Junior J.R. Duffey scored a career-high 24 points to help lead Niagara over Rider Sunday. |
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – Niagara University juniors Lorenzo Miles (Washington, D.C.), J.R. Duffey (Fort Worth, Texas) and Clif Brown (Ferndale, Mich.) combined for 67 points to lead the Purple Eagles past Rider University, 84-70, Sunday afternoon in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men’s basketball action at the Gallagher Center.
Miles had a game-high 25 points while Duffey had a career-high 24 points for Niagara, now 7-12, 4-7. Both players each made a career-high five three-point field goals. Niagara tied its season best with 12 three-point field goals. Brown had 18 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double this season.
Rider (7-12, 3-8) was led by Jason Thompson’s 21 points. Edwin Muniz and Lamar Johnson each had 12 points for the Broncs.
Miles capped a 12-2 Niagara run with a three-point field goal as the Purple Eagles took an 18-12 lead with 12:57 to play in the half. Miles and Duffey combined for 12 points, all via three-pointers, as Niagara broke from a 31-22 lead to close the half with a 43-28 advantage.
The Purple Eagles pushed the lead to 20 points, 53-33, on an alley-oop dunk by Duffey with 15:17 left. Rider never came within 14 points for the rest of the game.
Sophomore Stanley Hodge (Washington, D.C.) had eight assists.
Niagara returns to action when it begins a two-game road swing at Manhattan in Draddy Gym at 7 p.m. Friday.
Niagara Men’s Basketball Game Notes
Niagara vs. Rider – Jan. 29, 2006
Gallagher Center
Final Score: Niagara 84, Rider 70
· The Purple Eagles shot 51.7 percent in the first half. The last time Niagara shot 50 percent-or-higher in a half was Jan. 17, when it shot 60 percent in the first half against Canisius.
· Lorenzo Miles had five three-pointers today, moving him to seventh on the career three-point field goals list with 129 treys.
· Clif Brown registered his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. It was also his third double-double of his career.
· J.R. Duffey had career highs of 24 points and made five three-pointers.
· Lorenzo Miles scored 20 points-or-higher for the third time this season after scoring 25 points today.
· For the 14th consecutive game Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich started Charron Fisher, Stanley Hodge, Lorenzo Miles at guard, and James Mathis and J.R. Duffey at forward. This line-up has a record of 5-9 as a starting lineup after today’s win.
