Junior James Mathis had a game-high nine rebounds to go with 14 points Thursday. |
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – Five Niagara University players scored in double figures but it wasn’t enough as the Purple Eagles had their six-game winning streak snapped with a 95-80 loss at Iona College Thursday night in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men’s basketball game in the Mulcahy Center.
Despite playing just 18 minutes due to foul trouble, senior Juan Mendez (Montreal) led the Niagara attack with 18 points. Classmate David Brooks (Philadelphia) added 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Junior James Mathis (Newark, N.J.) came off the bench to tally 14 points and grab a game-high nine rebounds. Sophomore J.R. Duffey (Ft. Worth, Texas) had 11 points and senior Alvin Cruz (Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico) netted 10 points, dished out five assists and made two steals.
Niagara scored the first points of the game and then did not register a field goal for another five minutes. Iona built a six-point lead and then extended it to 11 on a three-pointer by Steve Burtt with 8:19 left. The Purple Eagles got back-to-back baskets from Mathis and sophomore Barry Durosier (Orlando, Fla.) to cut the lead to seven, 29-22, but the Gaels put together a 14-0 run to take a 43-22 lead with 4:02 left in the half. Niagara got four points from Duffey and two from Brooks to trail 45-28 at halftime.
Cruz scored eight of his points in an 11-4 run at the start of the second half that pulled the Purple Eagles to 51-39. Niagara cut the lead to 64-55 on a basket by Lorenzo Miles with 12:19 remaining but came no closer.
Niagara shot 41.4 percent from the field, including 54.8 percent in the second half. It outscored Iona 52-48 in the second half, but the Gaels made 63.6 percent of their shots in the second stanza to hold off the Purple Eagles. There were 70 free throws in the game, with Iona making 31 of 39 and Niagara connecting on 27 of 31.
The Purple Eagles return to action Saturday when they play Fairfield at 3 p.m. in Habor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn.
