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The Niagara Purple Eagles, winners of two straight, will renew their rivalry with Little 3 foe St. Bonaventure on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. at the Gallagher Center.

The Purple Eagles (3-8) and Bonnies (7-4) will play each other for the 153rd time on Saturday, with the visitors holding an 84-68 advantage. Niagara has won eight of the last 10 encounters, but will be in search of snapping a two-game skid against the Bonnies. NU was edged 80-75 in last season's meeting in Rochester, N.Y. and was clipped 72-70 in the last meeting at the Gallagher Center on Dec. 30, 2011.

For the first time this season, Niagara has won consecutive games (Saint Peter's and Davidson). The Purple Eagles held Saint Peter's and Davidson to 36 percent shooting from the field to improve to 3-0 when holding opponents to under 40 percent. Niagara also unveiled a new starting lineup beginning against Saint Peter's which featured the addition of Tahjere McCall, Joe Thomas and Rayvon Harris to the lineup.

Tipoff Tidbits
• Niagara is 26-6 in the last 32 games against Little 3 rivals Canisius and St. Bonaventure.
• Joe Thomas is averaging three blocks per game in the last three games, including swatting a career-best four against Siena.
• Niagara shot a season-high 40 percent (6-for-15) from 3-pointers and had its second highest assists game (13) versus Davidson.
• The Purple Eagles forced a season-high 21 turnovers and allowed a season-low 56 points in their win over Saint Peter's on Dec. 8.
• Niagara's 16 steals against Saint Peter's were the most since getting 17 against Norfolk State on Dec. 29, 2009.

How to Tune In
• Saturday's game will be broadcast live by Time Warner Cable SportsChannel with Ben Wagner and Brendan McDaniels  on the call.
• 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.

Top Gun
•  Antoine Mason is LEADING the nation in scoring at 28.6 points per game.
•  Mason LEADS the nation in field goals made (97) and field goals attempts (222).
•  Mason has seven 30-point games this season, including a stretch of five straight (Nov. 21-30).
•  Mason has 15 straight games in double figures.
•  Mason scored at least 20 points in 11 straight games dating back to last season. The streak was snapped on Dec. 6 versus Siena.
•  His 28.6 points per game has him on pace to finish in the top-4 in Niagara's single-season scoring average.
•  He holds the two highest scoring games (career-high 35 vs. Western Carolina & Saint Peter's) in the MAAC this season.
•  Mason has played in 93.4 percent of minutes played which is NINTH in the nation.
•  Mason has scored at least 20 points in the second half in six games, including five straight (Nov. 21-30).

Mason Quickly Moving Up NU All-Time Scoring List
• Antoine Mason entered the top-20 all-time scorers list at Niagara on Nov. 30.
• Mason, who started the season 38th on the list, is currently 13th and is 54 points away from moving ahead of Niagara University Hall of Famer Marshall Wingate ('72) for 12th all-time.  

Second Half Team
• The Purple Eagles have surged in the second half this season, including second half comeback wins over Saint Peter's and Davidson.
• NU holds a +1.7 scoring margin in the second half.
• The Purple Eagles are outshooting teams from behind the arc with 28 3-pointers to 19.
• NU also has a +3.1 turnover margin and a 53-28 advantage in steals. 

Defense Clamps Down On Davidson
• Niagara strung together its second straight defensive gem in the 83-72 win over two-time defending SoCon champion Davidson on Dec. 11 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, N.Y.
• Held Davidson to below its season averages in field goal percentage (36 percent) and 3-point percentage (20 percent).
• The 36 field goal percentage is the second lowest allowed by Niagara this season and the 20 percent 3-point percentage is the lowest.

Stealing A Victory
• Niagara accumulated 16 steals in its comeback win against Saint Peter's on Dec. 8.
• The 16 steals are the most since getting 17 against Norfolk State on Dec. 29, 2009 and are the most by a MAAC team this season.
• Antoine Mason and Rayvon Harris set personal-bests with five and three steals, respectively, while Cameron Fowler and Ramone Snowden each tied career-highs with three and two, respectively.
• The Purple Eagles forced a season-high 21 turnovers which led to a 22-5 points off turnover advantage and allowed a season-low in points (56).

Microwave Marvin Heating Up
• Marvin Jordan is averaging 12.0 points per game while shooting 35 percent from behind the arc, 38 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free-throw line in the last five games.
• Jordan scored a season-high 19 points at Northwestern State on Nov. 30 and drained a season-high four 3-pointers against Arkansas State on Dec. 2.
• Jordan was second on the team in scoring with 17 points, shared game-high honors in assists with four and grabbed a game-high three steals in the win over Davidson on Dec. 11.

Ware's Double-Double
• Marcus Ware recorded his first career double-double in Niagara's setback at Northwestern State on Nov. 30.
• Ware, who had 18 points and nine rebounds in the first half, finished with a season-high 20 points and career-high 11 rebounds. 
• It was the first double-double of the season by a Purple Eagle and first since Ameen Tanksley vs. Iona on Jan. 13, 2013

Getting To The Line…And Making It Count
• The Purple Eagles are NINTH in the nation in team free throw rate (57.4) 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.
• 30.3 percent of Niagara points are from the free-throw line, which is FIFTH the nation.
• NU is THIRD in the nation in free throws made (263) and free throws attempts (378).
• Antoine Mason is THIRD in the nation in fouls drawn per 40 minutes, according to KenPom.com.
• Mason, who is averaging 12.5 trips to the charity stripe, has made at least six free throws in every game this season. 

On The Court
St. Bonaventure Bonnies (7-4, 0-0 A-10)
• The Bonnies have split their last four games, most recently falling at Wake Forest on Tuesday.
• Three players are averaging in double figures, led by Matthew Wright (16.5 ppg) who is eighth in the conference in scoring.
• Bona leads the Atlantic-10 in rebounding margin (+6.4).

Against The Bonnies (St. Bonaventure leads, 84-68)
• Niagara trails in the all-time series, but has won eight of the last 10 meetings.
• The Purple Eagles won eight straight games in the series before falling at home on Dec. 30, 2011.
• Niagara holds a 72.8 to 71 points per game average advantage in the last four games (split last four meetings).

Last Meeting - November 24, 2012
Niagara 75, St. Bonaventure 80

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A couple of last-minute free throws denied the Niagara Purple Eagles a win over Little 3 rival St. Bonaventure, 80-75, on Saturday at the Blue Cross Arena.

Against The Atlantic-10
• Niagara is 109-151 all-time against the Atlantic-10.
• The Purple Eagles have played the Bonnies the most (152) with La Salle coming in second at 47 meetings (17-30).
• The last time NU faced a team from the A-10 other than Bonaventure was Rhode Island in the 2009 NIT First Round (lost 68-62).