The Niagara Purple Eagles will play their final regular season road game of the 2016-17 campaign against the Siena Saints at 8 p.m. Saturday.
The Purple Eagles held off a late Siena push to defeat the Saints, 71-66, at the Gallagher Center on January 4 to snap a seven-game losing streak in the series. Kahlil Dukes and Matt Scott combined for 44 of Niagara’s 71 points. They both scored 22 points as it was the first time the duo each had 20-point efforts in the same game. They have done it twice since. Niagara is seeking its first sweep of the Saints since the 2012-13 season and the program’s first win at Siena since January 25, 2013.
Niagara started its final road trip with a 93-75 setback to newly-minted regular season champions Monmouth on Thursday, February 16. Kahlil Dukes led Niagara with 20 points for his eighth 20-point game of the season. Shane Gatling (12), Matt Scott (12) and Kevin Larkin (10) joined him in double figures as four Purple Eagles were in double figures for the eighth time this season. Dominic Robb leads the MAAC and is 19th in the nation in blocks per game (2.50) and is first in the MAAC and is EIGHTH in the nation in total blocks (70). Robb set the sophomore single-season record, which was held by Joe Arlauckas who had 66 during the 1984-85 season. Robb passed Arlauckas for second place on the single-season list and is TWO behind the single-season record holder Mark Henry.
Matt Scott scored a career-high 34 points to lead all scorers in Niagara’s meeting with Iona on February 12. Scott also set a season-high with 11 field goals made and a career-high with six 3-pointers made. Scott has four 30-point games in his career, including two this season which are tied for the most in the MAAC this season. His 34 points are the most by a Purple Eagle in four seasons. Kahlil Dukes is THIRD in the nation in free-throw percentage (.925). Dukes, who has had streaks of 20 and 17 consecutive made free throws, had a career-high 12 free throws at Quinnipiac on Feb. 4.
In Niagara’s win over Canisius on Feb. 23, the Purple Eagles shot 78.6 percent (22-for-28) from the field in the second half and made 8 of 9 from 3-pointers, including making their first seven of the half, en route to dropping 55 second half points. Niagara finished with a season-high 36 field goals made and had its second highest point total (94), field goal percentage (.581), assists (19) and steals (7) of the season. Niagara leads the MAAC and is 28th in the nation in blocked shots per game (5.1) and leads the MAAC and is tied for 14th in the nation in total blocks (144). The Purple Eagles are on pace of setting the program record in blocks in a single season (155).
from PurpleEagles.com via IFTTT
