JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Held to a season-low 43 points, the Niagara University women’s basketball team (11-7, 5-4) lost 65-43 to Saint Peter’s College (11-7, 6-3) Friday at the Yanitelli Center. The loss drops the Purple Eagles out of a second-place tie with the Peahens in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings.

A key factor in the loss, which ends a two-game win streak for Niagara, was rebounding. Saint Peter’s held an overwhelming 48-22 rebound advantage over the Purple Eagles, handing visiting Niagara its largest margin of defeat thus far in the season (22 points).

With the Purple Eagles down 35-25 at the intermission, the Peahens scored the first eight points of the second half, building a 43-25 lead on Tyonna Vance’s basket with 16:23 left in the second half.

Niagara had trouble overcoming the large deficit after halftime, shooting just 6-of-24 (25 percent) from the field in the second half. Following Vance’s bucket, the Purple Eagles were unable to get any closer than 14 points for the remainder of the contest.

The Peahens limited Niagara leading scorers Eva Cunningham (East Aurora, N.Y.) and Colleen Toetz (Parma, Ohio) to a combined 10 points in the game. Senior Ann Mimm (Girard, Pa.) led the Purple Eagles with 12 points in the loss, with senior Sarah Heben (Lakewood, Ohio) leading Niagara with five rebounds.

Senior point guard Lindsay Gonzalez led Saint Peter’s with 13 points and seven assists in the win.

The Purple Eagles continue conference play Sunday when they travel to Draddy Gymnasium, in Riverdale, N.Y., to take on Manhattan College at 1 p.m. This season, Niagara is 3-6 in road contests.