Junior J.R. Duffey had a team-high 15 points Saturday. |
PITTSBURGH – A big second-half run helped Troy University (6-5) defeat Niagara University (3-7), 87-71, in the championship game of the Duquesne Holiday Tournament Saturday afternoon in the A.J. Palumbo Center.
Despite having five Purple Eagles in double figures, the Trojans used a 32-9 run over the final eight minutes for the win. Tournament MVP Bobby Dixion fueled the run, scoring nine of his game-high 29 points during the stretch. Cedric Jackson collected seven points and Sammy Sharp had four points, two blocks, an assist and a steal in the run.
After holding on to a 45-39 halftime lead, Niagara scored just five points over a 6:30 span while the Trojans took the seven-point lead, 57-50, with 16 points.
The Purple Eagles regained the lead, 61-59, when junior J.R. Duffey (Ft. Worth, Texas) and sophomore Charron Fisher (Pennsauken, N.J.) each scored six of their team-high 15 points.
Troy then took a 71-61 lead with a 12-0 run, but Niagara battled back with a 9-3 run to trail by six, 76-70 with 3:41 remaining. The Purple Eagles were then held to just a free throw while Troy scored 11 more points for the final score.
Junior Barry Duroiser (Orlando, Fla.) scored a career-high 13 points, shooting 50 percent from the field (5-10) and hitting a personal-best three three-pointers. Senior James Mathis (Newark, N.J.) had 11 points and junior Clif Brown (Ferndale, Mich.) had a team-best eight rebounds.
In a high-scoring first half in which the teams combined for 17 three-pointers, Niagara used a 21-9 run to take a 10-point lead, 43-33, with 1:39 left. Durosier had eight points and the Purple Eagles hit 11 of 12 from the free-throw line.
Troy cut Niagara’s lead with a pair of three-pointers with under a minute and a half and trailed by six at half.
The game featured 23 three-pointers (Troy 13, Niagara 10) and both teams shooting over 50 percent in the first half. Niagara was outrebounded 35-32.
Fisher and junior Lorenzo Miles (Washington, D.C.) were named to the all-tournament team.
The Purple Eagles continue its road swing with a 7 p.m. game vs. Loyola College at Reitz Arena in Balitimore, Md., on Jan. 6.
