NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY – Niagara returns home for a non-conference tilt with Cornell Saturday afternoon. Tip-off between the Purple Eagles and Big Red is set for 1:00 p.m. from the Gallagher Center and will air on ESPN3. 
 
Last Time Out: 
• Niagara dropped its contest with Big 4 rival Buffalo on Wednesday night, 95-55.
• Angel Parker led the Purple and White with 15 points and eight assists. 
• Maddy Yelle registered her fourth game of 10-plus points, scoring 13 in the loss. 
• Aaliyah Parker and Sydney Faulcon paced Niagara on the glass, collecting five caroms apiece. 
• Niagara finished with 40 rebounds, 19 of which came on the offensive end of the floor. 
 • The Purple Eagles finished the contest with 19 fast break points and 30 points in the paint.
 
Kathryn Rafter '75
• Niagara will honor former Purple Eagle Kathryn Rafter, who is being inducted into the Niagara Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend. 
• Rafter was a pioneer for women's sports at Niagara University and helped lead the initiative to officially sanction women's sports at NU and was a member of the women's basketball program from 1971-75.
• In 1974, Rafter became the first female student-athlete elected to the Athletics Advisory Council, which helped implement Title IX. 
• She has continued to be a generous benefactor of the Purple Eagles women's basketball program and Niagara University.
• Rafter was inducted into the MAAC Honor Roll in 2015.
• She is the 18th member of the women's basketball program to be enshrined in the Niagara Athletics Hall of Fame.
 
Niagara Notes
• The Purple and White are led by Angel Parker, who is scoring 14.3 points per game. The junior has reached double-figures five times this season. 
• Angel also leads the team and ranks second in the MAAC in assists (5.7) and steals (3.8) per contest.
• Aaliyah Parker leads Niagara with 7.3 rebounds and is second on the team with 11.0 points per game. 
• The younger of the two Parker sisters has recorded two double-doubles this season. The first came against Oakland (18pts & 13reb) on Nov. 12 and again on Nov. 17 against Colgate (19pts & 10reb).
• Yelle scored a season-high 13 points against Buffalo last Wednesday, averaging 9.8 points per game. The senior is also third on the team with 4.5 boards per contest. 
• Olivia Mason is second on the team with 4.8 rebounds per game.
• As a team, Niagara is shooting 36.0 percent from the field, 24.4 percent from 3-point land, and 63.9 from the line.
• The Purple Eagles grab 38.8 rebounds per game, which currently ranks third in the conference. 
• The Purple and White lead the MAAC in steals per game, averaging 13.3 through six games. 
 
Series History
• Niagara and Cornell have met 17 times, dating back to 1973. The Purple Eagles are 10-7 against the Big Red. 
• The last meeting between the two schools came on Nov. 21, 2019, an 82-59 win for Cornell. 
• Niagara's last win over Cornell came on Jan. 11, 2000. The Purple Eagles dominated the Big Red and coasted to a 97-73 win. 
 
Up Next
• Niagara will close out the non-conference portion of their schedule with a trip to Xavier on Wednesday, Dec. 8. The Purple Eagles and Musketeers will tip-off at noon from the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
 
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