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Play 4Kay
The Niagara Purple Eagles look to boost their three-game winning streak on Friday night when they face the Monmouth hawks at 6:00 p.m. in the Gallagher Center.

Niagara (12-13, 8-8 MAAC) is coming off a 70-65 victory over the Marist Red Foxes. The Purple Eagles have won four of their last five games and have enjoyed two of their best three-point shooting performances of the season. NU shot 8-for-14 (57.1 percent) from beyond the arc against Marist and 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) against the Stags. Niagara currently ranks 10th in the NCAA with a 37.6 three-point field goal percentage.

Overall, Niagara's offense is led by senior guard Meghan McGuinness and sophomore forward Victoria Rampado. McGuinness averages 13.0 ppg while Rampado is scoring 12.7 ppg for the Purple Eagles.

The Hawks (10-15, 6-10 MAAC) are coming off a 64-56 victory against Saint Peter's before falling to Rider and Siena. Sarah Olson and Helena Kurt are the players to watch for the Hawks. Olson is averaging 12.3 ppg and 3.5 rebounds per game while Kurt averages 9.4 ppg and 4.4 rpg. Christina Mitchell lead the team in rebounds with 6.9 rpg while also contributing 6.3 points per outing.

The Purple Eagles won the first two meetings against Monmouth last season but dropped  a 66-62 decision in the 2014 MAAC Championship First Round.. Sunday's game will be the fifth time these teams will face each other as Niagara took a 59-45 decision earlier this season.  Monmouth joined the MAAC in the summer of 2013.

Friday is the team's annual Play-4-Kay game. Play 4Kay will be occurring nationwide from Feb. 13-23, the purpose of which to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. Pink ribbons will be sold at the game for $1 and fans are encouraged  to make a donation to the American Cancer Society.
 
How To Tune In

• Purple Eagle fans can follow all of Friday'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
Monmouth Hawks (10-15, 6-10 MAAC)

• The Hawks are led by Jenny Palmateer who is in her 4th year as head coach at Monmouth.
• Junior guard Sarah Olson is Monmouth's top scorer, averaging 12.3 points, and pulls down 3.5 rebounds per game
• Sophomore guard Helena Kurt is the Hawks' next leading scorer for Monmouth. Kurt scores 9.4 points per contest and averages 4.4 assists per game.
• Sophomore forward Christina Mitchell leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game while also contributing 6.3 points per outing.

 
Against the Hawks (Niagara leads 3-1)
Last Meeting - January 18, 2015
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The Purple Eagles got 13 points from Meghan McGuinness, Taylor McKay and Kaylee Stroemple in their 59-45 victory over the Monmouth Hawks on Sunday afternoon.
 
Tipoff Tidbits

• Niagara's offense is led by senior guard Meghan McGuinness, who averages 13.0 points per game. The Lincroft, N.J. native has scored at least 10 points in 20 of the last 23 games.
• Sophomore forward Victoria Rampado, also averages double-figures with 12.7 points per outing and a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game.
• Friday will mark the 26th game of the season for the Purple Eagles and their 13th contest at home. NU is 5-7 at the Gallagher Center and 3-5 against conference opponents at home.
• NU had a season-high +22 rebound margin in the win over Binghamton.
• Niagara's bench has outscored its opponents bench by a combined 307-263 in their 16 conference games.
• NU has a 10-3 record this season when leading at halftime.
• Victoria Rampado is averaging 14.0 ppg in conference match ups while Meghan McGuinness averages 13.5 ppg in MAAC contests.

 
A Win On Friday Would...

• Give Niagara a 4-1 lead in the series against Monmouth.
• Boost Niagara over .500 with a 9-8 conference record.
• Push NU to a four-game winning streak.

 
McGuinness Earns Capital One Academic All-District Honors

• On Feb. 5, senior Meghan McGuinness was named to the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-District Women's Basketball First Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.