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Niagara Purple Eagles (7-23, 5-14 MAAC) vs. Monmouth Hawks (24-6, 16-3 MAAC)
Sunday, February 28 – 5:00 PM
Multipurpose Athletic Center – Monmouth University
Radio: WGR 550 AM – Todd Callen
ESPN3: Eddy Occhipinti & Matt Harmon
 
The Niagara Purple Eagles wrap up their regular season at the regular season champions Monmouth on Sunday, February 28 at 5 p.m.
 
Scene Setter
•  After winning the first-ever meeting during the 2008-09 season, the Purple Eagles have lost five straight in the series.
•  The Purple Eagles and Hawks met back on December 6 at the Gallagher Center in the second conference game for each team.
•  Monmouth held Niagara to a season-low 42 points in the 56-42 win.
•  Emile Blackman scored a game-high 14 points, with 13 coming in the second half. Dominic Robb shared game-high honors in rebounds with a then-career-best seven. 
•  Niagara forced a season-high 19 turnovers, including a season-high 10 steals.
 
Tipoff Tidbits
•  The Purple Eagles halted a five-game skid with a 76-72 win over the Marist Red Foxes on February 18.
•  Five Purple Eagles (Emile Blackman – 21, Dominic Robb – 13, Cameron Fowler – 12, Matt Scott – 12, Maurice Taylor Jr. – 10) scored in double figures for the first time since February 24, 2015 when NU defeated Canisius, 82-71.
•  Dominic Robb recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and team and career-high 10 rebounds against Marist on February 18. Robb joins Matt Scott (six) and Justin Satchell as Purple Eagles with a double-double this season.
•  Matt Scott is one of two players in the MAAC (Siena's Brett Bisping) to have at least nine 20-point games and six 10-rebound games.
•  The Purple Eagles are third in the MAAC in overall scoring defense (70.8).
 
MAAC Tournament Seeding Scenarios
•  The Purple Eagles will finish ninth with a win over Monmouth and a Quinnipiac loss to Siena.
•  NU will finish 10th with a win over Monmouth and a Quinnipiac win over Siena.
•  Niagara will finish 10th with a loss to Monmouth.
•  The 2016 MAAC Basketball Championships start on Thursday, March 3 at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
 
Feelin' It
•  Emile Blackman has made 25 of his last 28 free throws over a seven-game stretch.
•  Blackman has scored in double figures in 13 straight games, including setting a season-high of 27 points to lead all scorers at Canisius on February 25.
•  Blackman is averaging a team-best 17.7 points per game during this stretch.
 
On The Court
Monmouth Hawks (24-6, 16-3 MAAC)          
•  Monmouth clinched the MAAC regular-season title with its win over Rider on Friday, February 26.
•  The Hawks are 15-2 in 2016 and have won 10 of their last 11 games.
•  Monmouth is 9-1 at home and lead the nation in road/neutral site wins (15).                          
•  Monmouth leads the MAAC in points per game (80.4), scoring margin (+7.8), free throw percentage (.773), field goal percentage defense (.394), 3-point field goal percentage (.378), steals per game (8.2) and defensive rebounds per game (28.3).
•  Three Hawks are averaging double figures scoring: Justin Robinson (20.0), Micah Seaborn (13.2) and Deon Jones (10.4).
•  Justin Robinson is a three-time MAAC Player of the Week recipient and has twice been named Lou Henson National Player of the Week. Robinson.
 
Against the Hawks (Monmouth leads, 5-1)
•  The first meeting between the two programs was during the 2008-09 season, which Niagara won 71-48 in the Philly Hoop Group Classic in Philadelphia.
•  The Purple Eagles have lost all five meetings since the Hawks joined the MAAC at the start of the 2013-14 season.
•  Niagara is 0-2 all-time at Monmouth.
 
Last Meeting - December 6, 2015
Monmouth 56, Niagara 42
 
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara Purple Eagles were defeated by the Monmouth Hawks, 56-42, to conclude their three-game homestand on Sunday.