PURPLE EAGLES MEN'S BASKETBALL
GAME 31	Niagara Purple Eagles (11-19, 9-10 MAAC) vs. Canisius Golden Griffins (11-19, 6-13 MAAC)
DATE | TIME	Friday, March 6 | 7 PM
LOCATION	Koessler Athletic Center – Buffalo, N.Y.
GAME NOTES	Niagara | Canisius
SERIES	Niagara Leads 107-81
STREAK	Niagara W3
BROADCAST	ESPN+ -  Jay Moran/Richard Walsh
RADIO	WGR 550 AM – Todd Callen
LIVE STATS	GoGriffs.com
TWITTER	@NiagaraMBB
INSTAGRAM	@NiagaraMBB

The Niagara Purple Eagles conclude their regular season against longtime rival Canisius on Friday, March 6 at 7 p.m. in the latest installment of the Battle of the Bridge series.
  •  The Purple Eagles enter the final day of the regular season in sixth place. However, a win over the Golden Griffins would move them into a tie for fifth place with Quinnipiac. The two teams split their meetings, but Niagara holds the tie-breaker over the Bobcats due to its records against Siena and Saint Peter's. NU also owns the tie-breaker with Iona if the teams finish with the same record.
•  If Niagara wins, the Purple Eagles will be the No. 5 seed at the 2020 Hercules Tires MAAC Men's Basketball Championships in Atlantic City, N.J. and will play on Thursday, March 12 at 9:30 p.m. If Niagara loses, the Purple Eagles will be either the No. 6, 7, or 8 seed, depending on other results.
•  The Purple Eagles are 6-1 in the last seven meetings with the Golden Griffins. Niagara topped Canisius, 69-66, on January 12 for its third straight win in the series.
•  Niagara is looking to sweep the series in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, which was at the tail end of a nine-game win streak for the Purple Eagles.
•  The Purple Eagles have won the last three visits to the Koessler Athletic Center which is their longest streak since winning four straight from 2003-06.
  •  Marcus Hammond leads the Purple Eagles in scoring with a career-high 14.1 points per game and is averaging 16.2 points in league games which ranks third. He has scored in double figures a team-high 18 times.
•  Marcus Hammond collected his second MAAC Player of the Week award of the season announced on March 2. He averaged team-highs in scoring with 24 points and in rebounds with 6.5 per game to help lead the Purple Eagles to victories over Saint Peter's and Iona.
•  The Purple Eagles lead the MAAC in turnover margin (3.5), turnovers per game (10.6), and fewest turnovers (317).  NU ranks 10th in turnovers per game, 15th in the nation in fewest turnovers, and 16th in turnover margin. 
•  Niagara is first in the MAAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.15). NU had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in 189 games, including 12 straight game from December 1 to January 19.
•  Marcus Hammond is averaging 17.8 points in the last six games. He has four 20-point games, including the last three games, during the stretch. He has nine 20-point games this season which are third most in the league.
•  NU leads the conference in overall 3-point field goal percentage (.370) and is shooting a MAAC-leading 40.4 percent from 3-point range in conference games.
•  The Purple Eagles set season-highs in field goal percentage (.587) and in 3-point field goal percentage (.600) versus Iona on February 29. Niagara also tied a season-high in 3-pointers with 15. The Purple Eagles also made 15 triples against Iona on January 12.
 
On The Court
Canisius Golden Griffins (11-19, 6-13 MAAC)
•  Canisius defeated Marist, 85-69, in its last game to secure the 10th seed in next week's conference tournament.
•  The Golden Griffins lead the MAAC in assists per game (14.2), led by Malik Johnson's MAAC-leading 5.9 assists per game.
•  Majesty Brandon (13.9 ppg) and Malik Johnson (12.5 ppg) are scoring in double figures.
  
Against The Golden Griffins (Niagara Leads 107-81)
 • The Purple Eagles are 4-1 in their last five visits to the Koessler Athletic Center, including winning the last three meetings, while displaying effective and efficient offensive performances.
•  NU set a Koessler Athletic Center record for field goal percentage in a half (.789) in a second half comeback win, 82-71, on February 24, 2015.
•  Niagara netted 51 second half points, including eight 3-pointers, while shooting over 78 percent in a 94-81 victory on February 10, 2017.
•  The Purple Eagles poured in a season-high 105 points, 15 three-pointers, and shot a season-high 57.7 percent from the 3-point line, which set a record by an opponent at the Koessler Athletic Center, in a 105-89 victory on January 27, 2018.
 
Last Meeting - February 12, 2020
Niagara 69, Canisius 66
 
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara Purple Eagles battled their way to a 69-66 win against longtime rival Canisius on Wednesday night for their third straight victory in the series.
 

The Series	Niagara Leads 107-81
Last Game	February 12, 2020
	Niagara 69, Canisius 66
Last Niagara win	February 12, 2020
	Niagara 69, Canisius 66
Last Canisius win	February 21, 2018
	Canisius 95, Niagara 88
Last Niagara win at Canisius	February 27, 2019
	Niagara 86, Canisius 84
Last Canisius win at Home	February 25, 2016
	Canisius 65, Niagara 60
Current streak	Niagara W3