NU faces SBU for 53rd time

Niagara heads to unbeaten St. Bonaventure (3-0) in a noon contest on Thursday for its first road game of the season. The Purple Eagles will travel two hours south to continue one of their longest rivalry.

Niagara and St. Bonaventure have played each other 52 times, which is the second most games versus an opponent (Canisius, 73). The series have been extremely competitive this decade and NU will look to snap a two-game losing streak to the 2009 WNIT participants.

Ready for Action

- Niagara opened the season with a thrilling overtime loss to Big Four rival Buffalo on Friday night and a 100-69 loss to Duquesne on Sunday afternoon.

- Niagara's 79 points are the most it has scored in an opener since beating the Akron Zips, 97-78, in the Gallagher Center to start the 1992-93 season. The Purple Eagles also scored the most points versus UB since Dec. 12, 2003 when they beat the Bulls at home 87-75.

- The Purple Eagles have three players averaging in double-figures - Liz Flooks (15.0 ppg), Jennifer McNamee (14.0 ppg) and Rachele Folino (12.0 ppg).

- Senior forward Jaclyn Konieczka swatted her 40th career shot in the Duquesne game to move into a tie for ninth place in Niagara history.

- St. Bonaventure holds a 30-22 advantage in the all-time series. The teams had alternated wins from 2001-07, with the home team winning each game. The Bonnies have won the last two meetings.

- NU is 4-9 in true road openers and is the latest the Purple Eagles have played their first true road game since playing St. John’s on Nov. 27, 2005 (L, 67-43).

Triplets

This season’s Purple Eagles are spearheaded by the combination of Jennifer McNamee, Liz Flooks and Rachele Folino. All three are averaging double-figures in points. Flooks leads the team with 15.0 ppg and is tied on the team in rebounds with 6.5. McNamee is second on the team with 14.0 ppg and Folino is averaging 12.0 ppg.

Strong Debut For Stroman

Freshman guard Kayla Stroman did not wait long to make an impression on Niagara fans nor its opponents. The former Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) standout had a solid debut starting at point guard for the Purple Eagles in the season opener. NU, who is starting a freshman point guard for the second-straight season, was paced by Stroman who played in 42 minutes. She finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Against Big Four Rivals

Niagara is 69-86 versus Big Four foes Buffalo, Canisius and St. Bonaventure. NU is 19-11 versus UB, 22-30 against St. Bonaventure and 29-44 versus Canisius.

On the Court

St. Bonaventure Bonnies (3-0)

St. Bonaventure is 3-0 and have won all of its game with relatively ease. The Bonnies return 10 players from last season’s team that went to the WNIT. Forward Dana Mitchell (17.7 ppg) and guard Jessica Jenkins (14.7 ppg) lead the Bonnies in scoring. The Bonnies defense has been stifling, holding all three opponents to less than 47 points, including fellow Big Four Rival Canisius in their last game.

Against the Bonnies (SBU leads 30-22)

The 52 meetings between the Purple Eagles and Bonnies are the second most games between Big Four rivals for Niagara (Canisius, 73). The series has alternated wins in the last seven meetings, with the home team being victorious in each game, until last season when the Bonnies defeated the Purple Eagles, 64-43, in the Gallagher Center. The schools used to play each other twice a season, but that trend ended in the 1994-95 season, and they have played each other at least once since the inception of Niagara’s program in 1974.  NU has not won at St. Bonaventure since Feb. 21, 1981.

Last Meeting – December 17, 2008,

St. Bonaventure 64, Niagara 43

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara women’s basketball team fell in defeat 64-43 to St. Bonaventure on the second Kids’ Day game of the year, playing in front of the first advance sellout crowd in Niagara women’s hoops history.

Against the A-10

Niagara has a 27-53 record against teams in the A-10 conference. The most opponents the Purple Eagles have played against is Big Four rival St. Bonaventure; the Bonnies hold a 30-22 advantage. Niagara’s best record versus a A-10 team is 2-1 against Saint Joseph.