GAME 23 - Sunday, February 9, 2020
Rider University Broncs (13-9, 7-5 MAAC) vs. Niagara Purple Eagles (7-15, 5-6 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ – Alumni Gymnasium
Tip: 2 p.m.
Tickets – GoBroncsTix.com
Live Video – ESPN3
Live Stats – GoBroncs.com
Live Audio – None
Twitter – Twitter.com/RiderMBB
 
What You Need To Know
- Rider came from behind to defeat Canisius, 61-60, on three Willy Nuñez, Jr. free throws with 5.9 seconds remaining on Feb. 7.
- Rider leads the all-time series with Niagara, 26-23. The Purple Eagles stunned the Broncs, 70-68, on a Marcus Hammond buzzer beater on Jan. 17. RU has won three-straight at home against Niagara, with the last loss at Alumni Gym coming in the 2014-15 season. Niagara hasn't swept a season series from the Broncs since the 2006-07 season, when the Purple Eagles defeated RU three times. 
- Niagara is 7-15 (5-6 MAAC) under first-year Head Coach Greg Paulus. Marcus Hammond has led the Purple Eagles at 13.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, while James Towns has added 11.7 ppg. Raheem Solomon (10.4 ppg.) has also averaged in double figures overall, while Greg Kuakumensah has added 8.9 ppg. and 4.0 rpg.
- Dimencio Vaughn has led Rider in scoring in each of the last three games and nine of the last 12, including a season-high 28 points on 10-of-11 shooting Feb. 2 at Monmouth, leading to MAAC Player of the Week honors.
- 2.0 games currently separate 1st from 8th place in the MAAC Standings. 
- Defending home court has been the norm in league play this season, as 10 of 11 teams have a .500 or better winning percentage at home in league play, including a 37-9 mark (.804 winning %) by the top eight teams in the standings.
- Rider shot nearly 70 percent in the second half against Fairfield to turn a three-point halftime deficit into a 16-point win on Jan. 31.
- Frederick Scott became the 40th Rider player all-time and the fourth current Bronc to score 1,000 career points on Jan. 24 vs. Saint Peter's. Stevie Jordan, Dimencio Vaughn and Tyere Marshall also have 1,000 career points, making Rider one of two programs in Division I to have four 1,000-point scorers, and the only team to have all four score all 1,000 points for a single team.
- Rider is just the third NCAA Division I team in the last five years to have four 1,000-point scorers with all 1,000-points scored at a single school, joining Kansas State in 2018-19 and North Carolina in 2016-17.
- Jordan (565 assists, 178 steals) ranks 3rd at Rider in both categories.
- Eighth-year Head Coach Kevin Baggett's teams have posted a 136-113 record. Baggett won MAAC Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2018.
- Only John Carpenter (292) and Thomas Leyden (187) have more wins at Rider than Baggett.