PURPLE EAGLES MEN'S BASKETBALL
GAME 28	Niagara Purple Eagles (9-18, 7-9 MAAC) vs. Saint Peter's Peacocks (15-11, 12-5 MAAC)
DATE | TIME	Thursday, February 27 | 7 PM
LOCATION	Frank and Barbara Layden Court at the Gallagher Center – Niagara University
GAME NOTES	Niagara | Saint Peter's
SERIES	Niagara Leads 51-36
STREAK	Saint Peter's W4
BROADCAST	ESPN+ - Todd Callen/Mark Collins
RADIO	WGR 550 AM – Brian Koziol
TICKETS	TicketMaster | Tickets@Niagara.edu | 716-286-8499
LIVE STATS	PurpleEagles.com
TWITTER	@NiagaraMBB
INSTAGRAM	@NiagaraMBB

  
   The Niagara Purple Eagles begin their final homestand on Thursday, February 27 when they host the first place Saint Peter's Peacocks at 7 p.m.
  •  Niagara returns home after dropping a pair of road games last game to Fairfield and Marist. 
•  The Purple Eagles are 6-2 in league games (7-3 overall) at the Gallagher Center, including winning five of their last six.
•  Saint Peter's held off a late NU push to top the Purple Eagles, 58-53, on January 26 to tie a program's best fourth straight win in the series.
•  The Purple Eagles lead the all-time series, but the Peacocks are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.
•  NU will host Iona for senior day on February 29 to close out its home schedule before playing its final two regular season games at Siena (March 4) and at Canisius (March 6).
 
  •  The Purple Eagles lead the MAAC in turnover margin (3.6), turnovers per game (10.5), and fewest turnovers (283).  NU ranks ninth in the nation in fewest turnovers, eighth in turnovers per game, and 18th in turnover margin. 
•  Niagara is first in the MAAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.14) and had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in 12 straight games from December 1 to January 19.
•  Four Purple Eagles are scoring in double figures in home games this season – Marcus Hammond (14.2 ppg), James Towns (13.2 ppg), Greg Kuakumensah (11.0 ppg), and Raheem Solomon (10.6 ppg).
•  Marcus Hammond leads the Purple Eagles in scoring with a career-high 13.9 points per game and is averaging 16.1 points in league games which ranks second. He has scored in double figures a team-high 16 times.
•  Marcus Hammond is averaging 19 points in the last three games, including a pair of 20-point games performances. He has seven 20-point games which are tied for third most in the league.
•  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.
•  NU leads the conference in overall 3-point field goal percentage (.359) and is shooting a MAAC-leading 39.2 percent from 3-point range in conference games.
•  James Towns, who is second on the team in scoring with 11.4 points per game, has averaged 11.7 points in the last four games.
•  The Purple Eagles forced a season-high 20 turnovers and tied season-highs in field goals made (33) and in steals (13) against Quinnipiac on February 2. Niagara's three turnovers are the fewest since February 8, 2015 (Quinnipiac).
 
On The Court
Saint Peter's Peacocks (6-10, 3-4 MAAC)
•  The Peacocks are 8-1, including winning their last five games since beating the Purple Eagles on January 26.
•  Saint Peter's leads the MAAC in blocks per game (4.7), defensive field goal percentage (.402), rebound margin (+5.2), while ranking second in scoring defense (64.3 ppg), scoring margin (+7.6), and defensive 3-point field goal percentage (.327). 
•  KC Ndefo leads the conference and ranks 22nd in the nation in blocks per game (2.4).
•  Five different Peacocks - Daryl Banks III, Fousseyni Drame, Hassan Drame, Aaron Estrada, and Doug Edert - have been named MAAC Rookie of the Week.
•  Saint Peter's is allowing a MAAC-best 61.9 points per game in league contests.
 
Against The Peacocks (Niagara Leads 51-36)
•  Nine of the last 13 matchups between the two programs have been decided by six points or less.
•  The Purple Eagles are 20-8 at home versus the Peacocks since the 1991-92 season.
•  Saint Peter's four-game win streak in the series is its longest since winning four straight from 2009-11. The Peacocks have never won five straight in the series. 
 
Last Meeting - January 26, 2020
Saint Peter's 58, Niagara 53
 
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Purple Eagles fell to the Saint Peter's Peacocks, 58-53, on Sunday to conclude their New Jersey road trip.
 

The Series	Niagara Leads 51-36
Last Game	January 26, 2020
	Saint Peter's 58, Niagara 53
Last Niagara win	January 14, 2018
	Niagara 73, Saint Peter's 70
Last Saint Peter's win	January 26, 2020
	Saint Peter's 58, Niagara 53
Last Niagara win at Home	January 14, 2018
	Niagara 73, Saint Peter's 70
Last Saint Peter's win at Niagara	January 22, 2019
	Saint Peter's 74, Niagara 72
Current Streak	Saint Peter's W4