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GAMES 6	Niagara Purple Eagles (2-3, 2-2 MAAC) vs. Albany Great Danes (0-2, 0-2 America East)
DATE | TIME	Tuesday, December 22 |3 PM
LOCATION	SEFCU Arena – Albany, NY
GAME NOTES	Niagara (PDF) | Albany
SERIES	Albany Leads 4-3
STREAK	Albany W3
BROADCAST	ESPN+ - Rodger Wyland/Charlie Voelker
RADIO	107.3 FM/AM 1400 – Todd Callen
LIVE STATS	UAlbanySports.com
TWITTER	@NiagaraMBB
INSTAGRAM	@NiagaraMBB

   The Niagara Purple Eagles, winner of two straight, will step out of non-conference action and travel east on the I-90 to play the Albany Great Danes on Tuesday, December 22 at 3 p.m.
 

Scene Setter

•  The Purple Eagles opened their home schedule last week with two dominating wins over the Fairfield Stags.  Niagara smothered Fairfield in the first game, holding the Stags to 15 first half points and 51 points overall for the Stags lowest in the series history. In game two, the Purple Eagles used a 16-2 run in the final three minutes en route to an 81-61 victory for their largest win against Fairfield in 26 seasons.
•  Niagara and Albany will meet for the third straight season with the last two meetings being decided by an average of 4.5 points.
•  In last season's meeting, the Great Danes pulled ahead with a run in the final three minutes for an 84-80 win at the SEFCU Arena.
•  On New Year's Eve 2018, Niagara erased an 18-point first-half deficit to lead late in the second half, but the Great Danes escaped the Gallagher Center in the final minute with a 79-74 win.
•  This will be Niagara's second non-conference game of the season. The Purple Eagles opened the season with a defeat at Syracuse.
 

Tipoff Tidbits

•  Marcus Hammond, who led NU in scoring and rebounds last season, is averaging team-highs in points with 13.6 per game and in rebounds with 6.0 per contest.
•  Marcus Hammond posted a season-high 24 points - which are the sixth most in the MAAC this season, while also having game-highs in rebounds with eight, in assists with three, and steals with three against Fairfield on December 19. Hammond averaged 19 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in the two games versus the Stags.              
•  Kobi Nwandu is averaging 11.4 points per game this season, including scoring in double figures in the last four games. Nwandu averaged 15 points in the two-game set versus Fairfield while shooting 75 percent (12-for-16) from the field. He scored a season-high 17 points on December 19.
•  Jordan Cintron, who became eligible last week when the NCAA passed a blanket waiver to all Division I transfers, had an immediate impact in the series with Fairfield. The Bronx native averaged 10.5 points, including going 9-for-12 from the field, and 3.5 rebounds.  
•  Justin Roberts is third in the MAAC in free throw percentage (.909) going 10-for-11 at the charity stripe.
•  The Purple Eagles' 56 percent field goal percentage against Fairfield on December 19 is the second highest by a MAAC team this season.
•  Niagara leads the MAAC in fewest turnovers per game (11.0) and is second in scoring defense (62.0 ppg).
•  The Purple Eagles are one of 17 NCAA Division I teams to return at least 70 percent of their production from the last season in each of the following categories: points (80%), rebounds (74%), assists (91%), steals (96%), and blocks (83%). 
 
On The Court
Albany Great Danes (0-2, 0-2 America East)
•  Albany returns seven letterwinners, including three starters, from last season's team.
•  The Great Danes were picked fourth in the America East preseason poll for the third straight season. Junior guard Cameron Healy was named to the preseason all-conference team for the second consecutive season. 
•  Albany is 0-2 on the season after dropping its two-game series with UMBC on December 19-22.
•  Antonio Rizzuto (12.5 ppg) and Kellon Taylor (10.0 ppg) are averaging double figures scoring.
 
Against The Great Danes (Albany Leads 4-3)
•  After winning three of the first four meetings, the Purple Eagles have lost the last three encounters.
•  Niagara won the first two meetings between the programs. The Purple Eagles won 84-77 in Albany in November 1999 and 74-66 at home in November 2000.
•  The Purple Eagles won their third game in the series on December 30, 2014.
•  The Great Danes have won the last two meetings in Albany, defeating the Purple Eagles 65-56 on December 23, 2015 and 84-80 on December 14, 2019.
 
Last Meeting - December 14, 2019
Albany 84, Niagara 80
 
ALBANY, N.Y. – The Niagara Purple Eagles had their two-game win streak stopped in a narrow defeat to the Albany Great Danes, 84-80, on Saturday night.
 

The Series	Albany Leads 4-3
Last Game	December 14, 2019
	Albany 84, Niagara 80
Last Niagara win	December 30, 2014
	Niagara 65, Albany 47
Last Albany win	December 14, 2019
	Albany 84, Niagara 80
Last Niagara win at Albany	November 28, 1999
	Niagara 84, Albany 77
Last Albany win at Home	December 14, 2019
	Albany 84, Niagara 80
Current streak	Albany, W3

 
Against The America East
•  Niagara holds a commanding 53-27 advantage against the America East Conference.
•  NU has winning records against Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.