NU Ends Eight-Game Road Trip

Niagara will conclude its eight-game road journey with a Sunday afternoon meeting with the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils.

NU is out to end its road trip in the same fashion it started: with a win. The Purple Eagles won the first game of the road trip versus Bowling Green in Detroit for their second straight win of the season. NU is in search of its second straight win on Sunday after last Saturday’s victory at Little 3 rival St. Bonaventure.

The Purple Eagles’ final game of the road trip is against a team they have won the last two meetings against. NU defeated CCSU in the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons and the Purple Eagles advanced to postseason play in each season (NIT Second Round in 2004 and NCAA First Round in 2005). 

Ready for Action

s Niagara will complete its eight-game road trip on Sunday. 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 Niagara was 18-for-19 at the free throw line in the win at St. Bonaventure. The 94.7 free throw percentage ranks tied for 11th in the nation in a single game.

s The Purple Eagles are currently the 26th youngest team in the nation according to weighted playing time.

s Senior Anthony Nelson moved into 48th place in scoring at Niagara. He needs nine points to surpass Bill Smyth and former teammate Bilal Benn for 46th place.

s Junior forward Kashief Edwards has scored in double-figures in eight out of 10 games this season. Edwards ranks fifth in the conference in scoring (14.0) and second in minutes per game (36.5). 

s Fifth-year assistant coach Phil Martelli Jr. began his coaching career at Central Connecticut State during the 2003-04 season.

s Niagara is 39-26 versus teams from the Northeast Conference and is 44-28 all-time versus teams from Connecticut.

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.

Free-For-All

Niagara had one of its best free throw shooting performance in recent program history and it came against one of its oldest rival.

The Purple Eagles were 18-for-19 (94.7%), including making 15-straight, in their 69-61 win over St. Bonaventure on Dec. 11. The single-game free throw performance ranks tied for 11th in the nation this season.

Youth Is Measured

The 2010-11 Purple Eagles are the 26th youngest team in the nation according to a weighted measuring system on KenPom.com. The metric measures the average years of Division I experience weighted by playing time.

Niagara entered the season among 50 out of 347 teams with 11 years or fewer DI experience.

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 +2.70 turnover margin and third in the conference with 7.2 spg.

Little 3 Love

The Purple Eagles have dominated the Little 3 in recent seasons, owning a 21-2record in the last 23 games against Canisius and St. Bona. Niagara is 13-2 versus the Golden Griffins since Feb. 12, 2003 and extended its winning streak to eight games over St. Bonaventure with a 69-61 win on Dec. 11.

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 are 1-3 in December this season and will play three more games before New Year’s.

Lockdown D On Bonnies

The Purple Eagles held Bona to 19 field goals on 33.3 percent shooting and 10 assists; all were season-lows for an opponent against Niagara. Bona’s 26 first half points were the fewest allowed since Nov. 11, 2009 versus UCF (21).

On The Court

Central Connecticut State (4-5, 1-1 NEC)

After winning four of their first five games of the season, the Blue Devils are in a midst of a four-game losing streak. CCSU is 1-1 against opponents on NU’s schedule this season (UMBC and Albany).

Junior forward Ken Horton leads the team in scoring (14.3) and rebounds (7.9 pg), while senior guard Shemick Thompson is second on the scoring (13.1) and leads the team with 3.8 assists per game.

Against the Blue Devils (NU leads 2-1)

Niagara is 2-1 versus CCSU in a series which started during the 2001-02 season. The Purple Eagles fell in the first-ever meeting between the programs, but have won the last two meetings. In those seasons, NU advanced to postseason play.

Last Meeting - November 22, 2004

Central Connecticut 53, Niagara 74

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University men’s basketball team closed Monday night’s non-conference game against Central Connecticut State with a 27-6 run to pick up the 74-53 win at the Gallagher Center.

Against The Nutmeg State

Niagara has an impressive 44-28 record all-time against teams hailing from Connecticut. NU has winning records versus CCSU, Fairfield, UConn and Yale.