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How We Got Here
The Niagara Purple Eagles wrap up the weekend with a home game against the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in the Gallagher Center.

After dropping Friday's tilt 56-52 to Siena, the Purple Eagles (7-7, 3-2 MAAC) have collected two losses so far in the conference season.  As of Saturday afternoon Niagara is tied in fourth-place with Canisius and Fairfield in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) while Quinnipiac (13-3; 5-0 MAAC) still occupies the top spot undefeated in conference play.

The Bobcats' most recent loss came against Florida Gulf Coast, 71-65, before going on a seven-game winning streak. Quinnipiac, who was picked to finish tied for first in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, opened conference play with victories over Siena and Fairfield. The Bobcats hold a perfect home record of 7-0 and a 6-3 record away from the TD Bank Sports Center.

Despite playing the Bobcats less than two weeks ago, these teams don't have much of a history since Quinnipiac is one of the two teams that joined the MAAC in 2013. Quinnipiac swept last season's series in the team's first two meetings ever as the Purple Eagles dropped an 84-61 decision on the road and a 93-78 contest at home. The contest on Jan. 2 was only the third meeting between the two teams.

A win on Sunday would move the Purple Eagles back over .500 overall with an 8-7 record.  A victory would set the team up nicely for next weekend's trip to Rider and Monmouth.  It would also give NU a 2-2 record in its last four games.
 
How To Tune In

• In addition to watching the broadcast on TWC SportsChannel, Purple Eagle fans can follow all of Sunday's action via PurpleEagles.com.  Fans can tune in to a live video broadcast on Purple Eagles All-Access with announcer Dave Universal and follow along with Live Stats.

 
On The Court
Quinnipiac Bobcats (13-3, 5-0 MAAC)

• The Bobcats are led by Tricia Fabbri who is in her 20th year as head coach at Quinnipiac.
• Senior forward Samantha Guastella is Quinnipiac's top scorer, averaging 12.7 points, and pulls down 6.0 rebounds per game
• Senior guard Jasmine Martin also averages double-figures for the Bobcats. Martin scores 12.6 points per contest and averages 2.7 rebounds per game.
• Graduate student and center Val Driscoll leads the team with 7.1 rebounds per game while also contributing 10.9 points per outing.

 
Against the Bobcats (Quinnipiac leads 3-0)
Last Meeting - January 2, 2015
HAMDEN, Conn. – Quinnipiac, who was picked to finish tied for first in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, defeated Niagara 80-66 in a conference contest on Friday afternoon at the TD Bank Sports Center.

 
Tipoff Tidbits

• Niagara's offense is led by senior guard Meghan McGuinness, who averages 11.6 points per game and leads the team in scoring at home with 13.0 point per contest. McGuinness has scored at least 10 points in eight of the last nine games.
• Kelly Van Leeuwen ranks third in the nation among NCAA Division I schools with a 3.3 assist/turnover ratio.
• Sunday will mark the 15th game of the season for the Purple Eagles and their eighth contest at home. NU is 4-3 at home and 2-1 against conference opponents at the 'Taps' Gallagher Center.
• Niagara had a season-high +22 rebound margin in the win over Binghamton.
• The Purple and White are coming off a 56-52 loss against Siena on Jan. 9.

 
A Win On Sunday Would...

• Give Niagara its first win over Quinnipiac.
• Boost Niagara over .500 overall with a 8-7.
• Give NU eight wins through its first 15 games for the first time under head coach Kendra Faustin.

 
Top Of The MAAC (as of Jan. 10)

• The Purple Eagles have four players in the top-30 in the MAAC in points per game.
• Meghan McGuinness is ranked 12th with 11.6 ppg while Victoria Rampado sits in the 17th spot with 11.0 ppg.
• Val McQuade is 21st in the conference with 10.6 points per game while Sylvia Maxwell is 30th with 8.6.
• Kelly Van Leeuwen ranks first in the conference with a 3.6 assist/turnover ratio.
• The Purple Eagles are second in the MAAC in scoring defense, allowing just 62.1 points per game.
• As a team, Niagara has the third best scoring margin within the conference (3.5) and the second best rebounding margin (5.1). The Purple Eagles rank second in 3-point field goal percentage (35.0 percent/ 90-for-257) and fourth in free throw percentage (69.9 percent/ 144-for-206).
• NU is also third in the conference with a 1.0 assist/turnover ratio. NU additionally ranks third in offensive rebounds (13.8 per game) and second in defensive rebounds (28.1 per game).