Key Game For Rivals
The Niagara Purple Eagles will their third straight game on live television when they welcome the Siena Saints for a 2 p.m. tipoff on Sunday inside of the Gallagher Center. The game will be televised on Time Warner Cable.
The Purple Eagles have defeated the three-time defending MAAC champion in the last two meetings at the Gallagher Center. Niagara posted 100 points in the 2009 meeting and ended the nation’s longest win streak at 15 games with a 87-74 victory on Feb. 12, 2010.
Ready for Action
s Senior Anthony Nelson leads the MAAC in steals per game (2.7), third in minutes per game (36.0), third in assists per game (4.4) and fifth in scoring (15.0 ppg). Nelson is 11th in the nation in steals per game.
s Nelson moved into 41st place in scoring at Niagara. He needs 37 points to become the 41st member of the 1,000-point club.
s Guard Marvin Jordan is fifth in the conference and leads all MAAC freshmen with 35 3-pointers (2.2 per game).
s Jordan set a career-high with 18 points and six 3-pointers, and tied a career-high with five assists versus Rider.
s The Purple Eagles are in a midst of a six-game losing streak, their longest since the 2005-06 season.
s Niagara is 0-4 in conference play for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
s The Purple Eagles are currently the 31st youngest team in the nation according to weighted playing time.
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 15th in the nation in a single game.
How To Tune In
Sunday’s game will air live on Time Warner Cable. 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 WWKB 1520 AM. Internet listeners can listen free through Yahoo! Sports live web-streaming.
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 twice this season and set a career-high 31 points at Detroit, is fifth in the MAAC in scoring. Nelson leads the conference in steals per game, third in minutes per game and in assists per game.
Moving Up The Charts
Nelson currently has 963 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 557 assists and needs 73 to tie Cruz’s 630 assists.
Smile For The Camera
Niagara will play three straight games (Fairfield, Rider and Siena) on live tv and to start eight of its next 11 on tv. Sandwiched between games broadcast on Time Warner was a nationally-televised showdown with Rider on Jan. 7 on ESPNU from the Gallagher Center. The Purple Eagles will play another ESPNU game on Jan. 28 at Canisius and a MAACTV game versus Marist on Super Bowl Sunday from the Gallagher Center.
Youth Is Measured
The 2010-11 Purple Eagles are the 31st 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.
On The Court
Siena Saints (5-9, 2-2 MAAC)
Siena enters Sunday’s game with a 2-2 mark in conference action after an overtime defeat to Canisius on Friday. Preseason Player of the Year Ryan Rossiter is averaging in double-digit in scoring (18.6 ppg) and rebounds (13.4 rpg) to lead the Saints.
Against the Saints (Niagara leads 42-41)
Niagara and Siena have combined to win five of the last six conference tournaments, including meeting in the 2007 and 2009 MAAC Championship games. Niagara has won the last two meetings at home versus Siena.
