NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara University Purple Eagle women’s basketball team was able to pull out a 65-63 Senior Day win over cross-town rival Canisius in overtime in front of 534 fans at the Gallagher Center. With the victory, the Purple Eagles finished 8-21 (6-12) during the regular season. The victory also sets up a rematch between these two teams during the opening round of the MAAC Tournament.

Head coach Kendra Faustin couldn’t be happier with her team and the effort that they gave on Senior Day.

“Everyone stepped up today, especially the seniors,” stated Faustin. “Michelle played forty minutes, Rutter hit clutch shots down the stretch and Wilson made adjustments at the half and came out stronger. We also got strong play and quality minutes from Cornett.”

With the game tied at 63 in overtime, Cathy Rutter (Old Bridge, N.J.) missed a jumper, when Michelle Manfredi (Jefferson Hills, Pa.) picked up the rebound and got it back to Rutter. The senior from New Jersey then put up a second attempt and nailed the eventual game-winning bucket. The Golden Griffins would attempt a mad flurry but to no avail as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

The first half started off slow, but then picked up intensity. Both teams traded sizable leads before it was knotted at six after a jumper by Manfredi. The game kept going back and forth, until it was tied at 20 with about five minutes left in the first half. Jennifer McNamee’s (Oxford, Ohio) first trey of the night spurred the Purple Eagles to a 26-20 advantage. With a minute left until half, Niagara held a 32-24 lead, until Canisius went on a 6-0 run to make the score 32-30 at the half. McNamee led all Purple Eagle scorers with 11 points, while Amanda Cavo scored six for Canisius.

The second half started with a bang for Canisius, as Drysdale sank a layup to tie the game at 32. The Purple Eagles then went on a 11-2 run, capped by a Manfredi trey to put Niagara up 43-34 just four minutes into the second half. Niagara held a sizable lead until a 10-2 run by the Golden Griffins brought them within one at 49-48 with seven minutes left. Canisius continued to chip away at the Purple Eagle lead, finally tying it at 56 with two minutes left and then again at 58 with a minute left. Both teams would get shots at the basket, but nothing came to fruition, as the teams headed to overtime.

Sarah Wilson (Saint Catherines, Ont.) scored the first basket of overtime, to put Niagara up 60-58. A trey by by Rutter put Niagara up 63-58, before Amanda Cavo responded in turn to make it 63-61. Laura Buetow banked in a layup to tie the game at 63, setting up Rutter’s final basket of the game.

Manfredi finished with a double-double (11 points and 13 boards), while Wilson led all scorers with 15 points and eight boards. McNamee added 11 points, while Rutter scored eight points, five of which were added in the overtime period.

The Purple Eagles are now headed into the MAAC Tournament as the No. 9 seed, as they will take on No. 8 Canisius Golden Griffins in the first round at 2 p.m. on Thursday.