Bilal Benn

No. 23 Villanova Wildcats
2-0, 0-0 Big East
vs.
Niagara Purple Eagles
1-0, 0-0 MAAC

Details
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008 - 7 p.m.
The Pavilion (6,500)
Series Record Villanova leads, 18-10

Niagara Head Coach Joe Mihalich
Career Record - 180-123
Record vs. Villanova - First meeting
Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright
Career Record - 272-168

Broadcasts
Television
ESPNU
Digital Cable (check local listings)
DirecTV (Ch. 614)
Announcers: John Celestand & Quint Kessenich

Radio
‘The River’ 105.1 FM
Announcer: Todd Callen

 

Philadelphia Freedom

The Niagara men’s basketball team travels to Philadelphia to face No. 23 Villanova in a nationally televised contest on Wednesday night. ESPNU will bring Niagara’s Philadelphia homecoming to fans all across the nation.

The Purple Eagles have four players and two coaches from the Philadelphia region. This game marks the first of four contests that Niagara will play in Philadelphia in a 29-day span.

 

Opening Success

The Purple Eagles head into the Pavilion fresh off their opening night 79-62 victory over Towson. Niagara used an intense defensive pressure to turn an early deficit into a double-digit halftime lead.

The Purple Eagles forced 24 turnovers, collected 16 steals and picked up 13 blocks while holding the Tigers to 30.4 percent shooting from the floor.

 

3 In The Key

- The Purple Eagles last beat a ranked team in 1984, when NU bested No. 4 St. John’s 62-59. Since then, Niagara is 0-17 against ranked opponents.

- 5-foot-11 guard Tyrone Lewis leads the nation with 8.0 blocks per game.

- Niagara was ranked No. 1 in the RPI Rankings following its 79-62 opening night victory, according to realtimerpi.com.

         

Tyrone Lewis

5-foot-11 = 8 ?

Tyrone Lewis had an opening night to remember. The junior scored a game-high 20 points while setting a career high with six assists.

However, the 5-foot-11 guard raised some eyebrows with his leaping ability in the season-opening victory. Lewis blocked eight jump shots against Towson, the most ever by an NU guard. His total was one shy of the Niagara record, which was set by Joe Arlauckas in 1987.

 

Opening Deja Vu

In Sunday’s home opener, Tyrone Lewis led all scorers with 20 points and scored all 10 points in a pivotal 10-2 first-half run. The junior guard connected on a pair of transition three-pointers and back-to-back fast-break dunks in a 10-second span.

Last season, Lewis scored a game-high 26 points in the home opener in a 79-73 victory over Central Michigan. In a 2:32 minute span in the second half, Lewis went on an 11-0 run himself, with three three-pointers and a lay-up to stretch the NU lead from four to 15.

 

Weekly MAAC Talk

Tyrone Lewis picked up Co-Player of the Week, while freshman Kashief Edwards nabbed Rookie of the Week honors for their efforts in Sunday’s 79-62 win.

 

All-MAAC Praise

Junior Tyrone Lewis was named to the 2008-09 Preseason All-MAAC Second Team at MAAC Media on Oct. 28. The 5-foot-11 guard averaged 16.1 points and 2.0 steals per game in his sophomore campaign, earning second team honors at the end of the year.

The Purple Eagles were slated to finish fourth in the MAAC Standings in the coaches’ preseason poll. Siena was a unanimous choice for first place, while Fairfield and Rider were picked second and third, respectively.

 

Eagles’ Eye On Villanova

The Wildcats enter the contest ranked No. 23 in both national polls. They have won 201 games inside the Pavilion, including their last 17 home games.

Junior forward Dante Cunningham scored 31 points in Monday’s 107-68 win over Fordam. Cunningham shot 11-of-17 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the line.

Scottie Reynolds is averaging 12 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in ‘nova’s first two victories. All five starters are averaging double-figures.

 

All-Time Series

Villanova leads, 18-10

Last Meeting - Nia 61, ‘nova 52 - Jan. 5, 1976

A Niagara team, coached by Frank Layden in his final season at the helm,  defeated Villanova 32 years ago inside the Niagara Falls Convention Center.

