The Niagara Purple Eagles continue their stretch of three games in five days on Thursday, January 28 at 7:30 p.m. with their first meeting of the season with the Marist Red Foxes from the McCann Center on ESPN3.

How To Tune In
•  The game will air live on ESPN3 with Doug Sherman and Rob Kennedy on the call.
•  Listen live on the Niagara Sports Network via AM 1400 WWWS or PurpleEagles.com/Watch with Todd Callen, the Voice of the Purple Eagles, on the call.

Scene Setter
• The Purple Eagles and Red Foxes will meet for the first time this season in a series which has been tightly contested recently.            
• Five of the last six meetings have been decided by less than six points; the teams have split the last six encounters.   
• The Purple Eagles have only one win in their last five visits to Marist (February, 15, 2013 – 57-54).
 
Tipoff Tidbits
•  Niagara began a stretch of three games in five days on Tuesday with an 82-70 defeat to the Siena Saints at the Gallagher Center. After playing at Marist on Thursday, the Purple Eagles will visit Quinnipiac on Saturday.
•  Niagara is third in the MAAC in overall scoring defense (70.4) and is on pace for its lowest points per game allowed total since the 2009-10 season (69.4).
•  Through 10 league games, the Purple Eagles are second in the MAAC in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.327) and in scoring defense (67.6).
•  Niagara made a season-high 27 free throws and shot 81.8 percent from the free-throw line for its second highest percentage of the season against Siena on January 26. Matt Scott and Emile Blackman each set career-highs with 13 and eight, respectively.  
•  Matt Scott is averaging 24 points per game while shooting 89.2 percent (33-for-37) from the free-throw line in the last three games. Scott has set a new career-high in free throws in three straight games.
•  Matt Scott is tied for seventh in the MAAC in scoring with 15.8 per game, sixth in rebounds with 6.8 per game, and fourth in steals with 1.6 per game.
•  Matt Scott (31) and Emile Blackman (23) combined for 54 points as the duo scored at least 20 points in the same game three times this season.
 
13 Going On 31
•  Matt Scott led all scorers with a career-best 31 points against Siena on January 26.
Scott's 31 points are the most by a Purple Eagle since Emile Blackman's 32 points at Quinnipiac on February 8, 2015.
•  Scott became the 10th player in the MAAC with a 30-point performance
•  Scott also set a career-high in free throws, going a perfect 13-for-13, which are the most by a Purple Eagle this season.
•  It is the highest free throw percentage in the MAAC this season and the highest by a Purple Eagle since Charron Fisher went 14-for-14 at Saint Peter's on January 25, 2008.

On The Court
Marist Red Foxes (4-14, 1-8 MAAC)
•  Marist is currently on an eight-game losing streak, including seven straight to MAAC opponents.
•  The Red Foxes get most of their scoring from two players, redshirt-junior guard Khallid Hart (22.5 ppg) and freshman guard Brian Parker (16.9).
•  Hart leads the MAAC and is ninth in the nation in scoring, and leads the conference in 3-pointers and minutes played. Parker is the reigning MAAC and ECAC Rookie of the Week.
 
Against the Red Foxes (Niagara leads, 24-18)
•  Niagara has won 10 of the last 16 meetings in the series with each team splitting the last eight meetings.
•  The Purple Eagles were swept last season for the first time in series history.
•  Niagara is 6-12 all-time at Marist, including winning two of the last six trips.
 
Last Meeting - February 6, 2015
Niagara 61, Marist 63

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Niagara Purple Eagles were within seconds of their second straight MAAC win before falling on a 3-pointer with four seconds left to the Marist Red Foxes, 63-61, on Friday night.