NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara men's basketball team (13-5, 4-2 MAAC) fell 71-65 to the Iona Gaels (8-10, 3-4 MAAC) on Thursday night inside the Gallagher Center. The Gaels outscored the Purple Eagles 14-7 down the stretch, with most of the damage coming from the free throw line.

Trailing 33-29 at the break, Niagara used a pair of runs to eventually take a 49-44 lead, with 11:25 remaining, but the Purple Eagles shot 5-for-14 for the remainder of the game.

Iona held the narrow advantage on the glass, 37-34, but a sizable edge at the charity stripe, attempting 40 free throws to Niagara's 19, including a 34-9 advantage in the second half.

"When a team makes it a half-court game like Iona did (Thursday)," Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said, "we need to do a better job of scoring the basketball."

Junior Bilal Benn (Philadelphia, Pa.) led the squad with 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four steals in the loss. Classmate Tyrone Lewis (Levittown, Pa.) made four three-pointers and finished with 17 points. He also blocked three shots while collecting three steals.

The Purple Eagles collected 13 steals, but turned the ball over 22 times. Overall for the contest, NU shot 37.0 percent from the floor while holding the Gaels to 38.5 percent.

Anthony Nelson (Plainfield, N.J.) finished with 11 points and three helpers, while Rob Garrison (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) added nine.

The Purple Eagles get back in action when they play host to Rider on Saturday at 4 p.m.