Senior Tremmell Darden scored a game-high 25 points in Niagara's win over Saint Peter's Saturday.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Senior Tremmell Darden (Las Vegas) scored a game-high 25 points to power Niagara University (15-7, 9-4) to an 87-73 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference victory over Saint Peter’s College (14-9, 10-4) in front of 1,058 fans at the Yanitelli Center.

Darden made a career-high four three-pointers and was 10 of 16 from the field. He was one of five Purple Eagles to score in double figures as fellow starters junior Juan Mendez (Montreal, Quebec) scored 19 points, senior James Reaves (Rochester, N.Y./Edison Tech) had 16 points, junior Alvin Cruz (Rio Pedras, Puerto Rico) netted 14 points and junior David Brooks (Philadelphia) added 11 points. Mendez grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to record his eighth double-double of the season and Reaves snared 10 for his ninth double-double on the year.

The Purple Eagles jumped out to a 41-34 halftime lead as Darden scored 14 points, Brooks netted eight and Mendez seven. Niagara made 15 of 32 (46.9 percent) from the field and limited Saint Peter’s to 14 of 36 (38.9 percent). The Purple Eagles also limited the nation’s second-leading scorer Keydren Clark to six first-half points.

Saint Peter’s regrouped at halftime and put together a 12-4 run to take a 46-45 lead with 15:09 left in the game. Niagara responded and took the lead for good on a Reaves’ layup just over a minute later.

Niagara stretched its lead to 16 points when it used a 24-5 run over a seven-minute span to lead 81-65 with 3:15 remaining. Reaves netted nine of his 12 second-half points and Mendez eight of his 12 second-half points during the run.

The Purple Eagles shot 52.6 percent from the field for the game, including 60 percent (15 of 25) in the second half. Niagara was also hot from beyond the three-point arc, sinking 10 of 18 (55.6 percent) for the game. On the boards, the Purple Eagles out-rebounded Saint Peter’s, 45-37.

Clark led the Peacocks with 17 points.

Niagara returns to action Monday when it plays Fairfield at 4 p.m. in the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn.