Niagara (0-0, 0-0 MAAC) vs. Michigan State (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

Friday, November 14 at 6:30 P.M. ET

Breslin Center - East Lansing, Michigan

Purple Eagles Begin 2008-09 Campaign At WNIT Runners-Up Michigan State

The Tip-Off

The Niagara Purple Eagles start their 2008-09 season at perennial Big Ten power, the Michigan State Spartans, on Friday November 14 at 6:30 pm (ET).  Niagara returns nine letterwinners from last year’s squad, including 2008-09 Preseason All-MAAC Third Team junior guard Jennifer McNamee.

Start The Clock

- Niagara is 16-18 all-time on opening day.

- Niagara head coach Kendra Faustin is entering her second season as the head coach for the Purple Eagles.

- Jennifer McNamee was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Third Team.

- Niagara’s seven freshmen account for 43.7 percent of the team’s roster.

- The Purple Eagles are 0-2 all-time against the Big Ten Conference.

- Niagara is 2-2 all-time in the state of Michigan

Opening Day Record

Niagara is 16-18 all-time on opening day. The Purple Eagles have won their previous two openers both against the Colgate Raiders 76-62 on November 10, 2007 and 78-39 on November 10, 2008. Niagara is 4-8 in road openers.

Coach Faustin

Niagara head coach Kendra Faustin is entering her second season as the head coach for the Purple Eagles. She won her debut with a resounding 78-39 victory over Colgate.  Faustin is 5-2 in openers as an assistant or head coach. She was 1-0 as an assistant coach at Gannon University (2001-02), 1-1 as an assistant at Hillsdale College (2002-04) and 2-1 as an assistant at Canisius College.

Who’s Back

The Purple Eagles return nine letterwinners from last season’s team.  Niagara will be led by senior guard Erika Harris, three-point specialist Jennifer McNamee and 2007-08 All-MAAC Rookie Team selection forward Liz Flooks.

3 For McNamee

Jennifer McNamee enters the season one 3-pointer shy of reaching the century mark. The sharp-shooting guard from Oxford, Ohio is already ranked 10th all-time in made 3-pointers at Niagara and her 64 three-pointers was fifth best in the MAAC.

New Faces

Niagara welcomes seven freshmen to the Monteagle Ridge. Every freshman has earned either all-league, all-conference or all-state honors during their high school with Meghan Waterman and Ali Morris winning a state championship.

On the Court

Michigan State Spartans

The Spartans began a new era last season when head coach Suzy Merchant took over the program after eight seasons as the head coach at Eastern Michigan. The Spartans featured one of the youngest teams in the nation and finished the season 23-14 and 13-5 in the Big Ten. The 2008-09 team returns nine letterwinners and every starter from last season’s squad that went to the Big Ten semifinals and lost in the WNIT Championship Game versus Marquette.

Junior center Allyssa DeHaan is the key player of the Spartans. The 6-9 center, who was named to the 2007-08 First-Team All-Big Ten, broke her own Big Ten block record with 150 and is one of 30 players named to 2008-09 Women’s Wooden Award All-American Team and Player of the Year Trophy. 

Against the Big Ten

The Spartans will be only the second Big Ten opponent Niagara has faced.  Penn State was the previous school and the Purple Eagles are 0-2 against the Nittany Lions. The Purple and White lost 116-48 at State College, Pa. on January 12, 1992 and fell 83-56 on December 21, 1993.

For complete game notes click here.