 

Rob Garrison

Benn There

Niagara junior Bilal Benn returns to his hometown, and his former University, for Wednesday’s game against Villanova.

The guard/forward would have been a member of this year’s senior class, but opted for the Purple jersey of Niagara last season.

After sitting out the 2007-08 campaign, Benn made an impact in his Purple Eagle debut, pulling in 11 rebounds, seven on the offensive side while picking up three steals, two assists and a pair of blocks.

 

A Purple Homecoming

Head coach Joe Mihalich returns home for the first of four contests in Philadelphia, and he isn’t the only member of the Purple & White from the area.

Assistant coach Phil Martelli Jr. grew up in Philadelphia and played basketball at St. Joseph’s University under the direction of his father Phil Martelli.

Bilal Benn returns to the Pavilion to help take on his former mates. Tyrone Lewis is from Levittown, a Philadelphia suburb. Kashief Edwards played high school basketball at Imhotep Charter in Philly, while Anthony Nelson is from the Plainfield, N.J. area.

 

Defensive Effort Spurs Victory

The Purple Eagles used a speedy defense to create havoc in the season opening victory over Towson. Niagara forced 24 turnovers, picked up 16 steals, had 13 blocks and held the Tigers to 30.4 percent shooting from the floor.

The defense was the key in two pivotal first-half runs. In a 15-3 run over a 8:11 span when Niagara took the lead for good, the Purple Eagles held Towson to 1-of-15 shooting and forced eight turnovers.

Later in the half, Niagara put together a 10-2 run that put the game away. Tyrone Lewis connected on a pair of transition three-pointers and the defense forced a pair of turnovers in 10 seconds that led to back-to-back fast-break jams for the junior guard.

 

Niagara vs. Ranked Opponents

The Purple Eagles last victory over a ranked opponent came on Dec. 15, 1984, when NU defeated No. 4 St. John’s inside the Niagara Falls Convention Center.

Joe Arlauckas, in his sophomore season, led the Purple Eagles to the upset victory over their Vincentian brothers with 20 points and six rebounds.

That season, the Pete Lonergan led Purple Eagles finished the season 16-12.

Since then, the Purple & White are 0-17 when facing a ranked foe. Niagara owns a 12-75 record against ranked opponents.

 

Garrison Enjoys Home Debut

Junior Rob Garrison returned home to play his final two collegiate seasons at Niagara University. In his first game in front of the home crowd, the guard scored 14 points and handed out a team-high seven assists.

 

Big Ben-son

Senior center Benson Egemonye recorded his fifth career double-double in the Towson victory on Sunday. Despite playing in just 22 minutes due to foul trouble, the center pulled in a career-high 16 rebounds, seven on the offensive side of the court, to go along with 14 points.

Last year, the 6-foot-10 big man totaled 185 boards while reaching double-digits in seven contests. He had 99 offensive rebounds, grabbing five or more nine times.

 

Making A Point

Anthony Nelson was one off his career-high in points with 13 markers in the season opener. He also had six rebounds.

Last year, Nelson totaled 149 assists, a total that ranks second all-time among NU rookie guards. On three different occasions, the rookie posted multiple-assist, zero-turnover games, including a nine-assist effort against Loyola in February and a six-assist game against Canisius in the regular season finale.

Unprecedented Television Coverage

Niagara basketball will have the best television package in the school’s history this season.

The Niagara Sports Network will televise four contests this season (Sunday’s season opener, at South Florida on Dec. 14, at Drexel on Dec. 18 and at Iona on Feb. 2). The Purple Eagles will also have four other games on national television.

The Villanova contest (Nov. 19) is one of two games to air on ESPNU. The Feb. 27 home matchup with Siena is the other. ESPN2 will broadcast the Valentine’s Day date at Fairfield. Niagara’s first game against Siena will air on MAACTV.

Numerous other contests will be picked up locally through Time Warner Cable and LCTV.

 

Web Streaming

For the second-straight season, fans can catch all the Niagara basketball action over the internet. Every contest can be heard through Yahoo! Sports and all home contests and select away games can be seen through B2Networks. You can follow it all at www.PurpleEagles.com.