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The Purple Eagles make a quick stop at home at the Gallagher Center to face cross-town rival Canisius on Saturday before heading on its final road-trip of the season next weekend. 

After sweeping Saint Peter’s for the first time since 2005-06, the Purple Eagles hope they can keep their brooms out. Niagara defeated Canisius in the first game of the series in Buffalo on Jan. 19.

To complete the sweep Niagara will rely on freshman Meghan McGuinness to continue stepping up her game.  The freshman has averaged 13.6 points per game over the last three contests, including a 22 point outburst against Saint Peter’s.
 
How To Tune In
Fans can enjoy the live video broadcast of the game on Purple Eagles All-Access with announcer Dave Universal as well as live stats on PurpleEagles.com.
 
Last Time Out...
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Niagara women’s basketball team had a double-digit lead with under four minutes remaining, but the game came down to the final seconds as Niagara held off Saint Peter’s, 54-52, on Thursday to sweep the season series.
   
With 13:04 left in the second half, Niagara (8-15, 5-6 MAAC) went on a 13-2 run, with freshman McGuinness scoring 10 of her 22 points during the run, to build a 50-35 lead over Saint Peter’s (2-19, 2-8 MAAC) with just under five minutes on the clock.
   
The Purple Eagles made enough of their free throws to stay in the lead, but the Peahens would claw their way back to cut the lead to a single point with 15 seconds remaining.
   
The Purple Eagles shut down the Peahens on their final possessions and walked away with a 54-52 win. Niagara sweeps the season series for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
 
On The Court: Canisius Golden Griffins (10-12, 4-7 MAAC)  
Canisius is in the middle of a stretch where  it has dropped five-of-seven games.  Four of the losses have come on the road to Manhattan, Fairfield, Iona, and Loyola while their only home loss in that stretch came against Niagara on Jan. 19.  Overall Canisius is 3-9 on the road this season.
   
Canisius ranks in the third in the MAAC in scoring offense with 60.9 ppg and first in free-throw percentage hitting 82.4 percent from the line.
   
The Golden Griffins are led by sophomore Jamie Ruttle.  The forward has started all 22 games and is leading the team in both points per game, with 11.1, and rebounds per game, with 5.4.
 
Battle of the Bridge
The Battle of the Bridge, the all-sports competition between cross-town rivals Niagara University and Canisius College, enters its sixth season in 2011-12.  Niagara won the innaugural Canal Cup, Canisius took the next two.  Over the past two seasons the schools have alternated wins, Niagara took the cup  in 2009-10 before Canisius won it last season.  Points are awarded to the winner of regular-season contests, except for cross country, golf and swimming and diving, which will be determined by MAAC Championship standings. The Canal Cup is awarded to the victor each year.

The name of the series a reference to the Grand Island Bridge, which each team crosses when traveling to the other’s campus. The name of the trophy is in reference to the Erie Canal, which intersects Niagara County, where Niagara is located, and Erie County, where Canisius is located.

Niagara currently has a six-point lead in the Canal Cup standings, with Canisius trailing 10.5-4.5. 

After Taking Game One
The Purple Eagles are 8-9 all-time after winning the first game of the season series with the Golden Griffins.  Niagara took the first game of this season’s series when it won  at the Koessler Athletic Center 66-60 on Jan. 19.
 
M&M Enterprises
In the Feb. 2 game against Saint Peter’s McGuinness set a career-high by scoring 22 points. The freshman was 5-for-6 from beyond the arc and went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line.  This came on the heels of setting her previous high of 13 against Rider on Jan. 27.

The Ties That Bind
The women’s basketball program at Niagara is closly bound to  its counterpart at Canisius for more  than just the long-standing rivalry.  Kendra Faustin was an assistant coach at Canisius for three seasons (2004-07) before becoming the head coach at Niagara.

In addition, Brianna Lucas, the director of basketball operations, was a four-year member of the Canisius women’s basketball program from 2006-10.  Lucas graduated from Canisius College in 2010.