The Niagara Purple Eagles continue their two-game homestand on Sunday versus the Cornell Big Red at 2 p.m.
Scene Setter
• After a two-game road trip in Pennsylvania, the Purple Eagles returned to the Gallagher Center to pick up their second straight victory with a 71-67 defeat of the New Hampshire Wildcats on December 9.
• Niagara boasts victories against opponents from the ACC (Pitt), Atlantic-10 (St. Bonaventure) and Mountain West Conference (Wyoming).
• The Purple Eagles are looking to start the month of December 3-0 for the first time since December 1980 when NU won five straight games to open December.
Tipoff Tidbits
•
Marvin Prochet is 20 points away from becoming the 47th member of the 1,000 point club.
•
Dominic Robb moved into second place on the career blocks list after a four-block performance at Pitt gave him 184 career blocks. Robb is 34 blocks away from tying Joe Arlauckas ('87) for first place.
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James Towns was named MAAC Player of the Week on December 10 after averaging team-highs in points with 17.5 per game and in assists with 7.5 per game as the Purple Eagles went 2-0 with wins at Pitt and at home versus New Hampshire.
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Dominic Robb leads the MAAC and is second in the nation in blocks per game (3.7) and is seventh in total blocks (30).
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Marvin Prochet leads the MAAC in double-doubles with four.
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Marvin Prochet notched his fourth straight double-double after posting game-highs in points (23) and in rebounds (12), which both tied season-high marks, in the defeat to Grambling State on November 23. The four straight double-doubles are the longest streak by a Purple Eagle since Benson Egemonye had four straight during the 2008-09 season. Prochet has 13 career double-doubles, including 16 career 10-rebound games.
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Dominic Robb established a new career-high in blocks with eight, including seven in the first half, which are tied for the second most blocks in a game in program history. The eight blocks are also tied for fifth most in the nation this season. Robb has three of the top-8 most blocks in a game in Niagara history.
• In the win at Pitt, the Purple Eagles had their highest rebound margin (+7) of the season.
• The Purple Eagles rank 19th in free throw percentage nationally.
• The Purple Eagles are the only team in the MAAC to have three players record a double-double (
Marvin Prochet,
Dominic Robb,
Greg Kuakumensah) this season.
• Niagara is 9-1 in games decided by less than four points since the 2017-18 season.
On The Court
Cornell Big Red (4-4, 0-0 Ivy League)
• The Big Red were selected to finish sixth in the Ivy League Media Preseason Poll for the second consecutive season.
• Cornell is coming off a loss in their most recent contest on Dec. 1, falling at Syracuse by a 63-55 margin.
• Two Cornell players are currently averaging double figures this season - Matt Morgan (23.6 points per game) and Jimmy Boeheim (11.7 ppg).
• Morgan, who had 26 points against Syracuse, is 15th in the nation in scoring this season.
• Cornell has played Niagara more times (48) than any other MAAC opponent. Canisius is second among conference opponents (44).
Against The Big Red (Cornell leads, 27-21)
• Niagara has won the last three games against Cornell dating back to the 1991-92 season.
• A win would mark the third straight win against Cornell at home for the Purple Eagles.
• Niagara has won seven of the last 10 matchups against Cornell.
Last Meeting - December 23, 2017
Niagara 89, Cornell 86
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Niagara University Purple Eagles picked up their third straight victory by edging the Cornell Big Red, 89-86, on Saturday.
| The Series |
Cornell leads, 27-21 |
| Last Game |
December 23, 2017 |
|
Niagara 89, Cornell 86 |
| Last Niagara win |
December 23, 2017 |
|
Niagara 89, Cornell 86 |
| Last Cornell win |
January 6, 1986 |
|
Cornell 72, Niagara 59 |
| Last Niagara win at home |
January 9, 1993 |
|
Niagara 80, Cornell 66 |
| Last Cornell win at Niagara |
January 9, 1982 |
|
Cornell 68, Niagara 67 |
| Current streak |
Niagara, W3 |
| Coach Casey vs. Cornell |
1-0 |
Against The Ivy League
• Niagara is 29-34 all-time against the Ivy League and has played every team except Harvard.
• Niagara has played Cornell the most (48).
• This will be the third consecutive season playing against an Ivy League team.
"The Power of Niagara"
• Niagara defeated a current Power 5 (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC) opponent for the first time in 37 years when the Purple Eagles upended the ACC's Pitt Panthers, 71-70, on December 5.
• The Purple Eagles previously dropped their last 27 games versus current Power 5 teams and won their first game against a Power 5 school in the current format since the breakup of the old Big East in 2013.
• The last win against a current Power 5 team was against Penn State during the 1981-82 season, which was prior to the Nittany Lions joining the Big Ten.
• It was Niagara's first win against an ACC opponent since topping Syracuse during the 1975-76 season prior to the Orange joining the ACC.
• The Purple Eagles became the first MAAC team to beat an ACC team since Fairfield topped Boston College in December 2016.
Towns Earns First Career MAAC Player Of The Week Award
•
James Towns was named MAAC Player of the Week on December 10.
• Towns averaged team-highs in points with 17.5 per game and in assists with 7.5 per game while averaging 6.0 rebounds as the Purple Eagles went 2-0 with wins at Pitt and at home versus New Hampshire. Towns shot 61.9 percent from the field for the week, including a season-high 69.2 percent against New Hampshire.
• In the victory at Pitt on December 3, Towns had 12 points, dished out a career-high nine assists and grabbed six rebounds. Towns led all scorers with a season-high 23 points, including the game-winning basket, to lift Niagara over New Hampshire on December 9. Towns also led the game in assists with six and had six rebounds.
