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Game 10
Niagara Purple Eagles (2-7, 1-1 MAAC) vs. Norfolk State Spartans (2-7, 0-0 MEAC)
Saturday, December 10 – 3:00 p.m.
Frank and Barbara Layden Court at the Gallagher Center
Time Warner Cable SportsChannel – David Miller and Mark Collins
Radio: WGR 550 AM – Todd Callen
Internet: Niagara Sports Network

The Niagara Purple Eagles return to the Gallagher Center to face the Norfolk State Spartans on Saturday, December 10 at 3 p.m. as a part of men's basketball alumni weekend.
 
Scene Setter
•  The Purple Eagles return to the Gallagher Center for their third home game of the season and only home game in December.
•  Seven of Niagara's first nine games were on the road, including a recent four-game road trip.
•  Niagara is 1-1 at home this season. NU was edged by Big 4 rival Buffalo in the season opener, and dominated Drexel, 93-74, on Nov. 23 to record its first win of the season.
 
Tipoff Tidbits
•  Matt Scott is second in the MAAC in scoring and seventh in rebounding and assists. He leads the MAAC and is 25th in the nation in free throws made (52).
•  Matt Scott recorded his seventh double-double, and first of the season, with 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds at Marist on December 2.
•  Kahlil Dukes is the only Purple Eagle to score in double figures in every game, including a career-high 23 points at North Texas.
•  Kahlil Dukes is seventh in the nation in free-throw percentage (.962).
•  Dominic Robb leads the MAAC and is 32nd in the nation with 2.2 blocks per game while also leading the MAAC and is 27th in the nation in total blocks (20). 
•  Freshman Shane Gatling is averaging 17 points per game, while shooting 55 percent from the field, 50 percent from the 3-point line and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line, in the last two games. Gatling set career-highs in points in consecutive games with 13 at Iona followed by 18 at Kent State.
•  The Purple Eagles lead the MAAC in free throws made (158), blocks (41) and blocks per game (4.6).
 
Leading Man
•  Matt Scott leads Niagara in points per game (18.9), rebounds per game (6.7) assists per game (3.5) and steals per game (1.1).
•  Matt Scott is the only player in the MAAC to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
•  Scott's five 20-point games lead the MAAC.
 
(Almost) Perfect Dukes
•  Kahlil Dukes started the season going 20-for-20 at the free-throw line to be one of eight players in the nation to be perfect at the line before missing his first attempt at Kent State. 
•  The school record for consecutive free throws made is held by Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy who made 27 straight during the 1969-70 season.
 
On The Court
Norfolk State Spartans (2-7, 0-0 MEAC)
• The Spartans have dropped six straight games entering Saturday's meeting.
•  Redshirt Senior Wade Johnson leads the team in scoring at 20.1 per game 
•  Sophomore Alec Long was named MEAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on December 5.
•  The Spartans rank first in the MEAC in blocks per game (5.4), second in defensive rebound percentage (69.8) and third in scoring defense (72.1), field goal percentage defense (43.1), 3-point field goal percentage (36.1), opponent rebounding (35.9), rebound margin (-1.2) and defensive rebounds (24.9). 
 
Against the Spartans (Niagara leads 1-0)
•  Niagara won the only meeting between the teams on December 29, 2009 in El Paso, Texas.

Last Meeting - December 29, 2009
Niagara 80, Norfolk State 69
 
EL PASO, Texas - Five Niagara players reached double figures and the Purple Eagles scored 50 points in the paint in an 80-69 victory over Norfolk State at the Bank of the West Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational.  Current DOBO Tyrone Lewis became the program's career leader in steals in the game.
 

The Series	Niagara, 1-0
Last Game	December 29, 2009
	Niagara 80, Norfolk State 69
Last Niagara win	December 29, 2009
	Niagara 80, Norfolk State 69
Last Norfolk State win	Never
Last Niagara win at Home	N/A
Last Norfolk State win at Niagara	N/A
Current Streak	Niagara, W1
Coach Casey vs. Norfolk State	First Meeting

 
Against The MEAC
•  NU has dominated teams from the MEAC, posting an impressive record of 9-1.
• This is the second straight season Niagara will play an MEAC team. The Purple Eagles scored seven unanswered points in the final 17 seconds to defeat North Carolina A&T, 73-72, in the 2015 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament Springfield Bracket consolation game at the Mohegan Sun.