Matinee Showdown

The Niagara Purple Eagles will begin their conference road weekend at the Saint Peter’s Peacocks for a Saturday matinee starting at 2 p.m. from the Yanitelli Center.

Niagara will look to build on its momentum from its  69-55 win over three-time defending league champion Siena on Sunday. The win snapped Niagara’s six-game losing streak and gave the Purple Eagles’ their first conference win of the season.

The Purple Eagles have dominated the series with the Peacocks. Niagara has won six of the last eight meetings and is 4-2 at the Yanitelli Center since 2005. Niagara has not lost consecutive games at the Yanitelli Center in 12 years (lost last season).

s Joe Mihalich is 19-6 against Saint Peter’s during his coaching career, his second most victories against one school (Loyola 23).

s Niagara won its first conference game of the season with a 69-55 defeat of Siena on Sunday. The Saints’ 55 points were their lowest in the series in 15 years.

s Senior Anthony Nelson had his fourth career double-double in the win over Siena His 30 points and 10 rebounds were both one tally shy of his career-high and his career-high eight steals were the second most in program history and fourth most in the nation this season.

s Nelson’s 30-10-8 performance is only the second time that has happen in the last three seasons (Tennessee-Martin’s Lester Hudson, 2009).

s Nelson leads the MAAC and is fourth in the nation with 3.1 steals per game.

s Nelson needs 7 points to become the 41st member of the 1,000-point club. He needs three rebounds to reach 500 in his career.  

s Guard Marvin Jordan is fourth in the conference and leads all MAAC freshmen with 36 3-pointers (2.1 per game).     

s The Purple Eagles are currently the 37th youngest team in the nation according to weighted playing time.

How To Tune In

NU fans can also listen live to all the action this season from “The Voice of the Purple Eagles” Todd Callen. The matchup can be heard live on WGR 550 AM. Internet listeners can listen free through Yahoo! Sports live web-streaming.

The Anthony Nelson Show

In the win over Siena, Anthony Nelson was the lead actor en route to a dominating performance. The lone senior on the squad carried NU to a 69-55 win behind  30 points and 10 rebounds, each one tally shy of tying his career-high, for his fourth career double-double. Nelson connected on five straight 3-pointers in the second half en route to setting a career-high. He tied a career-high with nine free throws and set a personal best with eight steals which are tied for second most in program history.

30-10-8

Anthony Nelson was the number one bulletin on ESPN’s College Basketball Nation Blog “The Numbers You Need To Know” Sunday’s top performers for his 30-point, 10-rebound and eight-steal game versus Siena. The last time a player put up those numbers was Tennessee-Martin’s Lester Hudson in 2009.

Stealing Your Attention

Anthony Nelson’s eight steals versus Siena put him in a second place tie with six other Purple Eagles. Alvin Young holds the record with nine steals set on Jan. 30, 1999 versus Saint Peter’s. His career-high eight steals rank tied for fourth most in the nation this season.  His 3.1 steals per game ranks fourth in the nation.

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 three times this season and set a career-high 31 points at Detroit, is third in the MAAC in scoring. Nelson leads the conference in steals per game, third in minutes per game and fourth in assists per game.

Moving Up The Charts

Nelson currently has 993 career points, good for 41st all-time on Niagara’s scoring list.

The New Jersey native needs 232 points during the 2010-11season to become the 41st member of the Niagara 1,000 Point Club.

The point guard is closing in on Alvin Cruz’s all-time assists record. Nelson currently has 560 assists and needs 70 to tie Cruz’s 630 assists.

On The Court

Saint Peter’s Peacocks (8-8, 3-2 MAAC)

 Saint Peter’s has lost its last two games to Iona and Fairfield to drop to 3-2 in the conference. The Peacocks are last in the conference in scoring offense (54.3 ppg), but are second in scoring defense (59.6 ppg). SPC is senior laden team with the top four leading scorers all seniors, led by Wesley Jenkins (11.1 ppg). 

Against the Saint Peter’s (Niagara leads 42-26)

Niagara’s 42 wins are tied for third most against a conference opponent. The Purple Eagles have had winning streaks of 12 games (2000-05) and six games (2006-09), but were swept last season for the first time since the 2005-06 season.

Last Meeting - January 22, 2010

Niagara 65, Saint Peter’s 74

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara men’s basketball team dropped a 74-65 decision against Saint Peter’s on Friday night inside the ‘Taps’ Gallagher Center. Senior Demetrius Williamson led all scorers with a career-high 23 points.