MAAC Opener

The Niagara Purple Eagles will start the New Year inside of the Gallagher Center against the Saint Peter’s Peahens on Sunday at 2 p.m. It will be the conference opener for both teams.

Niagara will look to put behind a tough early season start and start 2011 searching for a conference opening win for the first time since Dec. 2004. The Purple Eagles will have to overcome a Peahen squad that is also desperate for win and have controlled the all-time series.

Ready for Action

s On Dec. 22, senior Liz Flooks passed Shaunna Ambrose for seventh all-time in 3-pointers at NU. Flooks and Ambrose are the only two Purple Eagles to be named MAAC Player of the Week in the last five seasons.

s On Dec. 9, Flooks became the 21st member of NU’s 1,000-point club when she made a free throw to complete a three-point play. 

s Flooks is 10th in the MAAC in scoring (11.5) and third in free throw percentage (83.9).

s The Purple Eagles are fourth in the MAAC in steals, averaging 9.8 per contest. Meghan Waterman is sixth in the MAAC with 2.0 per contest.

s After playing in 39 straight games to start her career, Stroman has missed the last three games to due injury.

s Niagara is 9-12 in MAAC openers and is 6-5 in home MAAC openers.

s The Purple Eagles’ 34 points at Eastern Michigan were their fewest in the modern-era since losing at Wisconsin-Green Bay, 62-38, on Jan. 13, 1988.

s Niagara’s Jazmyne Frost and Saint Peter’s Aziza May were high school teammates at Charles F. Brush High School in South Euclid, Ohio.