Senior Eva Cunningham tallied a game-high 28 points Saturday vs. Siena.

ALBANY – The Niagara University women’s basketball team (12-9, 7-5) dropped its second-straight road game and three consecutive contest when it lost, 66-64, to Siena College (10-10, 7-4) Saturday afternoon in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference women’s basketball game in the Alumni Recreation Center.

Senior Eva Cunningham (East Aurora, N.Y./Iroquois) scored a game-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 shooting from the foul line. The point guard knocked down a season-high six three-pointers on nine attempts. Sophomore Shaunna Ambrose (McKees Rock, Pa.) added 19 points and team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore Toni Smalley (Thornville, Ohio) also grabbed seven caroms

Trailing 64-58 with 1:51 left in the game, Cunningham scored six straight points, including a three-pointer with 58 seconds left to tie the score at 64. Off a Siena timeout, the Saints’ Whitney Cave hit a jumper with :21 remaining on the clock to give Siena the two-point edge. Niagara had a chance to win, but sophomore Chantelle Wilson’s (Burlington, Ont.) three-pointer was off line.

Niagara jumped out to an early lead in the game, 13-6, but a 23-11 run by Siena the remainder of the half gave the Saints a 29-24 lead at halftime.

Siena built a nine-point lead, 41-32, in just the first five minutes of the second half. Ambrose then tallied 10 points in a 16-6 Niagara run to take a one point lead, 48-47.

The teams traded baskets and the lead until Siena put together a 7-0 run to take a six-point lead, 64-58, before Niagara came up short in its final run.

The Purple Eagles return to action Feb. 11 when it resumes its brutal road trip at Iona. Tip is slated for 7:30 p.m. in the Mulcahy Center.