PURPLE EAGLES MEN'S BASKETBALL
GAME 32	No. 6 Niagara Purple Eagles (11-20, 9-11 MAAC) vs. Marist Red Foxes (7-22, 6-14 MAAC)
DATE | TIME	Tuesday, March 10 | 9 PM
TOURNAMENT	2020 Hercules Tires Men's Basketball MAAC Championships First Round
LOCATION	Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall – Atlantic City, NJ
GAME NOTES	Niagara | Marist
SERIES	Niagara Leads 28-23
STREAK	Marist W3
BROADCAST	ESPN3
RADIO	WGR 550 AM – Todd Callen
TICKETS	www.TicketMaster.com
LIVE STATS	MAACSports.com
TWITTER	@NiagaraMBB
INSTAGRAM	@NiagaraMBB

 
   The No. 6 seed Niagara Purple Eagles will face the No. 11 seed Marist Red Foxes in the 2020 Hercules Tires Men's Basketball Championships First Round at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. on Tuesday, March 10 at 9 p.m.
  •  The Purple Eagles, who were picked 10th in the MAAC Preseason Poll, finished the season in sixth placed and were in position for an opening round bye on the last day of the regular season.
•  NU will be the sixth seed in a MAAC Tournament for the first time in 10 seasons.
•  Niagara is 18-7 all-time in a MAAC Tournament game as a higher seed.
•  The Purple Eagles lost both meetings to the Red Foxes this season and three straight overall dating back to last season. 
•  Niagara and Marist have met five times in the MAAC Tournament with the Purple Eagles holding a 3-2 advantage.
  •  Marcus Hammond was named to the All-MAAC First Team. Hammond averaged career-highs in points (14.2 ppg), in rebounds (4.6 rpg), and in assists (2.9 apg) to lead the Purple Eagles in all three categories. He has scored in double figures a team-high 19 times.
•  Niagara is first in the MAAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.12). NU had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in 19 games, including 12 straight game from December 1 to January 19.
•  Marcus Hammond averaged 16.2 points in league games which ranked third.
•  The Purple Eagles lead the MAAC in turnovers per game (10.7), and fewest turnovers (331).  NU ranks 12th in turnover margin and 13th in the nation in fewest turnovers. 
•  Marcus Hammond is averaging 17.4 points in the last seven games. He has four 20-point games during the stretch. He has nine 20-point games this season which are tied for third most in the league.
•  NU leads the conference in overall 3-point field goal percentage (.372) and is shooting a MAAC-leading 40.7 percent from 3-point range in conference games. Justin Roberts (.468), Marcus Hammond (.466), and Nick MacDonald (.436) rank second, third, and fourth, respectively, in 3-point field goal percentage in MAAC games.
•  James Towns is averaging 14.3 points in the last three games, including a game-high 18 points at Canisius on March 6.
•  Raheem Solomon set a career-high in scoring with 24 points against Monmouth in the 2019 MAAC Championship First Round. Marcus Hammond added 15 points in the lone tournament game for the Purple Eagles. James Towns is averaging 9.2 points in four career MAAC Tournament games, including scoring double figures in three 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
Marist Red Foxes (7-22, 6-14 MAAC)
•  The Red Foxes have dropped their last four games since beating NU on February 23.
•  Michael Cubbage leads the Red Foxes in points (9.3 ppg), in rebounds (6.0 ppg), and in assists (3.3 apg).
•  Matthew Herasme (1.45 spg) and Michael Cubbage (1.41 spg) rank seventh and ninth, respectively, in the MAAC in steals per game.
  
Against The Red Foxes (Niagara Leads 28-23)
•  NU leads the all-time series, but is 4-6 in the last 10 encounters with the Red Foxes.
•  The Purple Eagles are 3-2 against the Red Foxes in the MAAC Tournament with wins coming in 2000, 2009, and 2014.
 
Last Meeting - February 23, 2020
Marist 76, Niagara 54
 
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Marcus Hammond scored a game-high 22 points as the Purple Eagles fell to the Marist Red Foxes, 76-54, on Sunday afternoon.
 

The Series	Niagara Leads 28-23
Last Game	February 23, 2020
	Marist 76, Niagara 54
Last Niagara win	February 23, 2018
	Niagara 100, Marist 76
Last Marist win	February 23, 2020
	Marist 76, Niagara 54
Last Niagara win vs. Marist at MAAC Tournament	March 6, 2014
	Niagara 78, Marist 76
Last Marist win vs. Niagara at MAAC Tournament	March 4, 2011
	Marist 73, Niagara 61
Current Streak	Marist W3

 
Versus Marist In The MAAC Championship (3-2)

2014	First	Springfield, MA	No. 11 Niagara 78, No. 6 Marist 76
2011	First	Albany, NY	No. 9 Marist 73, No. 8 Niagara 61
2009	Quarterfinals	Albany, NY	No. 2 Niagara 79, No. 10 Marist 50
2008	Quarterfinals	Albany, NY	No. 6 Marist 66, No.3 Niagara 62
2000	Quarterfinals	Albany, NY	No. 5 Niagara 83, No. 4 Marist 65

                                      
MAAC Championship Tidbits
•  NU is 24-28 with two titles (2005 & 2007) in 30 appearances at the MAAC Basketball Championships
•  Niagara is 3-6 all-time as the No. 6 seed and will be the sixth seed for the first time since 2010. This will be the first time NU will be the sixth seed since the tournament expanded to 11 teams in 2014.
 
Hammond Selected To All-MAAC First Team
•  Marcus Hammond became the 14th Purple Eagle to earn All-MAAC First Team honors since Niagara joined the conference for the 1989-90 season.
•  Hammond is leading the Purple Eagles with career-highs in points with 14.2 per game, in rebounds with 4.6 per game, and in assists with 2.9 per game. He is one of two players in the conference to lead his team in points, rebounds, and assists.
•  Hammond, a two-time MAAC Player of the Week recipient, ranks in the top 10 in the MAAC in points per game, assists per game, 3-pointers per game, and in 3-point field goal percentage. He is tied for third in the MAAC in 20-point games with nine.