The Niagara Purple Eagles, winner of five of their last six games, will close out their non-conference schedule at home against the Albany Great Danes on Monday, December 31 at 3:30 p.m.
 
Scene Setter
•  Niagara is 5-1 in its last six games. The Purple Eagles had a three-game win streak from December 3-16 with wins at Pitt, and at home versus New Hampshire and Cornell.
•  After falling to Cleveland State on December 19, NU bounced back with a 78-66 victory at Army West Point on December 22 behind a season-high 51 second half points.
•  Niagara used a balanced offensive attack with five Purple Eagles scoring in double figures en route to an 83-75 win over Norfolk State on December 29. The Purple Eagles had season-highs in points, first half points (43) and in assists (21). 
•  Niagara will finish its non-conference home schedule with a winning record for the fourth time in the last seven seasons.
•  A win against Albany would give the Purple Eagles their most non-conference wins (8) since the 2009-10 season (9-6), their best non-conference record since the 2008-09 season (12-5), and best December record since 1977 (7-1).
 
Tipoff Tidbits
•  On December 24, James Towns was named MAAC Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks. Towns led the Purple Eagles in points and assists as Niagara split a pair of road games. Towns averaged 18.5 points per game, 4.5 assists per game, and 5.0 rebounds per game.
•  Niagara has claimed four of the seven MAAC Player of the Week awards, including three straight. When was the last time a school had three straight MAAC Player of the Week award winners? It was the Purple Eagles last season who had FOUR straight MAAC Player of the Week winners from Nov. 27 to Dec. 18 with Matt Scott (3) and Kahlil Dukes (1).
•  James Towns picked up his first career double-double with 15 points and a career-high 10 assists against Norfolk State.
•  Dominic Robb moved into second place on the career blocks list after a four-block performance at Pitt. Robb is now 24 blocks away from tying Joe Arlauckas ('87) who finished his career with 220 blocks, for first place.
•  Dominic Robb leads the MAAC, is third in the nation in blocks per game (3.3) and is fifth in total blocks (40).
•  Marvin Prochet collected his MAAC-leading sixth double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds at Cleveland State on December 19. Prochet, who is 15th in the nation in double-doubles, has six double-doubles in nine games.
•  The Purple Eagles are the only team in the MAAC to have four players record a double-double (Marvin Prochet, Dominic Robb, Greg Kuakumensah, James Towns) this season.
•  At 7-5, Niagara is the only MAAC team with a winning record.
•  NU is in search of its best record through 13 games since the 2009-10 season (8-5).
 
On The Court
Albany Great Danes (4-10, 0-0 America East)
•  The Great Danes, who were picked fourth in the America East Preseason Poll, have dropped four of their last five games entering Monday's contest.
•  Two Great Danes are averaging in double figures scoring - Ahmad Clark (19.2) and Cameron Healy (15.1)
•  Ahmad Clark ranks amongst the nation's best in free throws made and in total steals.
•  Albany is 3-1 against the MAAC with wins against Canisius, Monmouth, and Manhattan.
 
Against The Great Danes (Niagara Leads, 3-2)
•  Niagara won the first two meetings between the programs. The Purple Eagles won 84-77 in Albany in Nov. 1999 and 74-66 at home in Nov. 2000.
•  The Purple Eagles won their third game in the series on December 30, 2014.
•  The Great Danes won the most recent meeting, defeating the Purple Eagles 65-56 on December 23, 2015.
 
Last Meeting - December 23, 2015
Albany 65, Niagara 56
 
ALBANY, N.Y. – The Niagara Purple Eagles dropped a close road contest to the defending America East champion Albany Great Danes, 65-56, on Wednesday.
 

The Series	Niagara Leads 3-2
Last Game	December 23, 2015
	Albany 65, Niagara 56
Last Niagara Win	December 30, 2014
	Niagara 65, Albany 47
Last Albany Win	December 23, 2015
	Albany 65, Niagara 56
Last Niagara Win at Home	December 30, 2014
	Niagara 65, Albany 47
Last Albany Win at Niagara	Never
Current Streak	Albany, W1
Coach Casey vs. Albany	1-1

 
Against The America East
• Niagara holds a commanding 53-25 advantage against the America East Conference.
• NU has winning records against Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Albany.
•  The Purple Eagles have already faced an AE opponent this season, defeating New Hampshire, 71-67, on December 9.