GAME NOTES: The Fairfield Stags try to log their first three-game win streak of the season this afternoon as they host the Niagara Purple Eagles in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference bout at the Arena at Harbor Yards. Fairfield was in action on Friday night in this very building and easily set down a slumping Canisius program by a score of 70-51. The victory came four days after the Stags defeated Saint Peter's in Alumni Hall by just six points. As for the Purple Eagles, they managed to halt their only two-game losing streak of 2007-08 two nights ago with a 79-59 whipping of the aforementioned Peacocks on the road. Today's outing caps a four-game road trip for Niagara, with the team heading home for a meeting with Loyola-Maryland on Friday. Niagara heads into this contest holding a 30-19 edge in the all-time series with the Stags, with the teams slated to meet again next week on Niagara's home floor.

Niagara shot an awful 32.4 percent from the field against the Peacocks on Friday night in Jersey City, yet it still seemed to work for the visitors as they won by 20 points. Charron Fisher made all 14 of his free throws to offset 6-of-20 shooting from the floor to come up with 29 points, adding nine rebounds and four steals. Tyrone Lewis contributed 25 points and Benson Egemonye notched a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds as the team forced 19 turnovers in the outing. Fisher enters this game as the third-leading scorer in the nation with his 27 ppg, although he is shooting just 37.6 percent from the field. In addition to his hefty scoring load, Fisher is also the leader on the glass for the team with 9.1 rpg, but giving him ample support in that department is Egemonye with 7.4 rpg as well.

Fairfield took 18 fewer shots from the field than the Golden Griffins in the last outing, yet made three more baskets as the Stags easily captured the win at home. From a defensive standpoint, Fairfield limited Canisius to just 27 percent shooting from the field and 6-of-26 behind the three-point line. Jonathan Han led the way for the Stags with 16 points, seven assists and six steals as he shot a perfect 4-of-4 beyond the arc. Herbie Allen and Anthony Johnson produced 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Yorel Hawkins came up a point shy of a double-double with his 11 rebounds. Fairfield has had four different leading scorers in the last four games, which explains why the squad has just a single double-digit scorer on the roster after 19 games. Han accounts for 11.0 ppg as a successful 48.6 percent shooter out on the perimeter. While cruising around the outside Han has also logged almost six assists per game, giving him almost four times as many dishes as any one of his teammates.

The Stags played well earlier this week, but considering the competition it should have been expected anyway. Given that Niagara is battling for first place in the MAAC, the Purple Eagles cannot afford to allow a game like this to get away from them.