Niagara Purple Eagles (2-27, 1-17 MAAC) vs. Rider Broncs (10-19, 7-11 MAAC)

Thursday, March 5 at 12:00 P.M. ET

Time Union Center

Live Video, Stats and Audio: MAACsports.com

The Tip-Off

The Niagara Purple Eagles arrive at the 2009 MAAC Tournament as the ultimate underdogs. The Purple Eagles will play in the curtain-raiser of the tournament on Thursday, March 5 at noon against the Rider Broncs.

Start The Clock

-  Niagara is 6-20 all-time in the MAAC Tournament; the Purple Eagles are 1-0 against Rider.

-  Liz Flooks was named to the MAAC All-Third Team.

-  Niagara snapped its 24-game losing streak with a 70-65 win versus Loyola on Senior Day.

-  Liz Flooks is 29th in the nation in free throw percentage (84.9 percent).

-  Rachele Folino and Flooks are 2nd and 3rd in free throw pct in MAAC games only.

-  Folino has made 14-straight free throws and 27 out of the last 28.

-  Niagara’s 95.2 (20-for-21) free throw pct. is the 19th best pct. in a game this season (Feb. 8).

Niagara and the MAAC

Niagara is 6-20 playing in the MAAC Tournament since playing LaSalle in its first-ever MAAC Tournament game on March 7, 1990. One of Niagara’s six wins has come against Thursday’s opponent, Rider, on March 3, 2005.

Niagara in the MAAC Tournament

Canisius............................................................................................................................... 0-2

Fairfield................................................................................................................................ 2-2

Iona....................................................................................................................................... 0-1.........

La Salle................................................................................................................................ 0-1

Manhattan........................................................................................................................... 0-1

Marist.................................................................................................................................... 1-0

Loyola.................................................................................................................................. 0-3

Rider..................................................................................................................................... 1-0

Saint Peter’s........................................................................................................................ 1-6

Siena.................................................................................................................................... 1-3

Total................................................................................................................................... 6-20

Last Time Out - February 28, 2009,  Niagara 38 - Canisius 65

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Niagara women’s basketball team closed out the regular season with a 65-39 loss against archrival Canisius on Saturday afternoon from the Koessler Athletic Center.

On the Court

Rider Broncs (10-19, 7-11 MAAC)

Rider has lost two of its last three games after beating the Purple Eagles on Feb. 15. All-MAAC Second Team member Tammy Myers leads the team with 14.1 points per game and is second with 5.8 rebounds.

Last Meeting - February 15, 2009, Niagara 40 - Rider 56

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The Niagara Purple Eagles struggled on offense for the second time against the Rider Broncs this season in a 56-40 setback on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Gym

Against the Broncs (lead)

Niagara and Rider played each other once in the MAAC Tournament. The Purple Eagles were victorious with a 69-46 first round win on March 3, 2005. Niagara holds a 15-12 advantage in the relatively young series with the Rider Broncs. The Purple Eagles ran off eight-straight victories from Feb. 2002-March 2005 and has won three of the last five meetings. The key number will be 60: Niagara is 14-6 when it scores more than 60 points and is 5-1 when holding Rider to less than 60.