Senior Tremmell Darden scored a game-high 23 points to help Niagara advance to the MAAC Championship game Monday.

ALBANY – Senior Tremmell Darden (Las Vegas) scored six of his game-high 23 points in the final 34 seconds to lift the Niagara University men’s basketball team (21-8) to a 79-74 win over Siena College (14-16) late Sunday evening in the semifinals of the 2004 HSBC Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament in Pepsi Arena.

With the victory Niagara now plays Manhattan in the championship at 9 p.m. Monday on ESPN 2. The Jaspers advanced to the championship game with an 83-72 win over Saint Peter’s.

Darden was 12 of 14 from the free-throw line and collected nine rebounds. Senior James Reaves (Rochester, N.Y./Edison Tech) recorded his fourth-straight double-double and second consecutive in the tournament with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Also in double figures for the Purple Eagles was junior David Brooks (Philadelphia, Pa.) with 17 points and junior Juan Mendez (Montreal, Quebec) with 10 points.

After trailing at halftime, 40-38, Niagara and Siena remained within three points of each other until the 13:30 mark when the Purple Eagles went on a 13-3 run to take their largest lead of the night, 63-55. Reaves sparked the run with seven-straight points and Darden hit a five-footer from the paint with 9:50 left.

Siena cut the lead to 71-70 on a Michael Haddix’s layup with 1:34 remaining. But Darden secured the win for Niagara scoring four points from the foul line and having a break-away dunk in the final 34 seconds.

Niagara has reached the championship game for the second time in three years and extended its winning streak to six games, its longest streak since winning 11 consecutive in 1992-93.