NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The men's basketball team jumped out to an early lead and never trailed, defeating Central Michigan 79-73, in front of a sold-out Gallagher Center on Friday. Niagara rode the excitment of the loud, proud purple crowd to a 20-4 lead in the first six-plus minutes of play, and used an 11-0 run midway through the second to hang on for the win.

Sophomore Tyrone Lewis (Levittown, Pa.) led the Purple Eagles with a career-high 26 points. The preseason All-MAAC selection scored all 11 points in the decisive 11-0 run in the second half on three long balls and a fast-break layup in 1:33 of play.

Senior Charron Fisher (Pennsauken, N.J.) reached an important milestone while helping pace the Purple Eagle attack. The 6-foot-3 swingman added 22 points, including the first basket of the game, a three-pointer 41 seconds into the contest, making him the 39th member of Niagara's 1,000-point club.

"I am really proud of our guys and the way that they played (Friday)," head coach Joe Mihalich said. "Charron, Tyrone and Stanley Hodge (Washington, D.C.) have been through this before. The other guys are learning on the job. We are going to live and die by that this season, and tonight we did a good job of making plays."

One of the players who was "learning on the job" must have been taking good notes. Freshman Anthony Nelson (Plainfield, N.J.) filled the stat sheet for Mihalich's bunch, totaling 13 points on 5-5 shooting, with five rebounds, four assists and three steals. The rookie point guard nailed a clutch three-pointer with 3:20 remaining in the contest, pushing the Niagara lead to nine.

The atmosphere was electric inside the legendary 'Taps' Gallagher Center from the moment the doors opened. Purple Eagle fans piled in and witnessed Niagara President Fr. Joseph Levesque unveil last season's MAAC Championship banner prior to tip-off.

The University of Dayton Pep Band made the trip to Monteagle Ridge, rejoining the hoopsters after it tagged along during last season's postseason run. The players responded, making their first three baskets and scoring on eight of their first 11 possesions en route to a 20-4 lead.

CMU chipped away at the lead throughout the first half, entering the locker room down just six points. The Chippewas cut the lead to two just four minutes into the second stanza with three layups, forcing the Purple Eagles to call timeout.

Fisher sandwiched five quick points around a Giordan Watson three-pointer, inching the lead to four just moments later.

Cue Lewis and his sharp-shooting.

The 5-foot-11 guard made back-to-back treys, tallied a fast-break layup, made a quick steal and nailed a crucial three in the span of 1:33 to extend the lead to 15 with 9:47 to play.

"The good teams have 'it'; what ever 'it' is," Mihalich added. "You just go into another gear. They pulled within two and we responded with a big run. Good teams have 'it', and I like to think that we have 'it', too."

"Tonight was just amazing," Lewis explained. "The crowd, they are our sixth-man out there. When ever we need them, they get loud and we just take it to another level."

Hodge added nine points and a team-high seven assists in the win. Hodge was part of a trio of defenders that held CMU's scoring threat Watson to another poor shooting night. The MAC's active scoring leader was held to 18 points on 6-of-20 shooting from the floor. He hit three three-pointers in the final two minutes of play, but the Purple Eagle foul shooting helped seal the victory.

The Purple Eagles are back in action inside the Gallagher Center against Big Four rival University at Buffalo., Nov. 20. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.