Junior Eva Cunningham joined the 1,000-point club during Niagara's 84-74 win over Fairfield Sunday night.

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – Junior guard Eva Cunningham (East Aurora, N.Y./Iroquois) became the 17th member of the 1,000-point club for the Niagara University women’s basketball team (8-5, 2-2) Sunday as the Purple Eagles downed Fairfield (4-10, 2-2), 84-74, in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at the Gallagher Center.

Cunningham grabbed her own miss and her follow in the lane allowed her to top the 1,000-point mark with 5:12 remaining in the game. She finished with a team-high 24 points. She also led the Purple Eagles with seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Cunningham got Niagara started in the game as she scored eight of the Purple Eagles’ first 15 points as they rolled to a 15-2 lead. Niagara kept that momentum going and rolled to a 50-32 halftime lead. Cunningham led the Purple Eagles with 15 first-half points. Seniors Ann Mimm (Girard, Pa.) and Colleen Toetz (Parma, Ohio) added 13 and 12 points, respectively, in the first 20 minutes Niagara made nine three-point field goals in the first half and forced 10 Fairfield turnovers.

After shooting 47.1 percent (16 of 34) from the field in the first half, Niagara cooled in the second half to 32.3 percent (10 of 31). The Purple Eagles extended their lead to 27 points, 70-43, on a jump shot by Toetz with 10:25 remaining. Fairfield kept chipping away at the lead, eventually cutting it to nine, 80-71, with 48 seconds to play, before the Purple Eagles iced the game by making four of their final five free throws.

Toetz finished with 23 points and seven rebounds while Mimm had 18 points. Senior Jessica Kemp (Niagara Falls, Ont.) scored 11 points to edge closer to the 1,000-point mark herself. Kemp has scored 974 career points.

Fairfield was led by Janelle McManus, who scored 25 points while Cathy Dash scored 10 points but had 13 rebounds.

Niagara, now 8-5 overall and 2-2 in the MAAC, plays at Rider Friday.