Game Notes | Live Stats | Purple Eagles All-Access

The Purple Eagles have a chance to lock-up their first winning season and at least a fifth place finish with a win on Friday in their 7 p.m. game against the Canisius Golden Griffins.
   
Niagara (14-13, 9-7 MAAC) topped Canisius (10-17, 7-9 MAAC) in their first meeting back on Jan. 27 in downtown Buffalo by a 62-49 score.  It was the second year in a row the Purple Eagles opened up the series with a win in the Koessler Center and will be the second year-in-a-row they will try and earn a series sweep at home.  The last time NU swept Canisius was the 2009-10 season.
   
Over the last five victories, both Lauren Gatto and Meghan McGuinness averaged north of 14.0 ppg.  The junior center lead the team with 14.2 ppg with the sophomore guard close behind with 14.2 ppg.  Gatto also led the rebounding effort in that same stretch, with 6.4 rpg, while Kayla Stroman is second with 5.8 rpg but first in defensive rebounding with 25 total defensive boards. 
   
Friday will be the final regular-season meeting between these two schools in the winter season.
 
How to Tune In
Fans can watch all of the action on Purple Eagles All-Access with announcers Bob Vail and Rob Lunder.  Live stats will also be available.
 
Last Time Out
The Purple Eagles were resilient enough to overcome deficits in each half on their way to a 48-43 victory over the Manhattan Jaspers on Sunday afternoon at the Gallagher Center.
  
Niagara (14-13, 9-7 MAAC) spotted Manhattan (6-21, 3-13 MAAC) a 10-0 lead out of the gate and would see the deficit grow to 16-5 with under eight minutes played.  After trading baskets, the Purple Eagles took off on a 13-2 over seven minutes to take a one-point, 23-22, lead with two minutes left in the half.  Sylvia Maxwell contributed four points, as did Shy Britton, who finished with 14 points off the bench.  The lead would change hands three times in the final two minutes but the Jaspers went into halftime with a 26-25 advantage.
 
After the Jaspers added a point to their lead at the beginning of the second half, Meghan McGuinness hit consecutive three pointers for six of her game-high 20 points and put the Purple Eagles in front 32-28.  They would give up the lead only once, for a total of 72 seconds, before taking it back for good and would finish with a five-point, 43-48 victory.
 
On The Court: Canisius Golden Griffins (10-17, 7-9 MAAC)
Since the last time these two teams met in downtown Buffalo, the Griffs have gone 2-6 to bring their conference record to 7-9.  Their wins came against Loyola (48-39) and Manhattan (63-47).  The three losses in the last five games have been at the hands of Fairfield (56-50) and 67-56) and Iona (63-47). 
  
Three players average over 8.0 ppg for Canisius.  Ashley Durham is the only player in double-digits with 12.0 ppg.  Jamie Ruttle is second on the team with 8.5 ppg and Ashley Wilkes is third with an even 8.0 ppg this season.  Wilkes is the team’s leading rebounder, pulling down 6.3 rpg.  Ruttle is second in that category with 4.6 rpg.
 
Against the Griffs (Canisius leads 48-34)
The Purple Eagles won the first game of this season’s series and will try for its first sweep since the 2009-10 season.  Niagara was a last-second shot away from sweeping the season series in 2011-12 but instead split with Canisius. 
 
Battle of the Bridge
The Battle of the Bridge, the all-sports competition between cross-town rivals Niagara University and Canisius College, enters its seventh season in 2012-13. After Niagara claimed the inaugural competition, Canisius won the series the next two years, before Niagara claimed the Canal Cup at the end of the 2009-10 season. With the series tied 2-2, Canisius edged Niagara for the 2010-11 & 2011-12 title.
   
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 is in 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 is currently leading this season’s series, 11-10.
 
Back To The Nest
Friday is the final game of a three-game homestand for the Purple Eagles. They have already defeated Fairfield (50-39) and Manhattan (48-43) and have just Canisius left to play.  They are 9-4 in the Gallagher Center this season and 6-2 in MAAC games.  They are on a stretch that has them victorious in five of the last six games.
 
Well Acquainted
Sunday’s game will be another in a long list of matchups between these two programs.  Niagara has faced Canisius the most out of any other school in program history.  The 81 all-time meetings are far ahead of second-place St. Bonaventure (another Little Three rival) and their 56 games. 
 
6 x 3 = 18
Meghan McGuinness went 6-for-10 from beyond the arc in last Sunday’s game against Manhattan.  It was the first time a Purple Eagle hit 6 or more three’s since Jennifer McNamee hit six against Canisius on Jan. 4, 2008.
 
On This Date
The Purple Eagles have a 10-4 all-time record in games played on March 1.
 
Niagara and Canisius have played three times on March 1, with the Purple Eagles leading with a 2-1 record.  The last time they played on 3/1 was in 2008 as the Purple Eagles ended the regular season with a 65-63 overtime win.  All three games between the two teams on this date have been played in the Gallagher Center.
 
Look, Let’s Make This Easy
There are several scenarios that could lead to Niagara finishing anywhere between third and sixth in the conference, each with varying degrees of plausibility. For brevity’s sake, we’ll keep this simple.
     
If the Purple Eagles can split the weekend, they will not finish lower than fifth.  If they sweep the weekend they will be fourth.  Or, if they win and get some help from Siena topping Rider on Friday, they will be locked into fourth.
 
Standings Watch
Niagara enters Friday’s contest in fourth place in the MAAC.  A split of the final two games would guarantee at least a fifth place finish in the conference.  With a fourth place finish, the Purple Eagles would record their highest finish since the 2004-05 season when they finished third with an 11-7 MAAC record (they went 17-12 overall). 
     
The team has finished in fifth place in two of the last three years.  This year would bring that total to four out of five.  The current stretch of success comes on the heels of ninth or 10th place finishes in four-straight years.