PURPLE EAGLES MEN'S BASKETBALL
GAME 18	Niagara Purple Eagles (6-11, 4-2 MAAC) vs. Monmouth Hawks (10-7, 4-2 MAAC)
DATE | TIME	Friday, January 24 | 7 PM
LOCATION	OceanFirst Bank Center – West Long Branch, NJ
GAME NOTES	Niagara | Monmouth
SERIES	Monmouth Leads 10-4
STREAK	Monmouth W1
BROADCAST	ESPN+ - Eddy Occhipinti Steve Bazaz
RADIO	WGR 550 AM – Todd Callen
LIVE STATS	MonmouthHawks.com
TWITTER	@NiagaraMBB
INSTAGRAM	@NiagaraMBB

   The Niagara Purple Eagles, winners of three straight, will bring their win streak on the road to play the Monmouth Hawks on Friday, January 24 in a battle of teams at the top of the league standings.
  •  Niagara has won its last three games with each contest decided in the final seconds.
•  After edging preseason favorite Iona, 70-69, on January 12, the Purple Eagles beat the Broncs at the buzzer in the Gallagher Center on January 17.
•  Sophomore Marcus Hammond connected a jumper as time expired to down Rider, 70-68. The play was featured on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt. 
•  NU rallied from a first half double-digit deficit to top Siena, 72-71, on January 19. The Purple Eagles took their first lead of the game, 70-68, with 44 seconds remaining and held off the Saints to improve to 4-2 in league play.
•  It marks the first time in program history that the Purple Eagles have won three straight games with the total combined score margin of four points.
•  NU's three-game win streak is tied with Canisius for the longest current streak in the MAAC.
  •  Marcus Hammond scored a career-high 36 points to lead all scorers at Quinnipiac on January 10. Hammond's 36 points are the most by a Purple Eagle in two seasons and are tied for the most by a MAAC player this season.
•  Marcus Hammond has scored in double figures in six straight games, including a pair of 20-point games (Quinnipiac and Iona).
•  The Purple Eagles lead all MAAC teams in turnover margin (3.6), turnovers per game (10.6), and fewest turnovers (180).  NU ranks fifth in the nation in fewest turnovers and 9th in turnovers per game.
•  NU dished out a season-high 19 assists and had a season-low six turnovers in the win versus Rider on January 17.
•  Niagara is 18th in the nation in free throw percentage (.770).
•  Niagara is first in the MAAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2) and has had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in 12 straight games.
•  James Towns is 29 points away from reaching the 1,000-point threshold.
•  Marcus Hammond is second in the MAAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4).
•  NU is shooting a MAAC-leading 44.6 percent from 3-point range in conference games.
•  Marcus Hammond is averaging 17.8 points in league games which are tied for first.
•  Raheem Solomon recorded his first career double-double with 17 points, which tied a season-high, and grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds at Iona. Solomon joins Greg Kuakumensah, who has three double-doubles, as the only Purple Eagles with a double-double this season.
•  Raheem Solomon is shooting a MAAC-best 60.9 percent (14-for-23) from 3-point range in MAAC games.
    
On The Court
Monmouth Hawks (10-7, 4-2 MAAC)
•  Monmouth has won four of its last five games, including a pair of wins over Marist and Manhattan last weekend.
•  Two Hawks - Deion Hammond (15.5 ppg) and Ray Salnave (14.5 ppg) - are averaging double figures scoring.
•  The Hawks are 6-0 at home this season.
 
Against The Hawks (Monmouth Leads 10-4)
•  After dropping nine of the first 10 matchups between the two programs, Niagara has won three of the last four contests.
•  The Purple Eagles swept the series during the 2017-18 season with the Purple Eagles earning their first win at Monmouth on February 4, 2018.
•  NU defeated Monmouth, 75-48, in the Gallagher Center on January 26, 2019 in the only regular season meeting between the teams. The 27-point win was the Purple Eagles' largest since beating Marist, 79-50, in the 2009 MAAC Tournament Quarterfinals.
•  NU's three-game win streak in the series ended in the 2019 MAAC First Round.
 
Last Meeting - March 7, 2019
Monmouth 76, Niagara 72
 
ALBANY, N.Y. – Raheem Solomon's career-high 24 points led all scorers as the Niagara Purple Eagles were eliminated in the final minutes by the sixth-seeded Monmouth Hawks, 76-72, in the 2019 MAAC Championships First Round on Saturday night.
 

The Series	Monmouth Leads, 10-4
Last Game	March 7, 2019
	Monmouth 76, Niagara 72
Last Niagara win	January 26, 2019
	Niagara 75, Monmouth 48
Last Monmouth win	March 7, 2019
	Monmouth 76, Niagara 72
Last Niagara win at Monmouth	February 4, 2018
	Niagara 96, Monmouth 91
Last Monmouth win at Home	February 16, 2017
	Monmouth 93, Niagara 75
Current Streak	Monmouth W1