NU Back On Road At Familiar Site

The Niagara Purple Eagles head back on the road to play the Drexel Dragons for a 7 p.m. start on Tuesday to begin a three-game trip.

Niagara will look to get back into the win column after dropping consecutive games against Northeast Conference opposition. The Purple Eagles played in their first home game in a month on Dec. 22, but will head back on the road for their last two away games of 2010 and for their first game of 2011.

Niagara has a strong basketball root in the City of Brotherly Love, beginning with Coach Joe Mihalich who played and began his coaching career at LaSalle. Niagara is 5-2 playing in Philadelphia since the 2006-07 season.  

                                    Ready for Action

s Senior Anthony Nelson leads the MAAC in minutes per game (36.4), steals per game (2.6), third in assists per game (4.6) and fourth in scoring (16.2 ppg).

s Nelson moved into 44th place in scoring at Niagara, surpassing Phil Scaffidi, in the previous game. Nelson needs 43 points to tie Tom Hemans for 43rd place.

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

s The Purple Eagles shot a season-high 48 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from behind the 3-point line versus Central Connecticut State.

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 Junior forward Kashief Edwards has scored in double-figures in 10 out of 12 games this season. Edwards ranks eighth in the conference in scoring (13.7) and fifth in minutes per game (35.2). 

s Freshman guard Marvin Jordan tied a career-high with 17 points against the Quinnipiac Bobcats in NU’s previous game.
 

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.

A Purple Homecoming

Head coach Joe Mihalich returns to Philadelphia, and he isn’t the only member of the Purple & White from the area.

Assistant coach Phil Martelli Jr. grew up in Philadelphia and played basketball at St. Joseph’s University under the direction of his father Phil Martelli.

First-year assistant coach Kyle Neptune spent the past two seasons in the Villanova basketball program, working as an administrative intern.

Anthony Nelson is from the Plainfield, N.J. area. He has totaled 19 points, 19 rebounds and 11 assists from the PG position, playing in front of his family.

Kashief Edwards played high school basketball at Imhotep Charter in Philly. He scored 20 points and had seven assists in two games in the Palestra in 2008.

Scooter Gillette played high school ball at Neumann-Goretti, where he earned Second-Team All-Catholic by the coaches and the Philadelphia Daily News. This will be his first collegiate game in his hometown.

Home Sweet Home

After eight games away from home, Niagara played its first home game since Nov. 22 when it hosted the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Dec. 22. The Purple Eagles went 2-6 during the road trip.

All-Conference Numbers For Ant

Senior Anthony Nelson is putting up all-conference numbers since missing the first three games of the season due to injury. Nelson, who has scored at 24 points this season including a career-high 31 points at Detroit, is fifth in the MAAC in scoring. Nelson leads the conference in steals per game, minutes per game and is third in assists per game.

On The Court

Drexel Dragons (8-2, 1-0 CAA)

Drexel had its six-game winning streak snapped at No. 5 Syracuse and will be playing its first home since defeating Rider on Dec. 11. The Dragons are led in scoring by Chris Fouch who is averaging 19.1 ppg off the bench. Forward Samme Givens is averaging 11.4 ppg and a conference-best 11.4 rpg and guard Gerald Colds is averaging 11.3 ppg.

Against the Dragons (NU leads 6-4)

Niagara holds a 6-4 advantage in the series that began during the 1980-81 season. The Purple Eagles have won the last three meetings, including last season’s  home opener at 8 a.m. as a part of ESPN’s 24 Hours of College Basketball Marathon.

Last Meeting - November 11, 2009

Drexel 69, Niagara 79

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - Playing in front of a national television audience as part of ESPN’s 24 Hours of College Basketball Tipoff Marathon, the Niagara men’s basketball team (1-1) defeated Drexel (0-2), 76-69. The legendary ‘Taps’ Gallagher Center was rocking, as 2,261 fans packed the venue for an 8 a.m. tip.

Mihalich in Philadelphia

Head coach Joe Mihalich started his basketball in the City of Brotherly Love as a player and assistant coach at LaSalle University. Since becoming the head coach at Niagara in 1998, Mihalich has roamed the sidelines in Philadelphia nine times.

Mihalich’s Purple Eagles played in Philadelphia four times during the 2008-09 season, going 3-1. NU won an in-season tournament, the 2008 Philly Hoop Group Classic Liberty Bracket, and defeated Drexel 67-62.

During the 2006-07 season, the last time Niagara went to the NCAA Tournament, Mihalich led the team to a 2-1 record while playing in the LaSalle Holiday Tournament.

Overall, Mihalich is 5-4 when coaching in Philadelphia as Niagara’s head coach.