PHILADELPHIA – Sam McMahon scored a career-high 20 points to help the University of Delaware (1-9) defeat Niagara University (4-7), 71-53, Thursday evening in the first game of the La Salle Explorer Invitational in Tom Gola Arena.

McMahon scored 13 of his 20 points in the second half and was one of three Fightin’ Hens in double figures. Herb Courtney led the squad with a game-high 22 points and Brian Johnson added 12 points and nine assists. Delaware shot 52 percent from the field and hit 11 of 19 three-pointers.

Niagara was led by senior Clif Brown’s (Ferndale, Mich.) nine points and six rebounds. Five Purple Eagles had eight points, including freshman Andrew Patterson (Hartford, Conn.) with a career high in 11 second-half minutes. Sophomore Benson Egemonye (Benin City, Nigeria) grabbed a career-best six boards.

Trailing by eight points to open the second half, Niagara and Delaware traded baskets until the Fightin’ Hens went on a 9-2 run to take a 17-point lead, 52-35, on Johnson’s third three-pointer of the game at the 11:18 mark.

The Purple Eagles fought back to cut the lead to 11 points when Patterson canned a three-pointer, classmate Rydell Brooks (Akron, Ohio) had a layup and junior Stanley Hodge (Washington, D.C.) sank a three-pointer to make it 54-43 with 7:59 left.

Delaware continued to hit its long shots, making three consecutive three-pointers, two by McMahon, around a Patterson layup to push its lead to 63-45 with 5:05 remaining. The Fightin’ Hens extended their lead to 20 points with 24 seconds left before a Brooks’ layup finished the scoring in the game.

Niagara returns to action Friday with an 8 p.m. game vs. Holy Cross. The Crusaders are 7-5 on the season after defeating La Salle in the opening game of the Invitational.