PURPLE EAGLES MEN'S BASKETBALL
GAMES 7-8	Niagara Purple Eagles (3-3, 2-2 MAAC) vs. Marist Red Foxes (5-1, 3-1 MAAC)
DATE | TIME	Friday, January 1 |2 PM Saturday, January 2 | 2 PM
LOCATION	McCann Arena – Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
GAME NOTES	Niagara | Marist
SERIES	Niagara Leads 29-23
STREAK	Niagara W1
BROADCAST	ESPN+ (Friday) | ESPN3 (Saturday) – Dean Darling/Steve Eggink
RADIO	107.3 FM/AM 1400 (Friday) | (Saturday) – Todd Callen
LIVE STATS	GoRedFoxes.com
TWITTER	@NiagaraMBB
INSTAGRAM	@NiagaraMBB

   The Niagara Purple Eagles, winner of three straight, resume MAAC play on the road against the Marist Red Foxes on January 1-2 at 2 p.m.
 

Scene Setter

•  Niagara opens the New Year riding a three-game win streak. The Purple Eagles swept the Fairfield Stags on December 18-19 at the Gallagher Center to improve to 2-2 in MAAC play.
•  In their most recent game, the Purple Eagles earned a tough road win against the Albany Great Danes. NU will be in search of a four-game win streak for the first time in three seasons.
•  Niagara and Marist are two of the hottest teams in the MAAC and both are on three-game win streaks. The series features the top two scoring defense in the MAAC with Marist leading the league in scoring defense at 60.7 points per game and Niagara sitting in second at 62.5 points per game. 
•  The Purple Eagles and Red Foxes met three times last season with Marist winning both regular-season meetings. However, the Purple Eagles defeated the Red Foxes in the 2020 MAAC Championship First Round.
•  NU is looking for consecutive wins in the series for the first time since sweeping the two games in the 2017-18 season.
    

Tipoff Tidbits

•  Marcus Hammond, who led NU in scoring and rebounds last season, is averaging team-highs in points with 13.7 per game and in rebounds with 6.1 per contest. Hammond ranks seventh and sixth, respectively, in the MAAC in those categories.
•  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 12.2 points per game this season, including scoring in double figures in the last five games. He scored a season-high 17 points on December 19 against Fairfield and has led NU in scoring in a game twice this season.  Nwandu is 63 points shy of 1,000 career points. He scored 450 points at East Stroudsburg (2016-18) and 414 points at LeMoyne (2018-19).
•  Jordan Cintron, who became eligible 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 second in the MAAC in free throw percentage (.923) and ninth in the MAAC in 3-point field goal percentage (.429).
•  Niagara leads the MAAC in fewest turnovers per game (11.8). 
•  The Purple Eagles went 14-for-14 at the free-throw line at Albany to shoot 100 percent from the line for the first time since going 14-for-14 at Minnesota on November 15, 2017.
 
On The Court
Marist Red Foxes (5-1, 3-1 MAAC)
•  The Red Foxes, who have won their last three games, are off to their best start (5-1) since the 1998-99 season.
•  Marist opened the season with two wins over Binghamton and after splitting with Canisius in Buffalo, the Red Foxes picked up a sweep of the Jaspers in Riverdale.
•  Four Red Foxes are averaging double figures – Ricardo Wright (11.0 ppg), Michael Cubbage (11.0 ppg), Raheim Sullivan (10.8 ppg), and Hakim Byrd (10.3 ppg).
 
Against The Red Foxes (Niagara Leads 29-23)
•  The Purple Eagles and Red Foxes have split the last 10 meetings.
•  The Purple Eagles are 8-15 all-time at Marist.
 
Last Meeting - March 11, 2020
Niagara 56, Marist 54
 
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Sophomore Raheem Solomon's layup with three seconds remaining lifted the sixth-seeded Purple Eagles to a 56-54 victory over the No. 11 seed Marist Red Foxes in the 2020 Hercules Tires Men's Basketball MAAC Championship First Round.
 

The Series	Niagara Leads 29-23
Last Game	March 11, 2020
	Niagara 56, Marist 54
Last Niagara win	March 11, 2020
	Niagara 56, Marist 54
Last Marist win	February 23, 2020
	Marist 76, Niagara 54
Last Niagara win at Marist	January 7, 2018
	Niagara 86, Marist 70
Last Marist win at Home	February 23, 2020
	Marist 76, Niagara 54
Current Streak	Niagara W1