PHILADELPHIA - Behind a total team effort, the Niagara men's basketball team (5-1) was crowned champions of the 2008 Philly Hoop Group Classic Liberty Bracket with a 103-63 victory over Hartford (2-5) on Saturday afternoon. Four Purple Eagles were named to the five-man All-Tournament Team, capped by Tournament MVP Tyrone Lewis (Levittown, Pa.).

The Purple Eagles made 17 three-pointers in the win, breaking the school record which was set in 2004 against Yale. One day after holding the opposition to under 50 points for the first time in six seasons, Niagara topped the 100-point mark for the first time since Nov. 21, 2005 in a 101-88 victory over St. Bonaventure. NU also shared the ball in the win, adding 28 assists on 32 field goals.

The Purple Eagles picked up their first lead at 6-3 and never looked back. The lead reached double-figures midway through the first half, as NU led 52-26 at the break. Niagara's largest lead of 40 points came with 3:17 remaining in the contest.

"We are very proud of our team effort this weekend," Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said. "I knew we could be a good team if we defend and play hard, but I was even surprised at how effective our defense was."

For the second-straight contest, Niagara's first four field goals were three-pointers, setting the tone for the record-breaking afternoon. Seven different Purple Eagles connected on the long-ball, and six players made multiple trifectas in the win. The team had nine long-distance shots in the first half, and Chris Armstrong's (Queens, N.Y.) triple in the final minute broke the four-year old team record with 17.

Junior Bilal Benn (Philadelphia, Pa.) was 4-for-5 from behind the arc, and Rob Garrison (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) and Demetrius Williamson (Chicago, Ill.) each hit three.

Six different players picked up multiple assists, including a Lewis and Garrison's game-high seven helpers each. Point guard Anthony Nelson (Plainfield, N.J.) had five assists and nine rebounds. The four starting guards, Lewis, Nelson, Garrison and Benn, all landed on the All-Tournament Team, along with Hartford's Joe Zeglinski.

"We try and schedule tournaments like this one to get ready for March so that we get used to that feeling of beating someone and playing for a championship the next day," Mihalich added. "We love tournaments."

Lewis finished the game with 14 points and seven helpers in 29 minutes of action. For the four-game tournament, the 5-foot-11 guard totaled 57 points, 12 three-pointers, 11 steals, 11 rebounds and nine blocks.

Benn finished with a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds. He added five steals and three assists in the win. Garrison led the team in scoring for the second-straight game, pouring in 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go along with his seven assists. Demetrius Williamson added 14 points off the bench for the second consecutive game. All 10 players scored, as the NU bench totaled 42 points.

The championship gives Niagara a 5-1 overall record for the second time under Mihalich. The 2003-04 team started 6-1 and played in the NIT.

The Purple Eagles return home to face Akron on Wed., Dec. 3, for a 7 p.m. tip.