 blocks during his freshman season.
•  Robb, who is averaging a MAAC-best 24 blocks and 2.1 blocks per game, has had at least one block in nine games this season.
•  The record for most blocks by a sophomore is 66 held by Joe Arlauckas during the 1984-8 season.