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The Niagara Purple Eagles begin their final conference weekend with their first-ever visit to face the Monmouth Hawks on Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.

Niagara closed out its home schedule last Saturday with a heartbreaking 90-88 defeat to the second place Quinnipiac Bobcats. The Purple Eagles, who lead for 74 percent of the game, fell on a buzzer beater for the second time this season. Antoine Mason led all scorers with 31 points for his 11th 30-point game of the season. Seniors Marcus Ware and Marvin Jordan netted 15 and 14 points, respectively.

Niagara and Monmouth have split the two previous meetings with the Hawks winning the most recent encounter, 85-74, on Jan. 10 in the first meeting as MAAC opponents. 

Tipoff Tidbits
• Antoine Mason moved into fourth all-time in career scoring at Niagara on Feb. 20 after a game-high 22 points versus Fairfield. Mason is 17 points away from moving into third place.
• Mason is 13 free throws away from tying Calvin Murphy's single-season record of 242 free throws made during the 1967-68 season.
• Marvin Jordan needs 26 3-pointers to tie Tyrone Lewis ('10) for first in career 3-pointers at Niagara (290).
• Marcus Ware scored six points and had four rebounds in 16 minutes in the first meeting with Monmouth. Ware spent the previous four seasons as a member of the Hawks program.
• NU shot 57.6 (19-for-33) percent from the field in the first half against Quinnipiac on Feb. 22 which is the highest in the first half and second highest percentage in a half this season.

How To Tune-In
•  Fans can listen live to all of the action from "The Voice of the Purple Eagles" Todd Callen on ESPN 1520 AM and free online through Purple Eagles All-Access.

Mason Among Nation's Top Scorers 
•  Antoine Mason is SECOND in the nation in scoring at 25.7 points per game. He led the nation in scoring from Nov. 23-Feb. 16.
• Mason LEADS the nation in free throws made (229), free throw attempts (309), and in field goals attempts (540).
• Mason accounts for 33.6 percent of Niagara points which is second the country.
• He holds the highest scoring game in regulation in the MAAC this season (career-high 39 vs. Brown).

Scoring Machine
•  Antoine Mason has 33 straight games in double figures.
• His career-high 39 points versus Brown are tied for the 18th most in the NCAA Division I this season.
• Mason has 11 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 22 of 29 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 fourth and is 17 points away from moving ahead of Tyrone Lewis ('10) for third all-time.  

Mason Rising Up MAAC's Charts
• Antoine Mason ranks 21st all-time in career points in MAAC history with 1,833.
• Mason's 745 points are the sixth most in a single-season since the 1997-98 season and his average of 25.7 points per game are tied for fifth most during the same time span. 
• His 229 free throws made are the 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 530 in his career, is 109 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 13 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 37-24 in the month of February since the 2006-07 season, including a 23-11 mark at the Gallagher Center.
• NU had its streak of a .500 record or better during the month for six straight seasons snapped last season.
• However, Niagara is in danger of going winless in the month for the first time in modern history (post 1930s).

On The Court
Monmouth Hawks (10-19, 4-14 MAAC)
• Junior Guard Deon Jones leads the Hawks in scoring with 16.0 ppg and rebounding with 7.0 rebounds per game.
• Guard Max DiLeo is leading the MAAC in 3 point percentage, shooting 50% from beyond the arc.
•  MU, which is making its debut in the MAAC this season, has four conference wins on the season.

Against The Hawks (Tied, 1-1)
• Monmouth defeated Niagara, 85-74, in their first meeting as MAAC opponents on Jan. 10.
• Marcus Ware, who transferred to Niagara from Monmouth, scored six points to go along with four rebounds in his first meeting against his former team.
• This will be the first-ever visit to Monmouth for the Purple Eagles.

Last Meeting - January 10, 2014
Monmouth 85, Niagara 74

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara Purple Eagles dropped an 85-74 decision to newly-minted MAAC foe Monmouth on Friday night at the Gallagher Center.

So Close…Yet So Far Away
• The Purple Eagles have played several nail-biters this season, especially recently, with five of the last eight games coming down to the final minute (all defeats).
• NU has suffered four losses on the final possession at home this season, including two buzzer beaters (St. Bonaventure and Quinnipiac). The Purple Eagles fell in the final seconds against defending MAAC Tournament champions Iona and preseason favorite Manhattan.
• Niagara is 2-6 in games decided by four points or less.

Freshman Finding His Place
• Wesley Myers has averaged 9.5 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game in the last 10 games (all starts).
• Myers has set career-highs in points, assists, rebounds and minutes during this stretch.
• His career-high 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting is tied for the highest field goal percentage by a Purple Eagle this season.