Rivalry Week Continues For NU

Niagara continues its eight-game road trip on Saturday when its faces Little 3 rival the St. Bonaventure Bonnies for a 4 p.m. tipoff. The Purple Eagles have won seven straight in the series.

Niagara has recently dominated the series that began during the 1920-21 season. The Purple Eagles used  a memorable second half comeback to top the Bonnies, 77-71, in last season’s contest at the Gallagher Center in the 150th meeting between the programs. The 150 meetings are the second most with on opponent behind Canisius (168).

Ready for Action

s Niagara continues its eight-game road trip this week. The trip began with three games in the Legends Classic in Detroit on Nov. 26 and will conclude in Connecticut on Dec. 19. The road trip is the longest since the 1940-41 season (eight games).

s The Purple Eagles’ seven game win streak against the Bonnies is their longest streak since winning nine straight from 1939-45.

s Niagara is 20-2 in the last 22 games against Little 3 rivals Canisius and St. Bona.

s Senior floor general Anthony Nelson recorded a season-high in assists with 10 in Niagara’s previous game. Nelson set a career-high with 12 assists as a freshman versus St. Bonaventure. 

s Junior forward Kashief Edwards has scored in double-figures in seven out of nine games this season. Edwards ranks fifth in the conference in scoring (14.0), seventh in rebounds per game (7.3) and third in minutes per game (36.3). 

s Freshman guard Marvin Jordan leads the conference with a 2.3 assists/turnover ratio and ranks 50th in the nation.

s Niagara has never lost to Buffalo and St. Bonaventure in the same season under Joe Mihalich. The last time NU fell to both teams was during the 1996-97 season.

How To Tune In

Fans can listen live to all of the action, called by “The Voice of the Purple Eagles” Todd Callen, free through Yahoo! Sports live web-streaming and on WWKB 1550 AM.

Glad You’re Back

Niagara finally had its leader back on the court. Anthony Nelson, NU’s lone senior, made his season debut on Nov. 26 in the 65-61 win over Bowling Green in the Legends Classic. Nelson missed the first three games of the season due to an injury.

Nelson immediately made an impact to the Purple Eagles offense. On Nov. 28, he set career-highs with 31 points and 11 field goals, while tying a career-high with three 3-pointers. His 31 points were the most by a Purple Eagle since Tyrone Lewis scored 31 points at Manhattan on Jan. 31, 2009. 

Seizing the Rock

Niagara is taking care of the rock, while taking it away from the opposition. The Purple Eagles are second in the MAAC with a +1.78 turnover margin and fourth in the conference with 7.0 spg.

Season’s Greetings

Over the past three seasons, Niagara has enjoyed the holiday season during the month of December. NU compiled a 15-6 record in December from 2007-09. The Purple and White will look to get in the win column in December 2010 after dropping their first three games in the month.

Unfamiliar Territory

Niagara fell at Marist on Dec. 3 to  drop its first conference opener in four seasons and had its four-game win streak against Marist evaporate. The Purple Eagles suffered an 82-58 defeat at Iona on Dec. 5 to begin conference play 0-2 for the first time since the 2005-06 season.

On The Court

St. Bonaventure (5-2, 0-0 A-10)

Bona enters Saturday’s game with a 5-2 record, including splitting meetings with the other Big 4 rivals, Canisius (L 80-70) and Buffalo (W 76-74). The Bonnies edged St. John’s, 67-66, in their last game.

Bona has three players averaging in double-figures and is led by forward Andrew Nicholson in points (18.9 ppg) and rebounds (9.7 rpg).

Against the Bonnies (SBU leads 82-68)

Niagara trails in the all-time series, but has had the better run in recent seasons. The Purple Eagles currently have a seven-game win streak, which is their longest since they won nine straight from 1939-45. NU started the streak with a 107-98 win on Dec. 17, 2003, which snapped a 11-game skid versus the Bonnies.

Last Meeting - December 22, 2009

St. Bonaventure 71, Niagara 77

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara men’s basketball team (8-4) wanted one thing for Christmas; a second half. After falling behind by 16 points at the intermission, things looked bleak for the Purple Eagles. But a 52-point second half gave NU a 77-71 victory over Little 3 Rival St. Bonaventure (6-5) in front of a sold out ‘Taps’ Gallagher Center crowd on Tuesday

Little 3 Love

The Purple Eagles have dominated the Little 3 in recent seasons, owning a 20-2 record in the last 22 games against Canisius and St. Bona. Niagara is 7-0 against SBU and 13-2 versus the Golden Griffi ns since Feb. 12, 2003.