BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Niagara men's basketball team (3-1) held on for a 65-61 victory at Buffalo (2-2) on Tuesday night. Senior center Benson Egemonye (Benin City, Nigeria) blocked a Calvin Betts lay-up with the Purple Eagles clinging to a one-point lead with 14 seconds remaining to thwart a UB second-half comeback.

Niagara never trailed after the first two minutes, and led by as many as 15 points in the first half en route to a 42-31 halftime lead. However, the physical Bulls slowly chipped away at the Purple Eagle advantage and cut the lead to one on two seperate occasions, the latter on a Greg Gamble jumper with 56 seconds remaining.

In a 62-61 game, after a Niagara turnover with 24 seconds left, Betts recieved the ball on a hand-off at the top of the key and rolled unbated toward the rim, setting the stage for the Egemonye blocked shot.

"I came late and I saw the guy going to the basket," Egemonye explained. "I had to do something to stop the basketball from going in the net."

Egemonye got a hand on the scoring attempt, and junior Bilal Benn (Philadelphia, Pa.) grabbed the rebound and went to the line. The guard/forward connected on both free throws to extend the Niagara lead and put the game away.

The game's dramatic final minute came after the Bulls grinded their way back into the game by holding Niagara to just 23 points in the second half.

"That's just what you expect when two cross-town rivals get together," Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said. "I thought it was two different games. I felt that we played our game in the first half, and we played their game in the second half. That's why I'm proud of our team for hanging in there. To UB's credit, they made us play their game, but we were still able to hang on. We are proud to have this one."

Tyrone Lewis (Levittown, Pa.) led all scorers with 23 points while nearly missing a double-double with nine rebounds. He connected on three first-half three-pointers and collected four steals in the win.

Egemonye finished the game with 11 points and five rebounds, while Benn also missed a double-double by one board, with 10 points and nine caroms. Junior Rob Garrison (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) and sophomore Anthony Nelson (Plainfield, N.J.) combined for 17 points.

The Purple Eagles take part in the Philly Hoop Group Classic on Friday and Saturday at the historic Palestra. NU faces Monmouth on Friday at 2 p.m., and either Hartford or NJIT on Saturday.