The Niagara Purple Eagles seem to have little problem nesting in opposing arenas.
NU earned its first two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference wins of the season on the road last weekend, running its winning streak away from Monteagle Ridge to five games.
The Purple Eagles will have to prove home-court advantage is for the birds when they host the always-tough Monmouth Hawks and Saint Peter's Peacocks this weekend at the Gallagher Center.
"We believe we can win on the road because we've done it," NU coach Chris Casey said Thursday night. "Like anything else, it snowballs."
Niagara (9-8, 2-2 MAAC) dropped its opening two conference games, both at the Gallagher Center, to Iona and Rider, who entered Thursday night tied with Canisius atop the standings at 3-1.
They stabilized on the road, winning at Siena and Marist. Casey wouldn't call it a comeback.
"I don't think anything changed," he said. "... If we make one more play in that Iona game (an overtime loss), we're sitting at 3-1 instead of 2-2."
Casey did say the Purple Eagles defended better on the road trip and cut down on turnovers, something they've actually been excellent at this season.
They combined for 16 turnovers in the Marist and Siena wins, lowering their per-game total this year to 10.8. They coughed the ball up almost 13 times per game last season.
Niagara's turnover rate, a metric from KenPom.com that accounts for pace of play, is 14.2 percent ? sixth in the nation. It has the second-best opponent steal rate in the country at 5.8 percent.
"That wasn't the case the last few years," Casey said. "What you're seeing is better guys handling the ball.
"We stress it every day in practice. It's something that we drill, something that we work on. ... Our guys have embraced that a little bit."
Casey did make one change in the wins, replacing Dom Robb and Keleaf Tate in the starting lineup with Greg King and Chris Barton.
Robb responded remarkably well, totaling 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting with three blocks and three steals. He ended up playing 16 more minutes than King, all off the bench.
Casey wouldn't commit to sticking with the strategy.
"It's a day-to-day thing," he said. "I think both of those guys are capable of producing. The match-ups are going to determine who's out there."
Niagara matches up with Monmouth (5-10, 1-2) at 7 p.m. tonight, though the Hawks have a very different look after the graduation of two-time MAAC Player of the Year Justin Robinson.
Leading scorer Micah Seaborn may also miss the game after not practicing all week with a sprained ankle, according to a report from the Asbury Park Press.
"We're preparing like he's playing," Casey said. "... They're still a good team without him."
Niagara hosts Saint Peter's (8-7, 2-2) at 2 p.m. Sunday.
NU earned its first two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference wins of the season on the road last weekend, running its winning streak away from Monteagle Ridge to five games.
The Purple Eagles will have to prove home-court advantage is for the birds when they host the always-tough Monmouth Hawks and Saint Peter's Peacocks this weekend at the Gallagher Center.
"We believe we can win on the road because we've done it," NU coach Chris Casey said Thursday night. "Like anything else, it snowballs."
Niagara (9-8, 2-2 MAAC) dropped its opening two conference games, both at the Gallagher Center, to Iona and Rider, who entered Thursday night tied with Canisius atop the standings at 3-1.
They stabilized on the road, winning at Siena and Marist. Casey wouldn't call it a comeback.
"I don't think anything changed," he said. "... If we make one more play in that Iona game (an overtime loss), we're sitting at 3-1 instead of 2-2."
Casey did say the Purple Eagles defended better on the road trip and cut down on turnovers, something they've actually been excellent at this season.
They combined for 16 turnovers in the Marist and Siena wins, lowering their per-game total this year to 10.8. They coughed the ball up almost 13 times per game last season.
Niagara's turnover rate, a metric from KenPom.com that accounts for pace of play, is 14.2 percent ? sixth in the nation. It has the second-best opponent steal rate in the country at 5.8 percent.
"That wasn't the case the last few years," Casey said. "What you're seeing is better guys handling the ball.
"We stress it every day in practice. It's something that we drill, something that we work on. ... Our guys have embraced that a little bit."
Casey did make one change in the wins, replacing Dom Robb and Keleaf Tate in the starting lineup with Greg King and Chris Barton.
Robb responded remarkably well, totaling 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting with three blocks and three steals. He ended up playing 16 more minutes than King, all off the bench.
Casey wouldn't commit to sticking with the strategy.
"It's a day-to-day thing," he said. "I think both of those guys are capable of producing. The match-ups are going to determine who's out there."
Niagara matches up with Monmouth (5-10, 1-2) at 7 p.m. tonight, though the Hawks have a very different look after the graduation of two-time MAAC Player of the Year Justin Robinson.
Leading scorer Micah Seaborn may also miss the game after not practicing all week with a sprained ankle, according to a report from the Asbury Park Press.
"We're preparing like he's playing," Casey said. "... They're still a good team without him."
Niagara hosts Saint Peter's (8-7, 2-2) at 2 p.m. Sunday.
