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The Niagara Purple Eagles will host archrival Canisius on Friday, Feb. 14 at 9 p.m. on ESPNU as part of ESPN's Rivalry Week.

The legendary 'Taps' Gallagher Center will be the scene for the longest current rivalry in the MAAC. After winning five straight in the series, Niagara has dropped the last two meetings to fall in consecutive meetings for the first time since 2001. Niagara hasn't been swept in the regular season series since the 1994-95 season. The Purple Eagles are 18-5 in the last 23 meetings with the Golden Griffins and have won nine of the last 10 meetings at the Gallagher Center.

Niagara is in a midst of a four-game skid, with three of the games coming down to the final minute. NU was edged in the finals seconds in the last two contests in defeats to Iona (90-89) and Manhattan (78-77).

Tipoff Tidbits
• Antoine Mason moved into fifth all-time in career scoring at Niagara on Feb. 9 after a game-high 33 points versus Manhattan. Mason is 54 points away from moving into fourth place.
• NU had two players have double-doubles (Ramone Snowden & Rayvon Harris vs. Iona) in the same game for the first time since Nov. 25, 2009 against Mount St. Mary's (Bilal Benn - 14 points & 18 rebounds, Rob Garrison – 15 points & 10 rebounds).
• Marvin Jordan, who missed the last two games due to a family emergency, averaged 20 points in four trips to Canisius, but is only averaging 3.7 points in three home meetings.
• The Purple Eagles are 10-9 all-time on Valentine's Day, including winning their last three games on this day.

How To Tune In
•  Friday's game will air live on ESPNU and on the WatchESPN app with Doug Sherman and Mo Cassara on the call.
• Fans can listen live to all of the action from "The Voice of the Purple Eagles" Todd Callen on WGR 550 AM and free online through Purple Eagles All-Access.

Top Gun
• Antoine Mason is LEADING the nation in scoring at 26.3 points per game. Mason has led the nation in scoring since Nov. 23.
• Mason LEADS the nation in free throws made (208), free throw attempts (282), field goals made (205) and in field goals attempts (462).
• Mason accounts for 34 percent of Niagara points which LEADS the country.
• He holds the highest scoring game in the MAAC this season (career-high 39 vs. Brown).
• He is SECOND in the nation in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (8.4).

Scoring Machine
•  Antoine Mason has 29 straight games in double figures.
• His career-high 39 points versus Brown are tied for the 15th most in the NCAA Division I this season.
• Mason has 10 30-point games this season, including a stretch of five straight (Nov. 21-30).
•  Mason scored at least 20 points in 11 straight games dating back to last season (snapped on Dec. 6) and has scored at least 20 points in 20 of 25 games this season.
•  Mason has scored at least 20 points in a half eight times this season, including six times in the second half (five straight from 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 fifth and is 54 points away from moving ahead of Charron Fisher ('08) for fourth all-time.  

Mason Rising Up MAAC's Charts
• Antoine Mason ranks 30th all-time in career points in MAAC history with 1,746.
• Mason's 658 points are the 17th most in a single-season since the 1997-98 season and his average of 26.3 points per game are tied for third most during the same time span. 
• His 208 free throws made are ranked sixth most in a season since the 1997-98 campaign.

Charity Starts At Home
• Antoine Mason moved ahead of Alex Ellis ('58) for third all-time in free throws made. Mason, who has 524 in his career, is 130 free throws away from tying Calvin Murphy ('70) and Juan Mendez ('05) for first place.
• Mason, the nation's leader in free throws made and attempts, is 34 free throws away from tying Calvin Murphy for most in a single season. Murphy set the single-season school record (242) during the 1967-68.

February Fever
• Niagara is 37-20 in the month of February since the 2006-07 season, including a splendid 23-8 mark at the Gallagher Center.
• NU had its streak of a .500 record or better during the month for sixth straight seasons snapped last season.

Valentine's Day Love
• Niagara has played on Valentine's Day 19 times, spanning from 1934 to 2010, and has a 10-9 record and is 8-5 at home.
• The Purple Eagles have won their last three Valentine's Day games, most recently in 2010 versus Marist at the Gallagher Center (70-51).
• Niagara lost its only previous meeting against Canisius on Valentine's Day, 78-76, in double overtime in 1987.

On The Court
Canisius Golden Griffins (16-9, 10-4 MAAC)
• Canisius is 7-3 over its last 10 games and is tied for second in the MAAC.
•  Senior Billy Baron is Canisius' leader in points per game with 23.6, good for fifth in the nation. He also leads the team in assists with 122 and steals with 40.
• Jordan Heath leads the Griffs with 55 blocks on the season. He also is third on the team in scoring with 10.6 points per game and second in rebounding with 5.8 boards per game.
• The Golden Griffins are first in the MAAC in turnover ratio with a +2.04 margin.  They also rank second in the conference in assist to turnover ratio with a 1.1 rate.

Against The Golden Griffins (Niagara leads, 100-75)
• The 175 previous meetings are the most against a single opponent in both schools' history.
• Niagara has dominated the series with its archrival recently. The Purple Eagles have won 18 of the last 23 meetings and nine of the last 10 at the Gallagher Center.

Last Meeting - January 27, 2013
Niagara 74, Canisius 87

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Niagara men's basketball team fell to rival Canisius, 87-74, on Wednesday night in the final game of its three-game road swing.

Battle of the Bridge
• The Battle of the Bridge, the all-sports competition between cross-town rivals Niagara University and Canisius College, enters its eighth season in 2013-14.
• 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 and 2012-13 titles.
• Niagara is currently trailing in this season's series, 10.5-9.5. The winner of the basketball game will receive two points.

Little 3 Business
• The Purple Eagles have dominated the Little 3 in recent seasons, owning a 26-8 record in the last 34 games against Canisius and St. Bonaventure.
• Niagara is 18-5 versus the Golden Griffins since Feb. 12, 2003 and is 8-3 against St. Bonaventure.

ESPN Love For Mason
• Antoine Mason was selected by ESPN's college basketball analyst Jay Bilas in the 4th Annual College GameDay Player Draft on Feb. 8.

Making The Grade
• Two Purple Eagles were named to the Niagara University Dean's List for the Fall 2013 semester: Antoine Mason and Emile Blackman.
• Mason, the nation's leading scoring, had a grade-point average of 3.50 in the fall semester, which was the highest on the team. Mason is majoring in finance.
• Blackman, a redshirt-sophomore who is sitting out the season due to NCAA transfer rules, had a 3.34 GPA. Blackman is majoring in communications.