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The Niagara Purple Eagles will play the Western Carolina Catamounts on Friday at 5 p.m. as they continue action in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

Niagara (1-2) staged a remarkable second half comeback against the USC Upstate Spartans on Thursday night. The Purple Eagles slashed a 26-point second half deficit down to four points with 1:45 remaining, before eventually falling 83-74. The second half charge was led by captains Antoine Mason and Marvin Jordan, who combined for 32 second half points. Mason finished with a game-high 31 points for his second 30-point of the season.

The Purple Eagles now turn their attention to Western Carolina (3-3), which lost to the subregional host Kent State, 72-59, on Thursday night.

Tipoff Tidbits
• Antoine Mason was named MAAC Player of the Week on Nov. 18 for the first time in his career after netting 25 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field and 7-for-11 at the free-throw line in the win over Buffalo. Mason was also named College Sports Madness MAAC Player of the Week.
• Antoine Mason is SECOND in the nation in scoring with 30.0 points per contest and is FIFTH in the nation in percentage of possible minutes played.
• Marvin Jordan became the 44th member of Niagara's 1,000-point club on Nov. 21  in Niagara's game versus USC Upstate. Jordan made his 219th career 3-pointer to reach 1,000 points. Jordan is tied with Lorenzo Miles for second place in career 3-pointers (220).
• Rayvon Harris and Cameron Fowler each set career-highs in scoring with eight and five points, respectively, against Upstate. Harris made a career-best six free throws and Fowler also had career-highs with two steals and a game-high six assists.

How To Tune-In
• Fans can listen live to all the action from "The Voice of the Purple Eagles" Todd Callen on ESPN1520 AM and free online through Purple Eagles All-Access.

Mason's Hot Start To The Season
• Antoine Mason's start to the season ranks him among the top in the nation in a few categories
• Mason is averaging 30 points per game through the first three games of the season, including two 30-plus games.
• His 30 points per game has him on pace to finish in the top-3 in Niagara's single-season scoring average with Naismith Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy.
• Mason has scored at least 20 points in his last six games, dating back to last season.
He has played in 96.7 percent of minutes played which is fifth in the nation.

Jordan Joins 1,000-Point Club
• Senior Marvin Jordan became the 44th member of the 1,000-Point Club at Niagara University on Nov. 21.
• Jordan drained a 3-pointer during Niagara's rally against USC Upstate for his 1,000th career point
• Jordan joins backcourt teammate Antoine Mason as the only current players with 1,000 points.

Getting To The Line…And Making It Count
• The Purple Eagles are ninth in the nation in team free throw rate (69.3) according to KenPom.com.  The free throw rate captures a team's ability to get to the free-throw line:  free throw attempts divided by field goal attempts.
• Ramone Snowden has scored 18 of his 26 points from the charity stripe, including sinking a career-high nine free throws on 10 attempts against Buffalo.
• Snowden ranks FIRST in the nation with a 218.2 free throw rate (100*FTA/FGA), according to KenPom.com. The free throw rate measures a player's ability to get the line relative to how often he attempts to score.
• 34.9 percent of Niagara points are from the free-throw line, which is THIRD the nation.

On The Court
Western Carolina Catamounts (3-3, 0-0 SoCon)
• The Catamounts are 3-3 on the season with wins over Wittenberg, UNC Asheville and Liberty.
• WCU has three players averaging double figures in Trey Sumler (13.0 ppg), James Sinclair (11.8) and Tom Tankelewicz (11.3 ppg).

Against The Catamounts (First Meeting)

Last Meeting - First Meeting

Against The Southern Conference
• Niagara has only faced two teams from the current SoCon (Furman and Appalachian State)
• All four wins have come against Appalachian State.
• The Purple Eagles' last meeting with a SoCon team was Appalachian State on Nov. 22, 2008 (won 95-80).

In-Season Classics
• Niagara is 14-16 participating in classics since the 2006-07 season.
• NU won the 2008 Philly Hoop Classic and the 2007 Cable Car Classic in Santa Clara, Calif.
• The Purple Eagles have faced teams like Auburn, Oregon State, Villanova and Missouri during this stretch.
• NU hosted its first-ever in-season classic at the Gallagher Center last season.

About The Coaches vs. Cancer Classic
• The Coaches vs. Cancer Classic (cvcclassic.com) is one of the most prestigious early-season college basketball tournaments. Twelve schools will compete in the event, with four of those teams serving as regional hosts. Regional round action takes place November 9-18, 2013 with the four hosts advancing to the championship rounds on November 22-23, 2013 at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The remainder of the field will participate in a round-robin series at one of two sub host sites.
• The Coaches vs. Cancer program (www.coachesvscancer.org) is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society (cancer.org) and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC.org) that empowers basketball coaches, their teams, and local communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer.