FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The final home stand of the 2014-15 Fairfield University men's basketball season starts on Thursday night when the Stags host Niagara University at Webster Bank Arena. The 7 pm game will be broadcasted on ESPN3 and SNY.
Niagara and Fairfield will meet for the 66th time on February 19 in a series that began during the 1965-66 season. Fairfield posted an 82-65 win in the first-ever meeting as the two teams split their first six games against one another. The Stags tied the longest winning streak in this series when they posted six straight victories from 2009-10 to 2011-12. The Purple Eagles ended that run with a two game sweep in the 2012-13 regular season series, including a 67- 64 decision at Webster Bank Arena. Niagara also won six straight games from 1990-91 through 1992-93, a streak which ended with Fairfield's 78-72 victory at Alumni Hall in the first meeting of the 1993-94 campaign.
Fairfield comes off a 79-70 loss at Manhattan College in its last outing as Marcus Gilbert and Tyler Nelson paced the offense with 24 and 17 points, respectively. Gilbert has been the top scorer in 19 of the team's 26 games this year with Mike Kirkland being next on the list with two top scoring performances. The junior also became the first Stag to lead or co-lead in points, rebounds, and assists in a game with his team-best 24 points and co-leading four rebounds and three assists against the Jaspers last Sunday.
Gilbert remains the top scorer for the Stags, checking into tonight's game with a 16.7 scoring average with Nelson taking second on the team with 8.9 points per game. Gilbert is averaging 18.4 points per conference game this year, followed by Mike Kirkland's 9.8 MAAC scoring average.
The Purple Eagles begin a three-game road trip this evening that brings the team up to the regular-season finale. Niagara will host Fairfield on March 1 to close out the season. The current road trip includes games at Rider on Saturday and at Canisius on February 24. The team has enjoyed their time at home with three of their four wins coming at the Gallagher Center, including their last victory which was a 105-100 overtime decision over Quinnipiac on February 1. The team's lone road victory came on November 20, a 61-59 result against Saint Peter's. Three of the team's victories have come in MAAC play.
At the heart of the Niagara offense stands Emile Blackman, who leads the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game. Ramone Snowden, who nets 11.3 points every forty minutes, joins Blackman as the team's two double-digit scorers this season. Snowden has also been quite effective on the boards, collecting a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game.
Tickets for the Niagara game are available at the Webster Bank Arena box office as well as www.ticketmaster.com. Fairfield closes out its home schedule hosting Saint Peter's on February 21. The February 21 game is part of a doubleheader with the women's team hosting Siena at noon. Both teams will welcome back their respective alumni as part of A Celebration of Fairfield Basketball. The two teams will also honor their seniors prior to the games.
