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Exhibition
Niagara Purple Eagles vs. The College of Saint Rose
Saturday, November 4 – 3:00 PM
Location: Frank and Barbara Layden Court at the Gallagher Center
Broadcast: Niagara Sports Network – Todd Callen
 
The Niagara men's basketball team will play its final exhibition game on Saturday against The College of Saint Rose Golden Knights at 3 p.m.

Scene Setter

• Saturday's exhibition will be Niagara's final tune-up before the season tips-off at St. Bonaventure on Nov. 10.
• Niagara was edged by Robert Morris on Oct. 27 in an exhibition benefiting hurricane relief efforts.
• Matt Scott led the Purple Eagles in scoring with 19 points and seven rebounds. He also tied for the team lead in assists with five.

 
Tipoff Tidbits

• Head coach Chris Casey will be in his fifth season leading the program.
• The Purple Eagles return eight letterwinners from last season, including the entire starting five – Matt Scott, Kahlil Dukes, Chris Barton, Marvin Prochet and Dominic Robb.
• Top returning reserves are guards Kevin Larkin and James Towns, while forwards Greg King and Kierell Green will make their debuts as Purple Eagles after redshirting last season.
• NU added three newcomers to the team in Dominik Fragala, Greg Kuakumensah and Keleaf Tate.

 
MAAC Preseason Accolades For Scott, Dukes

• Senior guard Matt Scott was named to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team and senior guard Kahlil Dukes earned Preseason All-MAAC Second Team honors.
• The pair combined for an average of 32.5 points per game, which is 11th in the NCAA among returning duos.
• Scott led Niagara in scoring with a career-high 17.0 points per game, in rebounding with 7.0 per game and in steals with 1.4 per game en route to earning All-MAAC Third Team honors for the second straight season. He was fifth in the MAAC in scoring, sixth in rebounding and seventh in steals to be the only player in the league ranked in the top-10 in each category. He is the first Purple Eagle to be named to the MAAC Preseason All-First Team since the 2013-14 season.
• Dukes set the program's single season free throw percentage record (92.1%), which was previously set by Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy during the 1969-70 season (88.1%), and was tied for fifth in the NCAA. Dukes was 11th in the MAAC in scoring with 15.5 points per game, sixth in assists per game with 4.1 and ninth in assist/turnover ratio (4.1).
• This is the first time since the 2009-10 season two Purple Eagles have been named to All-MAAC preseason teams.

 
NU Tabbed Fifth In MAAC Poll

• The Purple Eagles were picked fifth in the 2017-18 MAAC Preseason Poll.
• The fifth place selection is Niagara's highest since being tabbed fifth prior to the 2012-13 season.

Pura Vida

• Niagara went on a tour of Costa Rica from Aug. 13-19 to get an early start on preparations for the 2017-18 season.
• The Purple Eagles played two games against the top two teams in the Costa Rican Liga (LBS). NU defeated ARBA San Ramon (74-73) and cruised past Coopeservidores Escazu (87-59).
• As part of its tour, Niagara held a clinic for the Olimpiadas Especial (Special Olympics) San Jose chapter.

 
On The Court
The College of Saint Rose Golden Knights

• The College of Saint Rose is an NCAA Division II program in Albany, NY and competes in the Northeast10 Conference.
• Last season, the Golden Knights went 26-8 to qualify for their 13^th NCAA Tournament appearance and advanced to their fourth regional final and first since 1999.
• Senior guard Mical-Ryan Boyd is the team's returning leading scorer at 12.8 points per game, which was second best on the team last season.
• Senior forward Julian Lipinski is the team's returning leading rebounder with 5.0 per game.

Stay connected with the Purple Eagles through social media. Follow Niagara Athletics on Twitter @NUPurpleEagles and for men's basketball updates at @NiagaraMBB. Check in with the Purple Eagles on Facebook/PurpleEagles and on Instagram @NUPurpleEagles.