Back To MAAC Action

Niagara resumes conference play with a road contest at the Fairfield Stags on Monday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. from the Arena at Harbor Yard. The game will be broadcast live on Time Warner Cable.

The Purple Eagles will look to start the New Year with their first conference win of the season. The series between Niagara and Fairfield has been tightly contested recently, with the Purple Eagles having a 5-4 advantage in the last nine meetings. Monday’s matchup is the rematch of the 2010 MAAC Tournament Semifinals which saw Fairfield squeak past Niagara, 69-63.

 Ready for Action

s Niagara closed out 2010 with a narrow one-point defeat at UMBC on Thursday. It was the Purple Eagles’ last non-conference game until they host an ESPN BracketBuster Game on Feb. 19.

s Senior Anthony Nelson leads the MAAC in steals per game (2.6), second in minutes per game (36.3), third in assists per game (4.5) and fourth in scoring (15.7 ppg).

s Nelson moved into 44th place in scoring at Niagara, surpassing Phil Scaffidi, in the Quinnipiac game. Nelson needs 16 points to tie Tom Hemans for 43rd place.

s Monday’s game will be the first of three contests on live television. NU will host Rider on ESPNU on Friday and Siena on Time Warner on Sunday.  

s NU will face its third team from Connecticut in its last five games. The Purple Eagles are 44-31 versus teams from the Nutmeg State.

s The Purple Eagles are currently the 29th 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.

How To Tune In

Monday’s game will be televised live on Time Warner Cable. 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 WGR 550 AM.

Smile For The Camera           

Niagara will play its next three games on live tv and eight of its next 11 on tv. Sandwiched between games broadcast on Time Warner (Fairfield on Jan. 3 and Siena on Jan. 9) is a nationally-televised showdown with Rider on Jan. 7 on ESPNU at 9 p.m. from the Gallagher Center.

Calvin Murphy Returning To Gally

As a part of the Legends Classic, each school selected a “legend” it would like to recognize during a game on its schedule. Niagara picked Basketball Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy (‘70) as its legend and he will be honor on Jan. 7 versus Rider on an ESPNU televised game. Other legends consist of UTEP’s Don Haskins, Michigan’s Jalen Rose, and Syracuse’s John Wallace.

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 fourth in the MAAC in scoring. Nelson leads the conference in steals per game, second in minutes per game and is third in assists per game.

Youth Is Measured

The 2010-11 Purple Eagles are the 29th 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.

Moving Up The Charts

Senior Anthony Nelson currently has 941 career points, good for 44th 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.

On The Court

Fairfield Stags (9-3, 2-0 MAAC)

Fairfield enters Monday’s game on an eight-game winning streak, its longest since the 1977-78 season. Reigning MAAC Rookie of the Year Derek Needham leads the team in scoring (12.7 ppg) and assists (5.4 apg). Senior forward Warren Edney also averages in double-figures (10.2 ppg), along with junior center Ryan Olander (10.0 ppg) who leads the team in rebounding (7.6 rpg).

Against the Stags (Niagara leads 35-22)

Niagara leads the series with Fairfield, 35-22, in the series which began during the 1965-66 season.

NU Knows This “Arena”

The Purple Eagles have won five of their last six meetings at the Arena at Harbor Yard. Niagara won three straight en route to winning the 2007 MAAC Championship when it was held at the arena. The Purple Eagles, then, defeated Fairfield at their place during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 season.

Against The Nutmeg State

Niagara has an impressive 44-31 record all-time against teams hailing from Connecticut. NU has winning records versus CCSU, Fairfield, UConn and Yale.