NIAGARA UNIV, N.Y. – The Niagara University Purple Eagle women’s basketball team dropped a heartbreaker to the Rider Broncs 65-62 in front of 331 at the Gallagher Center on Sunday afternoon. The setback places the Purple Eagles at 7-21 (5-12 MAAC).

The Purple Eagles found themselves in a hard fought game, in which Niagara was put under great pressure.

“We struggled to do the little things today," stated head coach Kendra Faustin. " They hit a lot of big shots, as they did a nice job putting pressure on us.”

The first half started off slow, as Rider darted out to a 3-0 lead, but Niagara stormed back to take the 4-3 lead. The score was tied twice and the lead went back and forth four times. Sarah Wilson (Saint Catherines, Ont.) layup just nine minutes into the game tied the game at 12. A Shaunice Parker layup put Rider ahead 14-12, as they would hold onto the lead for the rest of the half. The Purple Eagles kept chipping away at the lead, dwindling down a nine-point Broncs lead to two after a trey by Liz Flooks (White Plains, N.Y.). With two minutes left in the first half, the Purple Eagles stayed close to Rider, with Rider up 33-29 at the half. Wilson finished the first half with eight points and seven boards, while Michelle Manfredi (Jefferson Hills, Pa.) scored six points and six boards. 

Niagara came out quickly in the second half, as a Manfredi layup brought Niagara within two. The Broncs then went on a 8-0 run to take a 43-33 lead with 15 minutes left in regulation. Tammy Meyers missed a trey, which Manfredi then took to the other end for a layup, which would ignite an 11-0 run to tie the game at 46 with seven minutes left. With the Purple Eagles up 49-48, Rider went on a 12-0 run to take a 60-49 lead with just two and a half minutes remaining. The Purple Eagles never gave up, continuing to chip away at the Broncs lead, coming within three by the time the final buzzer rang.

Wilson finished with a double-double (11 points and 12 boards), while Manfredi also finished with a double-double (15 points and 11 rebounds). Janele Henderson netted a career-high 27 points for the Broncs.

The Purple Eagles finish the regular season on Saturday at 2 p.m. when they take on cross-town rival Canisius.