NIAGARA UNIV. — The Niagara University Purple Eagles play host to the Fairfield Stags at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Gallagher Center.
Niagara and Fairfield will open and close the month of February against each other. In the first meeting on February 2, Fairfield used a late first half run to build a double-digit lead at halftime en route to an 81-61 win. Matt Scott shared game-high honors with 18 points. The Purple Eagles, who have split the last 10 meetings with the Stags at the Gallagher Center, are looking for their sixth home win which would be their most wins at the Gallagher Center in four seasons.
Dominic Robb leads the MAAC and is 25th in the nation in blocks per game (2.33) and is first in the MAAC and is 15th 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 has also passed Arlauckas for second place on the single-season list and is TWO behind the single-season record holder Mark Henry. Kahlil Dukes is FIFTH in the nation in free-throw percentage (.920). Dukes, who has had streaks of 20 and 17 consecutive made free throws, had a career-high 12 free throws at Quinnipiac on February 4. Dukes is on the verge of setting the single-season program record in free throw percentage which is currently held by Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy who shot 88.1 percent at the line during the 1969-70 season. Matt Scott is fifth in the MAAC in scoring with 17.4 points per game and Kahlil Dukes is 10th with 16.2 points per game. Niagara is one of two schools (Canisius) in the conference to have two players rank in the top-10 in scoring. 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 second most in the MAAC this season. His 34 points are the most by a Purple Eagle in four seasons. Niagara leads the MAAC and is 37th in the nation in blocked shots per game (4.9) and leads the MAAC and is 23rd in the nation in total blocks (146). The Purple Eagles are on pace to setting the program record in blocks in a single season (155).
2017 MAAC Tournament Seeding Scenarios
• Clinches #9 with WIN
• Clinches #9 with LOSS and Marist LOSS
• Clinches #10 with LOSS and Marist WIN
The 2017 MAAC Basketball Championships start on Thursday at the Times Union Center in Albany.
Fairfield is 4-3 since defeating Niagara on February 2. The Stags are coming off a last-second win at Canisius on Friday. Three Stags are averaging double figures scoring – Tyler Nelson (19.3 ppg), Curtis Cobb (12.6 ppg) and Jerry Johnson (11.6 ppg). Tyler Nelson’s 19.3 points per game and Amadou Sidibe’s 9.4 rebounds per game are both second in the conference. The Stags will be either the No. 5 seed (first round bye) and No. 6 seed in the upcoming MAAC Tournament.
After winning five of six meetings, the Purple Eagles have lost three straight in the series. 10 of the last 12 meetings have been decided by less than eight points. The series has alternated sweeps in the last two seasons with Fairfield winning both meetings last season and Niagara winning both meetings during the 2014-15 season.
from PurpleEagles.com via IFTTT
