It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year...Kid's Day!
The Niagara Purple Eagles and Marist Red Foxes are set to square off on Friday morning in the 2014 Kid's Day game at the Gallagher Center.
    
Niagara (4-11; 2-4 MAAC) is one of two teams with multiple players in the top-10 in conference scoring (the other is Iona).  The 1,639 children from nine Niagara Falls-area schools will get to watch junior Meghan McGuinness, who is now fourth in MAAC scoring with 17.8 ppg after averaging 25.0 ppg in last weekend's pair of games.  Chanel Johnson is eighth in the conference with 15.8 ppg in NU's six MAAC games.  Both scorers have been set up this season by Kelly Van Leeuwen who is second in the conference with 4.8 helpers per game. 
    
With both teams coming off of losses, Friday's 11:00 a.m. tilt will be a good opportunity for the Purple Eagles to get back to what earned them some success against Marist (11-5; 4-1 MAAC) in 2011-12.  The teams played three games that season, two of which went into at least one overtime.  Both overtime games featured four Purple Eagles scoring in the double-digits, including Johnson.  In the 79-77 double-overtime loss in the Gallagher Center, Niagara took the rebounding battle 42-33 and McGuinness turned in 16 points, in addition to Johnson's 10.
    
Home is where the heart has been this year for Niagara.  While the team is 3-3 at the Gallagher Center, it is scoring 75.8 ppg - as opposed to 59.0 ppg on the road.  Val McQuade has scored almost twice as much at home as she does on the road; she nets 14.5 ppg at 'Taps' and 7.9 ppg away from it.  The defense improves as well as points allowed drops from 76.3 to 72.3 to give the Purple Eagles a +3.5 point scoring margin on campus. 
    
This year's Red Foxes feature five players averaging over 10.0 ppg, led by Madeline Bent's 14.8 ppg.  Emma O'Connor is scoring at a 13.3 ppg clip and leads the team in rebounding with 6.3 rpg.  Before Monday's 73-71 loss to Iona, the Red Foxes were on a 10-game winning streak. 
 
How To Tune In
•    Purple Eagle fans can follow all of Sunday's action via PurpleEagles.com.  A live video broadcast will be provided by LCTV and an audio-only broadcast will be available with announcer Dave Universal.  Broadcasts on Purple Eagles All-Access will begin at 10:50 and fans will also be able to follow along with live stats.
 
Against the Red Foxes (Marist leads 23-13)
   The Red Foxes are on an eight-game winning streak over the Purple Eagles.  The final two matchups in 2011-12 went into at least one overtime.  The first game this season was within two points in the second half after an 18-2 run by the Purple Eagles.
 
Won't Someone Think Of The Children?!?
•  1,639 students, teachers, and faculty members from eight NF-area schools will be in attendance for Friday morning's game.
•  Niagara is 3-1 in the previous four Kids Day Games. Last season Niagara defeated Loyola and outshot the Greyhounds 40.8 percent to 31.0 percent.  NU topped Rider 69-52 last season.  Cross-town rival Canisius fell 52-49 on Kid's Day in 2010 but it was a 77-37 loss to Siena in 2011 was the  only loss in the last four years.
•  Meghan McGuinness scored 19 points in last season's Kid's Day matchup against Loyola.  As a freshman she scored 13 against Rider. 
 
It Has Been A Little While
•  The last time these teams met was in last season's MAAC Tournament semifinals, a 61-37 loss (but who was really keeping score, really?).  NU did lead for a stretch in the opening half and held the Red Foxes to 32.1 percent from the floor, but ultimately the damage had been done. 
 
So You're Saying There Is A Chance
•  Marist's loss to Iona on Monday was its first MAAC loss since Feb. 4, 2012, a 48-44 decision at the hands of the Manhattan Jaspers.
•  That being said, the last time the Red Foxes lost multiple games in a season was in 2009-10 when they lost a total of three.  The first loss that season came at the Gallagher Center (yes, this Gallagher Center) when NU fought for a 69-59 victory on Jan. 31.
•  However, to find the last time Marist lost back-to-back games you'd have to go all the way back to 2004-05 when it lost to Siena 56-50 in overtime before dropping a 52-51 decision to Saint Peter's.
 
So You're Saying There Is A Chance
•  Marist's loss to Iona on Monday was its first MAAC loss since Feb. 4, 2012, a 48-44 decision at the hands of the Manhattan Jaspers.
•  That being said, the last time the Red Foxes lost multiple games in a season was in 2009-10 when they lost a total of three.  The first loss that season came at the Gallagher Center (yes, this Gallagher Center) when NU fought for a 69-59 victory on Jan. 31.
•  However, to find the last time Marist lost back-to-back games you'd have to go all the way back to 2004-05 when it lost to Siena 56-50 in overtime before dropping a 52-51 decision to Saint Peter's.
 
National Success
•  The Purple Eagles have two players in the top-50 of a pair of national statistical rankings.
•  Kelly Van Leeuwen is 43rd in the nation with a 2.3 turnover/assist ratio.  Meghan McGuinness is 17th in three-point field goals per game (with three) and 25th in three-point field goal percentage (with 44.6 percent.)