NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University men’s basketball team had three players score 16-or-more points as the Purple Eagles (2-6) recorded a 78-74 non-conference win over Duquesne University (2-7) Saturday afternoon at the Gallagher Center.

Senior Clif Brown (Ferndale, Mich.) had his third 20-plus point game of the season with a team-high 20 points while classmate J.R. Duffey (Fort Worth, Texas) added 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and fifth of his career. Freshman Tyrone Lewis (Levittown, Pa.) scored 16 points, all coming in the first half, to go with a career-high four steals. Junior guard Stanley Hodge (Washington, D.C.) had a career-high 10 assists.

Freshman Robert Mitchell led Duquesne with a game-high 26 points.

Duquesne snapped an 11-11 tie when Mitchell scored with 13:10 left in the first half. Mitchell’s basket was the start of an 8-0 Dukes run. Lewis capped a 7-2 Niagara run with a three-point field goal with 8:48 remaining in the half to make it 21-18. Lewis tied the game, 29-29, with a layup with 5:19 left. Niagara closed the half with a 9-2 run for a 42-35 lead as Lewis scored six of those points, three coming on a three-point field goal and three more coming on a conventional three-point play after a steal and dunk.

The teams traded three-pointers to open the second half but Duquesne came within two points, 58-56, when Kieron Achara scored after snaring an offensive rebound at 11:36. Niagara went on a 10-2 run to push its lead to eight points, 66-58, when Duffey sank a three-point field goal from the corner with 6:56 to play.

Duquesne worked its way back to within two points, 72-70, on a basket by Achara with 1:04 left. Niagara broke the press on a dunk by Brown with 53 seconds left but Duquesne’s Aaron Jackson sank a three-pointer to make it 74-73 with 40 seconds remaining.

Duffey and Brown each sank two foul shots to keep the Purple Eagles in the lead. Duffey then stole Duquesne’s in-bounds pass with four seconds remaining to seal the win.

Niagara returns to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. when it meets Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y.