Niagara to host first ever postseason hoops game against Le Moyne in WNIT
Mar. 18—Niagara is hosting its first ever home game in a women's basketball postseason tournament.
The Purple Eagles are slated to host Le Moyne at 7 p.m. Friday at the Gallagher Center in the first round of the WNIT. The winner advances to face Vermont in the second round with a time, date and location to be determined.
It will be the second consecutive season Niagara appears in the WNIT, losing to Green Bay, 84-52, in the first round last year. The Purple Eagles fell to Fairfield, 70-62, in overtime of the MAAC championship game Saturday.
Niagara led the Stags, who were unbeaten in the MAAC and winners of 28 consecutive games, until the final two minutes of regulation. The Purple Eagles were appearing in the championship game for the first time since 1997.
Since starting the season 6-11, Niagara has won 14 of its last 16 games since Jan. 20 and finished No. 2 in the MAAC standings for the second consecutive season. The Purple Eagles are averaging 78.4 points per game during that stretch, surpassing 80 points 10 times.
Niagara leads Division I in steals for the third consecutive season, with its 15.3 steals more than one per game ahead of No. 2 West Virginia. The Purple Eagles also rank 10th in the nation with 15.5 offensive rebounds per game.
Niagara Falls native Amelia Strong is coming off earning MAAC all-tournament team honors after averaging 15.3 points and seven rebounds in three games, including scoring a career-high 20 points against Quinnipiac in the quarterfinals. Strong had scored in double figures twice in the last 10 regular-season games.
Aaliyah Parker leads Niagara with 11.9 points , 5.5 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game, while Angel Parker is averaging 10 points, 3.5 assists and three steals per game. The Purple Eagles have four players averaging more than seven points per game.
Le Moyne (18-13) lost to Sacred Heart in the championship game of the Northeastern Conference tournament, snapping a nine-game winning streak. The Dolphins have won 12 of their last 14 games and have won 16 of 19 since Jan. 1 after starting 2-10.
Leading Le Moyne is Lytoya Baker, who averages 14.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and was named NEC Defensive Player of the Year. Baker is the only player averaging double figures that averages 57 points per game.
Friday will mark the first postseason basketball game held at the Gallagher Center since the Niagara men's team played Rhode Island in the first round of the NIT in 2009.
After losing to Kent State in the MAC final, Buffalo will host Monmouth at 7 p.m. in the first round. The winner plays Duquesne in the second round.
