Sullivan, Marist host Niagara

Niagara (3-3, 2-2) vs. Marist (5-1, 3-1)

McCann Center, Poughkeepsie, New York; Friday, 2 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Two junior guards will be on display as Marcus Hammond and Niagara will battle Raheim Sullivan and Marist. Hammond has scored 22 percent of the team's points this season and is averaging 14.8 over his last five games. Sullivan is averaging 11.4 points over the last five games.

SQUAD LEADERSHIP: Hammond is averaging 13.7 points and 6.2 rebounds to lead the charge for the Purple Eagles. Kobi Nwandu is also a key contributor, accounting for 12.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. The Red Foxes have been led by Sullivan, who is averaging 10.8 points.

MAAC IMPROVEMENT: The Purple Eagles have scored 63 points per game and allowed 58.8 points per game across four conference games. Those are both significant improvements over the 57.5 points scored and 70 points given up per game to non-conference foes.MIGHTY MARCUS: Hammond has connected on 32.4 percent of the 34 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 6 of 16 over his last three games. He's also converted 75 percent of his foul shots this season.

ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Red Foxes have recently created baskets via assists more often than the Purple Eagles. Marist has 29 assists on 58 field goals (50 percent) across its past three games while Niagara has assists on 38 of 77 field goals (49.4 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: The Marist defense has allowed only 60.7 points per game to opponents this season, ranking the Red Foxes 25th among Division I teams. The Niagara offense has averaged 61.2 points through six games (ranked 239th, nationally).

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