The Niagara Purple Eagles wrap up their road trip with a matchup against the Rider Broncs on Sunday, February 9 at 2 p.m.
Scene Setter
• Niagara snapped a three game skid with a dominating win over the Quinnipiac Bobcats on February 2 to split the season series.
• NU forced a season-high 20 turnovers, while only committing three and dishing out 17 assists en route to a 16-point win.
• The Purple Eagles began their latest road trip with a setback against the Manhattan Jaspers on February 7.
• NU defeated Rider at the buzzer on January 17 when
Marcus Hammond beat the clock with a sideline jumper. Niagara dished out a season-high 19 assists in the game.
• The Purple Eagles are in search of a season sweep of the Broncs for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
• NU is also looking for consecutive wins versus Rider for the first time since winning five straight from January 2006 to December 2017.
Tipoff Tidbits
•
James Towns became the 49th member of the 1,000 Point Club on January 31 against Marist. Towns scored his 1,000th career point at the free-throw line.
• The Purple Eagles lead the MAAC in turnover margin (3.7), turnovers per game (10.8), and fewest turnovers (237). NU ranks 12th in the nation in fewest turnovers and 13th in turnovers per game.
• Niagara is first in the MAAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.15) and had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in 12 straight games from December 1 to January 19.
•
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 leads the Purple Eagles in scoring with a career-high 13.3 points per game and is averaging 16.1 points in league games which rank fifth. He has scored in double figures 13 times, including a span of seven straight games from January 3-26.
•
Marcus Hammond is second in the MAAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3).
• NU is shooting a MAAC-leading 40.2 percent from 3-point range in conference games.
•
Marcus Hammond recorded his first career double-double with a team-high 21 points and a career-high 10 rebounds at Monmouth. Hammond joins
Raheem Solomon and
Greg Kuakumensah, who has three double-doubles, as Purple Eagles with a double-double this season.
• 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
Rider Broncs (13-9, 7-5 MAAC)
• The Broncs have won four of their last five games, including a 61-60 win against the Canisius Golden Griffins on February 7.
• Rider is 7-1 at home this season
• The Broncs lead the MAAC in rebounds per game (38.0) and second in points per game (72.6 ppg).
• Four Broncs are averaging double figures scoring - Dimencio Vaughn (14.5 ppg), Tyere Marshall (12.6 ppg), Frederick Scott (12.4 ppg), and Stevie Jordan (11.5 ppg).
• Rider's 45.0 field goal percent in league games rank second.
Against The Broncs (Rider Leads 26-23)
• After winning 7 out of 9 meetings from January 2006 to March 2009, NU has won only four times in the last 20 encounters.
• The Purple Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak in the series with a buzzer beating win on January 17, 2020 in the Gallagher Center.
• Since the start of the 2007-08 season, Niagara has only won once in its last 11 trips to Alumni Gym (February 21, 2015).
Last Meeting - January 17, 2020
Niagara 70, Rider 68
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Sophomore
Marcus Hammond drained a jumper at the buzzer to lift the Purple Eagles to a 70-68 victory over the Rider Broncs on Friday night.
| The Series |
Rider Leads 26-23 |
| Last Game |
January 17, 2020 |
|
Niagara 70, Rider 68 |
| Last Niagara win |
January 17, 2020 |
|
Niagara 70, Rider 68 |
| Last Rider win |
February 22, 2019 |
|
Rider 97, Niagara 81 |
| Last Niagara win at Rider |
February 21, 2015 |
|
Niagara 65, Rider 61 |
| Last Rider win at Home |
February 22, 2019 |
|
Rider 97, Niagara 81 |
| Current streak |
Niagara W1 |
