JERSEY CITY, N.J. - The Niagara men's basketball team (12-6, 6-3 MAAC) won a physical, hard fought road contest at Saint Peter's (4-15, 1-8 MAAC) on Friday, 79-59. The win puts the Purple Eagles one game back of the log-jam atop the MAAC standings.

“We showed great emotion and great energy, but more than that, we had a genuine toughness tonight,” Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said. "It was a very physical, hard fought game; one where the tougher team was going to win, and we were tougher both physically and mentally."

Senior Charron Fisher (Pennsauken, N.J.) went 14-for-14 from the line, netting 29 points to lead all scorers. The nation's third leading scorer also grabbed nine rebounds and connected on three trifectas in the win.

Junior center Benson Egemonye (Benin City, Nigeria) also returned to form with his third career double-double. The 6-foot-10 center scored 13 points and nabbed 11 caroms while shooting 5-for-9. He also set a career-high with four blocks.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair, as the Peacocks knotted the score at 24-24 at the final media timeout. Niagara then went on an 11-2 run to end the half thanks to some tough defense and timely three-pointers by sophomore Tyrone Lewis (Levittown, Pa.).

We got into them a little more defensively," Mihalich explained, "and our defense created some offense for us."

Lewis opened the run with a pair of long balls at the 3:19 and 2:31 mark, followed by a pair of free throws from Fisher. Then, the sophomore guard, who has been playing his best basketball on the road as of late, sank a buzzer-beater to give NU the 35-26 lead at the break.

Lewis finished with 25 points, marking the eighth road game where No. 2 has netted double-figures. He sank six three-pointers, tying a career high set last season against Siena.

Senior Stanley Hodge (Washington, D.C.) and freshman Anthony Nelson (Plainfield, N.J.) combined for eight assists in the win.

The Purple Eagles end their second four-game road swing on Sunday with a 2 p.m. tilt at Fairfield.