Saturday, January 18, 2025 | 1:00 PM
Gallagher Center | Niagara University, NY
Watch: https://bit.ly/4alJvXO
Live Statistics: https://bit.ly/4jiCYkN
International Feed: https://bit.ly/3WnEVTi
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY - The Jaspers got the first three-games of the MAAC schedule out of their system, and have clearly put that behind them. Manhattan now sits 3-3 in conference play, and looking to enter the top four of the league table. 408 miles northwest, is the next destination for head coach Heather Vulin. Throughout the team's three-game winning streak, the Jaspers have outscored its opponents +28.3 as the margin. All the while, graduate forward Ines Gimenez Monserrat paces the squad averaging nearly 15 points-per-game, and six rebounds per-game. Graduate forward Leyla Ozturk recorded a double-double in the programs' inaugural meeting vs. Merrimack on Saturday, and averages 12 points and 8 caroms per game. Finally, Manhattan has found success on the defensive end, by forcing five more turnovers to its opponent than it commits. Blocks are also +8 in favor of Manhattan.
Scouting the Opposition:
•The Niagara Purple Eagles were the reigning MAAC runner-ups from a season ago. It fell to the Fairfield Stags in the 2023-24 MAAC Championship game.
•Head Coach Jada Pierce is now in her 10th season as the head coach of the Purple Eagles.
•Niagara has only one victory on the campaign, which came against Division II's Bloomsburg Huskies on December 1 in an 81-60 decisive victory in Lewiston.
•The eight game losing skid for the Purple Eagles is the longest in nearly nine years.
•Junior forward Amelia Strong, who was the third leading scorer for the Purple Eagles a season ago, has only played in six games this season due to injuries.
•Preseason All-MAAC First Teamer and senior guard Aaliyah Parker has yet to play in a game this season for Niagara. Parker was the leading scorer in 2024-25.
•Georgian Court transfer Safiatu Kolliegbo has turned it up multiple gears when competing against MAAC opponents, where she's been averaging 19 points-per-game in the six contests thus far, which ranks top five in the conference.
•Safiatu Kolliego ranks second in the MAAC in steals (2.6 per game)
•The Purple Eagles took the last meeting against the Jaspers with a decisive 88-63 victory in Riverdale on February 8, 2024.
•In the 2023 MAAC Championships, Manhattan took down Niagara inside Boardwalk Hall by a score of 81-68. That effectively ended the Purple Eagles season.
Last Five Meetings:
Niagara Leads 3-2
2/08/24...................................NIA 88-63
1/18/24...................................MAN 64-53
3/10/23...................................MAN 81-68
1/19/23.....................................NIA 74-40
12/31/22..................................NIA 66-62