Niagara (1-2, 0-0 MAAC) vs. Buffalo (2-2, 0-0 MAC)

Tuesday, November 25 at 6:00 P.M. ET

The Tip-Off

Niagara takes a trip cross-town to face the Buffalo Bulls as the Big Four rivals meet in an early season match-up. The Purple Eagles are coming off of a 65-51 win over Youngstown State for their first win of the season.

Start The Clock

 - Niagara defeated Youngstown State, 65-51, for its first win of the season.        

 - Kristina Walton had her first career double-double (13 points and 11 rebounds) in the win over YSU.

 - Niagara holds an 18-10 lead in all-time meetings with Buffalo.

 - Niagara is 8-4 all-time at the Buffalo Bulls.

 - The Purple Eagles are 69-80 against Big Four rivals.

 - Niagara is 25-24 versus the MAC

Last Time Out

YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO – Niagara displayed a strong offensive performance in the first half and withstood a Youngstown State (0-3) second half rally to defeat the Penguins 65-51 on Nov. 22. Senior guard Erika Harris scored 13 points and senior forward Kristina Walton recorded a double-double in Niagara’s (1-2) first win of the season.

Seniors lead the Way to first win

Guard Erika Harris and forward Kristina Walton combined for 26 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists in the victory over Youngstown State.  Harris led the game with a season-high five assists and Walton led the game with 11 rebounds, but the two seniors made key baskets and plays to help Niagara pull away in the second half. Walton collected her first career double-double in the win, with nine of her 13 points and seven of her 11 rebounds coming in the second half.

Quick Hands

Junior forward Rachele Folino is averaging 2.3 steals per game and is tied for fourth in the MAAC. The accounting major, who completed a summer internship at the accounting firm Freed, Maxick & Battaglia in Buffalo, N.Y, tied for a game-high four steals against Michigan State.

Still going strong at the line

Niagara had an uncharatersically off night at the free-throw line. The Purple Eagles entered the game tied for second in free throw percentage and after starting the Youngstown State game 3-for-3, the Purple Eagles finished15-for-22. Jennifer McNamee is still going on strong at the line; she is 9-for-10 on the season and ranks in the top five in free throw percentage in the conference.  

Raining 3’s

Jennifer McNamee has entered the 100 3-pointer club at Niagara. The Oxford, Ohio native made her 100th career 3-pointer at 10:26 in the first half against Oakland on Nov. 16. McNamee went on to set a career-high in points (26) and 3-pointers (6) in the game. She is now tied for ninth with Ann Mimm with 105 3-pointers.

On the Court

Buffalo Bulls (2-2)

The Bulls have won their last two games after dropping their first two games of the season. The Bulls fell to the other half of the Big Four quadruplet, Canisius 69-56 and St. Bonaventure 77-58. Buffalo has posted two plus 18-point victories over Youngstown State and Delaware heading into the Niagara game. Junior Forward Kourtney Brown leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.8 points per game, while sophomore forward Jessica Fortman is averaging 8.5 boards a game.

Against the Bulls (Niagara leads 18-10)

The Purple Eagles have fair well against the Bulls in a series that started in Niagara’s inaugural season of 1974-75. Niagara won 14-straight games from 1976 to 1993 in the rivalry, but Buffalo has won the last three games. The Purple Eagles are 8-4 in roads at Buffalo.

Last Meeting – December 1, 2007, Buffalo won 61-42

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - In a hard-fought, aggressively played contest between Big Four rivals, the University at Buffalo defeated Niagara 61-42 on Dec. 1 at the Taps Gallagher Center. With the win UB improved to 4-3 on the season while the Purple Eagles saw their record drop to 2-5.  

Against the MAC

Niagara has only played five schools from the present-day Mid-American Conference (MAC). The Purple Eagles are 25-24 versus Akron, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Toledo, but majority of those games have come against Buffalo (28 meetings) and Akron (14 games). Niagara lost to Akron 82-55 last season and the last time the Purple Eagles have played a team other than Akron or Buffalo was Eastern Michigan on Nov. 27, 2004.

Against Big Four Rivals

Niagara is 69-80 versus Big Four foes Buffalo, Canisius and St. Bonaventure. NU is 22-29 against St. Bonaventure and 29-41 versus Canisius. The Purple Eagles have done well as of late against SBU and Canisius; Niagara has won three of the last five games against both teams.