OLEAN, N.Y. - A strong first half and a total team effort propelled the Niagara men's basketball team (9-2) to an 83-65 victory over Little 3 rival St. Bonaventure (7-4) on Tuesday evening in the Reilly Center. Four starters tallied double figures, including junior Rob Garrison's (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) career-high 23 points.

"This was a great team win for us," Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said. "We got a lot of production from a lot of people today."

Garrison scored his career-high numbers on 9-of-13 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from long distance.

Junior Bilal Benn (Philadelphia, Pa.) recorded his fourth double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, five offensive, while sophomore Anthony Nelson (Plainfield, N.J.) had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists in the win.

"It's great to see Rob play well," Mihalich added, "and Anthony and Bilal were total stat-stuffers tonight."

St. Bonaventure held a 10-6 lead five minutes into the contest, but the Purple Eagles put their defense into full throttle with a 29-7 run over the next 11 minutes to put the game away. The Bonnies shot 3-for-16 during that stretch, while the Purple Eagles forced five turnovers.

Benson Egemonye (Benin City, Nigeria) had 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds (five offensive). Tyrone Lewis (Levittown, Pa.) scored nine points while handing out three assists. The 5-foot-11 guard sits just three points away from entering the 1,000 point club.

Junior Demetrius Williamson (Chicago, Ill.) scored seven first half points, while classmate Kamau Gordon (Greenwich, Conn.) added four points off the bench.

The Purple Eagles return to the court after the holiday in Tennessee to play in the Dr. Pepper Classic. Niagara takes on Murray State on Dec. 29 and Chattanooga on Dec. 30.