The Niagara Purple Eagles begin their 31st season as a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference on Friday against the Fairfield Stags.
Scene Setter
• After winning two straight games - at Norfolk State and Colgate - the Purple Eagles have lost their last four games.
• Niagara recently concluded a stretch of games where the Purple Eagles played six out of seven games away from the Gallagher Center. Niagara's lone home game was against Colgate on December 8.
• Niagara had the highest ranked (142nd nationally) strength of schedule (SOS) in non-conference play among MAAC teams.
• The Purple Eagles finished their non-conference schedule at Syracuse on December 28 where they had a season-high in blocks (5) and tied season-highs in assists (16) and in steals (13).
• The Purple Eagles are 14-16 all-time in MAAC openers and are in search of their first conference opener win since the 2015-16 season.
Tipoff Tidbits
• The Purple Eagles are shooting 90.3 percent (47-for-52) at the free-throw line in the last four games. The Purple Eagles went 20-for-21 (95.2 %) at the charity stripe at St. Bonaventure which is the highest percent (minimum 20 attempts) since going 26-for-27 (96.3 %) at Marist on December 2, 2016.
• Niagara leads the MAAC and is 15th in the nation in free throw percentage (.779).
• The Purple Eagles, who lead all MAAC teams in turnover margin (3.0) and turnovers per game (11.7), have committed fewer than ten turnovers in four straight games.
• Niagara is second among conference members in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0) and has had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in six straight games.
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James Towns notched his third 20-point game of the season with a team-high 25 points at Albany, one game after scoring a game-high 26 points in the win over Colgate.
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James Towns is 70 points away from reaching the 1,000-point threshold.
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Marcus Hammond is second in the MAAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2).
• In Niagara's two wins, the Purple Eagles shot over 54 percent from the field. NU shot 54 percent against Colgate and 55.6 percent versus Stephen F. Austin which is the highest since February 23, 2018.
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Greg Kuakumensah notched his second double-double of the season with 10 points and a career-best 11 rebounds at Syracuse. He is the first Purple Eagle to record a double-double versus a Power 5 opponent since Matt Scott and
Marvin Prochet each had one at nationally-ranked Minnesota on November 15, 2017. Kuakumensah also had career-highs in blocks (3) and in steals (3).
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Nick MacDonald led NU in scoring with a career-high 11 points, including a career-high three 3-pointers, at Syracuse.
On The Court
Fairfield Stags (4-7, 0-0 MAAC)
• The Stags have won three of their last four games, including their last two non-conference games.
• Fairfield is second in the MAAC in scoring defense, allowing 64.5 points per game, and has held three of its last six opponents to under 60 points.
• Landon Taliaferro (15.9 ppg) and Jesus Cruz (14.6 ppg) are averaging double figures.
• Landon Taliaferro leads the MAAC in 3-pointers per game (3.3) and 3-point field goal percentage (.440).
Against The Stags (Niagara Leads 42-34)
• After going 5-1 from January 2013 to March 2015, the Purple Eagles have won just twice
in the last eight meetings with the Stags.
• The Purple Eagles have won the last two meetings at the Gallagher Center.
Last Meeting - February 17, 2019
Niagara 78, Fairfield 73
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. –
Dominic Robb had a season-high 23 points and
Dominik Fragala delivered 13 points off the bench to help give Niagara defeat Fairfield, 78-73, on Sunday to halt a four-game skid.
| The Series |
Niagara Leads, 42-34 |
| Last Game |
February 17, 2019 |
|
Niagara 78, Fairfield 73 |
| Last Niagara win |
February 17, 2019 |
|
Niagara 78, Fairfield 73 |
| Last Fairfield win |
January 7, 2019 |
|
Fairfield 77, Niagara 59 |
| Last Niagara win at Home |
February 17, 2019 |
|
Niagara 78, Fairfield 73 |
| Last Fairfield win at Niagara |
February 26, 2017 |
|
Fairfield 62, Niagara 58 |
| Current streak |
Niagara, W1 |
