Rider (3-7, 3-4) vs. Niagara (4-5, 3-4)
Gallagher Center, Niagara, New York; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Niagara seeks revenge on Rider after dropping the first matchup in Niagara. The teams last faced each other on Jan. 8, when the Broncs shot 54.7 percent from the field while holding Niagara’s shooters to just 43.1 percent en route to a 76-70 victory.
TEAM LEADERS: Niagara’s Marcus Hammond has averaged 15.4 points and 5.9 rebounds while Kobi Nwandu has put up 12 points. For the Broncs, Dwight Murray Jr. has averaged 13.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists while Christian Ings has put up 9.2 points.
TAKE IT UP A NOTCH: The Purple Eagles have scored 67 points per game and allowed 63.7 points per game in conference play so far. Those are both noticeable improvements over the 65.7 points scored and 70 points given up per game to non-conference foes.DOMINANT DWIGHT: Murray has connected on 41.4 percent of the 29 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 5 of 11 over the last three games. He’s also made 85.3 percent of his free throws this season.
SLIPPING AT 72: Rider is 0-6 when it allows at least 72 points and 3-1 when it holds opponents to less than 72.
ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Purple Eagles have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Broncs. Niagara has 33 assists on 72 field goals (45.8 percent) over its previous three contests while Rider has assists on 32 of 78 field goals (41 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Niagara has made 7.8 3-pointers per game this season, which is second-best among MAAC teams. The Purple Eagles have averaged nine 3-pointers per game over their last five games.
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