Senior James Reaves will play before a hometown crowd. Reaves graduated from Edison Tech in Rochester. |
NIAGARA UN., N.Y. -- After winning its season opener for the first time in two years, the Niagara University men’s basketball team (1-0) will look to make it two wins in a row when it hosts Bucknell (0-1) Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y.
The Purple Eagles beat Youngstown State, 89-80, in their season opener Nov. 22 to extend its homecourt winning streak to six games, dating to last season. With the win Niagara received a vote in this week’s Associated Press poll.
Bucknell enters Saturday’s game looking for its first victory of the season. The Bison were defeated 64-52 in their season opener at then-No. 3 Michigan State.
The game, which will not be televised, tips at 7:35 p.m. and can be heard on WJJL (1440 AM).
Setting the Scene
- Niagara makes it first appearance in Blue Cross Arena. - The Purple Eagle-Bison game is part of double-header which features Army vs. Cornell at 5 p.m. - Saturday’s game will be a homecoming for senior James Reaves. The forward played his high school ball at Edison Tech in Rochester.- Niagara looks to start the season 2-0. The last team to accomplish the mark was the 2000-01 Purple Eagles when they beat Buffalo (80-76) and Albany (74-66).
A Quick Glance at Niagara
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Niagara won its first season opener in two years with an 89-80 win over Youngstown State.- Head coach Joe Mihalich started junior Alvin Cruz at point, junior David Brooks and senior Tremmell Darden at the wings and junior Juan Mendez and senior James Reaves at forward.- Niagara’s starting lineup is 1-0 and accounted for most of the stats for the Purple Eagles. All five starters scored in double figures and a pair had five or more assists in the contest.- The Purple Eagles shot 44.1 percent from the field, 23.8 percent from the three-point arch and 71.1 percent from the free-throw line.- Senior Tremmell Darden leads the team in scoring (20.0) and rebounding (8.0).- Brooks, Reaves, Mendez and Cruz are also averaging double digits in points.- Junior Alvin Cruz is Niagara’s leading playmaker, dishing out 7.0 assists per game.- Niagara’s bench contributed eight points, nine rebounds, two assists and three steals in the season opener. .
A Glance at Bucknell
- Bucknell lost its season opener for the third-straight year when it lost to No. 3 Michigan State, 64-52.- The Bison, under 10th-year head coach Pat Flannery, are a veteran team with seven seniors on the roster. They return three starters, including the squad’s second-leading scorer last year in sophomore Kevin Bettencourt (11.1 ppg).- Bucknell will have played three games coming into the contest. The Bison beat Big Apple Basketball, 79-64, Nov. 14 in an exhibition game. Bucknell opened its season at No. 3 Michigan State Nov. 21 and host Yale Wednesday at 7 p.m.- The Bison are known for having a stingy defensive team. They finished fourth in the country in scoring defense last year, allowing only 58.8 points per game. Bucknell held six opponents to under 50 points, 13 under 60 points and 20 under 70 points. In the season opener, the Bison held the Spartans to 64 points and limited them to 40 percent shooting from the field and 21.1 from three-point range.- Bettencourt, Bucknell’s top returning scorer, had 21 points vs. Michigan, and senior center Davorin Skornik had a team-high 11 rebounds.- Bucknell, which finished 14-15 overall last year, was picked sixth in the Patriot League in the preseason poll.
