Game Notes | ESPN3 | Live Audio | Live Stats

The No. 11 seed Niagara Purple Eagles will tangle with the third-seeded Quinnipiac Bobcats in the 2014 MAAC Tournament Quarterfinals on Saturday at 9 p.m. on ESPN3.
 
The Purple Eagles (7-25) reached the quarterfinals after holding off a late rally by the sixth-seeded Marist Red Foxes to win 78-76 on Thursday. Niagara led as much as 24 points in the second half before watching its lead trimmed to two points on three occasions in the last 1:21. NU was paced by Antoine Mason who scored a game-high 38 points, the fifth most in a MAAC Tournament game.
                      
The Purple Eagles will now face Quinnipiac (19-10) as they will be in search of their first win against the Bobcats, who have won all four meetings. NU was seconds away from claiming its first-ever win in the series on Feb. 22, but lost on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, 90-88.
 
Tipoff Tidbits
• NU is 23-22 with two titles (2005 & 2007) in 25 appearances at the MAAC Championship.
• Antoine Mason moved into THIRD all-time in career scoring at Niagara on March 2 after a game-high 20 points at Saint Peter's.
• Mason set the program's single-season free throws made record on March 6 after making a game-high 12 free throws. Mason now has 251 free throws surpassing Calvin Murphy's 242 free throws made during the 1967-68 season.
• Marvin Jordan needs 19 3-pointers to tie Tyrone Lewis ('10) for first in career 3-pointers at Niagara (290).
• Niagara shot a season-high 60 percent (27-for-45) from the field against Marist in the MAAC Tournament First Round.
 
How To Tune In
• Saturday's game will air live on ESPN3 with Doug Sherman and Rob Kennedy 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.

Mason Among Nation's Top Scorers 
• Antoine Mason is SECOND in the nation in scoring at 25.6 points per game. He led the nation in scoring from Nov. 23-Feb. 16.
•  Mason LEADS the nation in free throws made (251), free throw attempts (342), and in field goals attempts (590).
•  Mason accounts for 33.9 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 36 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 12 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 24 of 32 games this season.
• Mason has scored at least 20 points in a half nine 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 third and is 305 points away from moving ahead of Juan Mendez ('05) for second all-time.  
 
Mason Rising Up MAAC's Charts
•  Antoine Mason ranks 15th all-time in career points in MAAC history with 1,906.
•  Mason's 818 points are second most in a single-season since the 1997-98 season and his average of 25.6 points per game are fifth most during the same time span. 
•  His 251 free throws made are the MOST in a season since the 1997-98 campaign.
 
Mason Named To All-MAAC Second Team
•  Antoine Mason was selected to the All-MAAC Second Team.
•  Mason, a Preseason All-MAAC First Team selection, averaged 25.2 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game while averaging 37.5 minutes in 31 regular season games,
•  Mason was a two-time MAAC Player of the Week honoree.
 
Charity Starts At Home
•  Antoine Mason is third all-time in free throws made. Mason, who has 567 in his career, is 87 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, broke Calvin Murphy's record for most in a single season and currently has 251. Murphy set the single-season school record (242) during the 1967-68 season
•  Mason is 10 made free throws away from entering the top-25 all-time in the NCAA for a single season.
 
On The Court
Quinnipiac Bobcats (19-10, 14-6 MAAC)
• The Bobcats finished their first season in the MAAC in third place after going 14-6 in league play.
• Quinnipiac is the only team in the country that has two players averaging a double-double: All-MAAC First Teamer Ike Azotam (16.4 ppg and 10.4 rpg) and All-MAAC Second Team selection Ousmane Drame (13.8 ppg and 10.3 rpg).
• Quinnipiac leads the country in all three major rebounding categories: rebounding per game (46.0), offensive rebounds per game (17.4) and rebounding margin (46.0).
 
Against the Bobcats (Quinnipiac leads, 4-0)
• Niagara has dropped all four meetings to Quinnipiac.
• The first encounter was on December 22, 2010 when the Purple Eagles fell 88-63 at home. Exactly one year later, NU was edged at Quinnipiac 85-81.
• NU fell in the first-ever meeting as MAAC opponents on Jan. 18, before falling at the buzzer in the home regular season finale on Feb. 22.
 
Last Meeting - February 22, 2014
Quinnipiac 90, Niagara 88
 
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara Purple Eagles closed out their home schedule in dramatic fashion, falling to the second place Quinnipiac Bobcats on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, 90-88, on Saturday afternoon.
 
Versus Quinnipiac In The MAAC Tournament
• This will be the first meeting between Niagara and Quinnipiac in the MAAC Tournament as this is the Bobcats' first season as a member of the MAAC.
 
Last Exit To Springfield
• For the third straight and final season, Springfield, Mass. will be the site of the MAAC men's and women's basketball championships from March 6-10.
• The Purple Eagles are 3-2 all-time in the MAAC Tournament when held in Springfield.
 
MAAC Tournament Tidbits
•  NU has been eliminated by the last two eventual MAAC Tournament Champions (Loyola in 2012 and Iona 2013).
•  Niagara improved to 1-2 as the lowest seed in the MAAC Tournament with its win on Thursday night. The Purple Eagles lost the previous two times as the lowest seed (8th seed in 1994 and 1995).
 
MAAC Tournament Footprint
•  Antoine Mason netted 38 points, one-point shy of his career-high, in the Purple Eagles' 78-76 win over Marist on Thursday.
•  His 38 points are fifth most points in a MAAC Tournament game, and his 12 free throws and 13 field goals are tied for seventh most in a MAAC Tournament game.
•  Mason is averaging 20.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in five MAAC Tournament games. He was named to the 2013 MAAC All-Tournament after averaging 21 points per game on 42.3 percent shooting from the field and 94.4 percent (17-for-18) from the free-throw line.
 
Survive and Advance
•  A phrase that is often used during this time of the season, "Survive and Advance", stayed true to form for the Purple Eagles in their first round game.
•  The Purple Eagles led No. 6 seed Marist by 19 at halftime and as much as 24 points in the second half before withstanding a furious comeback by the Red Foxes, who cut the lead to two points three times in the final 81 seconds.
•  NU held on to win 78-76 to advance to the MAAC Quarterfinals.
 
A Good Time To Break The Skid
•  Niagara's 78-76 win over Marist in the MAAC Tournament First Round broke a 10-game losing streak, which was Niagara's longest since losing 11 straight during the 1994-95 season.
•  The Purple Eagles' last two wins have been against Marist. 
 
Shooters
•  Niagara shot a season-high 60 percent (27-for-45) from the field against Marist in the MAAC Tournament First Round.
•  The field goal percentage was NU's highest since shooting 56.6 percent vs. Northwestern State on Feb. 23, 2013.
•  The Purple Eagles shot 65.4 percent in the first half, which is the highest first half field goal percentage since shooting 71.4 percent (20-for-28) versus Howard on No. 20, 2009.