Niagara opens MAAC road slate tonight
By Pat Murray
Niagara Gazette
Lewiston, N.Y. ?
The Niagara University men?s basketball team enters the thick of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play this weekend with a pair of road contests. The Purple Eagles (3-7 overall, 0-2 MAAC) are at Loyola at 7 p.m. today and at Iona at 2 p.m. Sunday (both games Radio 1440 AM).
?We?re excited to get back into conference play,? Niagara coach Joe Mihalich said. ?These are the games that count.?
Niagara is coming off a second-place finish at the Duquesne Holiday Hoops Tournament. The Purple Eagles downed Appalachian State 79-70 in the first round to snap a six-game losing streak before dropping an 87-71 decision to Troy State in the finals, squandering a 10-point lead.
?We?re on the right track,? Mihalich said. ?We played three good halves in the tournament. We have to build off of those.?
Sophomore guard/forward Charron Fisher continues to lead Niagara in scoring (18.9 points per game), rebounding (8.0) and steals (1.6). Fisher was named to the all-tournament team as was Lorenzo Miles, who is second on the team in scoring (14.3) and assists (3.6).
Loyola (7-3, 1-1) is led by senior guard Andre Collins, a transfer from the University of Maryland, who is pouring in an average of 26.9 points per game. Junior center Hassan Fofana, who leads the Greyhounds with 7.3 rebounds per game, is the only other Loyola player averaging double figures in scoring (13.0).
?Andre is one of the most exciting players in the conference,? Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos said of Collins. ?Andre waited his turn last year (sitting out after transferring), but now he?s scoring and getting assists.?
Niagara has won nine of the last 10 games against Loyola, but lost its last game at Loyola, a 97-89 decision on Dec. 5, 2004. That snapped a 12-game Niagara winning streak against the Greyhounds.
?It was big to get that win against Niagara,? Patsos said. ?They were the best team in the MAAC last season, and we showed we could play with them.?
Following the Loyola game, Niagara takes on Iona (8-2, 2-0), which is ranked ninth in the latest mid-major poll.
?They?re probably the best team in the MAAC right now,? Mihalich said. ?But we?re used to playing tough teams. Our non-conference scheduled was the 43rd toughest in the nation. Those games will only help us get better.