PURPLE EAGLES MEN'S BASKETBALL
GAMES 15-16	Niagara Purple Eagles (6-8, 5-7 MAAC) vs. Monmouth Hawks (7-4, 7-3 MAAC)
DATE | TIME	Friday, January 29 |4 PM Saturday, January 30 | 4 PM
LOCATION	Gallagher Center – Niagara University
GAME NOTES	Niagara | Monmouth
SERIES	Monmouth Leads 11-5
STREAK	Niagara W1
BROADCAST	ESPN+ (Friday) – Todd Callen/Richard Walsh | ESPN3 (Saturday) – Todd Callen/Susan Roarke
RADIO	107.3 FM/AM 1400 (Friday) | (Saturday) – Pat Malacaro
LIVE STATS	PurpleEagles.com
TWITTER	@NiagaraMBB
INSTAGRAM	@NiagaraMBB

    The Niagara Purple Eagles begin a four-game homestand with a pair of contests with the Monmouth Hawks on January 29-30 at 4 p.m.
 

SCENE SETTER

•  After playing seven of its last nine games on the road, including the last four games, Niagara returns to the Gallagher Center where the Purple Eagles will play six of their final eight games. 
•  As part of the revised schedule released by the MAAC on January 25, the Purple Eagles will now host the Monmouth Hawks as opposed to the Siena Saints; the series with Siena will take place on February 12-13.
•  The two-game set pits the conference leaders in scoring defense and fewest turnovers per game in Niagara versus the top scoring offense and most forced turnovers per game in Monmouth. 
•  The Purple Eagles have won four of the last six meetings with Hawks, including the last three times at the Gallagher Center. NU edged Monmouth, 78-77, on January 12, 2018 to snap a nine-game losing streak in the series. NU had a dominant second half performance on its way to a 73-48 win on January 26, 2019, which was Niagara's largest win in the last 10 seasons.
•  In last season's meeting at the Gallagher Center, Marcus Hammond notched his second career double-double with a game-high 26 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, and Shandon Brown scored a career-high 17 points to propel the Purple Eagles to a 77-72 win.
•  The Purple Eagles are 12-4 at the Gallagher Center in the last two seasons, including an 11-3 record in MAAC games. Niagara is 3-1 at home this season.   
 

TIPOFF TIDBITS

•  The Purple Eagles lead the MAAC and rank SIXTH in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (9.9). Niagara leads the conference in scoring defense (63.6 ppg), in turnover margin (3.1), and in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0).
•  Marcus Hammond, who led NU in scoring and rebounds last season, is averaging team-highs in points with 14.6 per game, rebounds with 5.7 per contest, and in assists with 2.6 per game. Hammond ranks fifth in the MAAC in scoring and second in 3-pointers made (29).
•  Kobi Nwandu was named Big 4 Player of the Week on January 25 after averaging a team-high 19 points while shooting 41 percent from the field and 57 percent from the 3-point line against Quinnipiac on January 22-23. He also averaged 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the two-game series.
•  In the January 23 meeting at Quinnipiac, Marcus Hammond (22) and Kobi Nwandu (20) became the first pair of teammates to score 20 points in a game since January 26, 2019.
•  Greg Kuakumensah averaged 9.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in the two meetings against the Bobcats. Kuakumensah set season-highs in steals with three, blocks with three, and in rebounds with nine versus the Bobcats on January 22.
•  The Purple Eagles recorded a 3.45 grade-point average in the fall semester to set a program record for the third consecutive semester.
 
On The Court
Monmouth Hawks (7-4, 7-3 MAAC)
•  The Monmouth Hawks are 7-4 overall with a 7-3 conference record.
•  The Hawks, who have won their last four games, had their series with the Manhattan Jaspers on January 22-23 postponed.
•  Monmouth leads the MAAC in scoring offense (79.6 ppg), 3-pointer per game (8.5), 3-point field goal percentage (.400), steals per game (8.4 spg), turnovers forced (16.2), and rebounds per game (38.7). 
•  Three Hawks – Deion Hammond (18.3 ppg), George Papas (13.7 ppg), and Melik Martin (10.0 ppg) – are averaging double figures scoring.
•  Monmouth has several Hawks leading the MAAC in statistical categories – George Papas (3-point field goal percentage and 3-pointers made), Myles Ruth (steals), Samuel Chaput (assist-to-turnover ratio), Deion Hammond (free throws made).
 
Against The Hawks (Monmouth Leads 11-5)
•  After dropping nine of the first 10 matchups between the two programs, Niagara has won four of the last six contests.
•  The Purple Eagles won three straight from January 2018 to January 2019 which included sweeping the 2017-18 season with the Purple Eagles earning their first win at Monmouth on February 4, 2018.
•  NU defeated Monmouth, 75-48, in the Gallagher Center on January 26, 2019 in the only regular season meeting between the teams. The 27-point win was the Purple Eagles' largest since beating Marist, 79-50, in the 2009 MAAC Tournament Quarterfinals. 
•  Niagara won the most recent meeting between the teams with a 77-72 victory on February 16, 2020 for the third straight win at the Gallagher Center.
 
Last Meeting - February 16, 2020
Niagara 77, Monmouth 72
 
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Marcus Hammond notched his second career double-double with a game-high 26 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, and Shandon Brown's career-high 17 points, propelled the Purple Eagles to a 77-72 win over the Monmouth Hawks on Sunday. 
 

The Series	Monmouth Leads, 11-5
Last Game	February 16, 2020
	Niagara 77, Monmouth 72
Last Niagara win	February 16, 2020
	Niagara 77, Monmouth 72
Last Monmouth win	January 24, 2020
	Monmouth 82, Niagara 71
Last Niagara win at Home	February 16, 2020
	Niagara 77, Monmouth 72
Last Monmouth win at Niagara	January 14, 2017
	Monmouth 90, Niagara 83
Current Streak	Niagara W1