ALBANY, N.Y. - The Niagara men's basketball team (14-6, 5-3) was defeated 82-65 by Siena (15-5, 9-0) on Saturday at the Times Union Center.

"I hope we are a better team than what we showed (Saturday)," Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said. "But when you play a team as good as Siena, you don't have a lot of room for error. They beat us every which way today."

The Purple Eagles scored 23 points off of 18 Saint turnovers, but the Saints scored 56 points in the paint while shooting 60 percent from the floor. The teams combined for 96 points in the paint in the offensive showcase.

Freshman Austin Cooley (Silver Spring, Md.) came off the bench and scored a career-high 13 points. Mihalich looked to the rookie for a spark in the first half, and the 6-foot-5 guard responded immediately.

Cooley hit a three-pointer in his first possession, corralled a rebound that led to a fast-break assist on the next, and finished his opening stretch with a blocked shot. Moments later, the rookie stole the ball and raced towards the hoop for a fast-break dunk. Cooley had 10 points at the half, one better than his previous career high.

Niagara cut the Saints lead to three points early in the second half, but Siena responded with a quick 10-2 run and never looked back.

Sophomore Anthony Nelson (Plainfield, N.J.) tallied his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 assists. Benson Egemonye (Benin City, Nigeria) scored 18 points while grabbing eight second-half rebounds. Bilal Benn (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Tyrone Lewis (Levittown, Pa.) combined for 18 points in the loss.

Ryan Rossiter recorded a double-double with 18 points on 12 rebounds on 7-for-7 shooting for Siena. Edwin Ubiles led all scorers with 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

The Purple Eagles return to the Gallagher Center for Monday's Battle of the Bridge showdown with cross-town rival Canisius at 7 p.m.