The Purple Eagles wrap up the 2011-12 regular season as they host the Manhattan Jaspers on Sunday for Senior Day at the Gallagher Center.
To lock up fifth place, Niagara will have to continue scoring as a team. It has had at least three players score double digit points in four of its last five games.
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Fans can enjoy the live video streaming on Purple Eagles All-Access with announcer Dave Universal. Fans can also follow live stats on PurpleEagles.com
Last Time Out...
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara women’s basketball team controlled play from the opening tip to the final buzzer on Friday night as it topped Siena 87-66 to move into a tie for fifth place in the MAAC standngs with one game left to play.
The Purple Eagles went on a 34-7 run with the team shooting 6-for-11 from three-point range.
Meghan McGuinness made three of her four three pointers during the run while
Kelly Van Leeuwen hit two straight. Niagara went into the half up 43-15 and leading in points off turnovers, 17-4, and shooting 58 percent from beyond the arc.
Coming out of the break, Niagara bulit its lead to 33 points, 55-22, with the help of strong inside play of
Lauren Gatto. The Purple Eagles were able to build their lead to 65-29 with less than 11 minutes remaining and began to go deep into their bench.
Freshman
Gabby Baldasare a layup with just eight seconds left to give Niagara an 87-66 win.
On The Court: Manhattan Jaspers (16-13, 10-7 MAAC)
Mahattan comes to campus winning seven of its last 10 games. The three losses came against Fairfield on Jan. 27, Siena on Feb. 17, and the last time it played Niagara on Feb. 10. On the road the Jaspers are 4-4 in conference and 5-9 overall but they are 3-1 in their last four road games.
The Jaspers are led by a pair of seniors. Forward Lindsey Loutsehizer is leading the team in both points per game with 12 and rebounds per game with six.
Guard Schyanne Halfkenny is second in points per game, averaging 10.8 points per contest and tied for second in rebounds per game with 4.9.
MAAC-achusetts Scenarios
With a win against the Jaspers, Niagara can finish in fifth place in the MAAC, get a first-round bye, and play the fourth seed in the quarterfinals.
In the event of a Loyola victory over Marist, Manhattan would be the fourth seed and face the Purple Eagles in the 4/5 matchup. If Loyola loses, then they would tie Niagara at 9-9 but hold the tie breaker with a better record against Fairfield (1-1 to NU’s 0-2) and it would be a Purple Eagles vs. Greyhounds in the quarterfinals.
Scenarios do exist in the event of a Niagara loss that could place Niagara anywhere between the fifth and seventh seeds.
Oh My, [S]he’s On Fire...
Freshman point guard McGuinness is first in the MAAC in three-point field goal percentage. She has hit 47-of-105 for a 44.8 percent success rate.
McGuinness is one of only three freshman in the top 15. The other two are Kayla Hoouli of Canisius (36.9 percent) and Iona’s Damika Martinez (31.9 percent).
From The Outside...Yes!
The Purple Eagles are 32nd in the nation and first in the MAAC in three-point field-goal percentage, hitting 35.5 percent of its three point chances. In conference play that number goes up to 38.2 percent, which is still good enough for first in the conference.
The Kid Is Alright
Freshman Van Leeuwen set a pair of career and season-highs against Siena on Feb. 24. She scored 13 points, pulled in six rebounds, and hit five-of-six shots from the free-throw line.
“What’s A Rerun?” / ”You’ll Find Out.”
With a win over Manhattan, the Purple Eagles can finish fifth in the MAAC with a 9-9 record in a season where it was picked to finish last in the conference and opened the season with a loss to Big-Four rival Buffalo.
In the 2009-10 season, Niagra was picked to finish last in the MAAC and opened the season with a loss to Big-Four rival Buffalo but fought to a 9-9 record that was good enough to finish fifth in the MAAC.
