DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Niagara men's basketball team (3-2) had a torrid start to its Glenn Wilkes Classic finale, but eventually cooled off in the second half and fell to Austin Peay (2-3) on Sunday evening, 69-67. The Purple Eagles had four players in double figures in the loss.

"It really was a tale of two halves today," Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said. "But I am really proud of our guys and the way they have responded to adversity in the first few games of the season."

The Purple Eagles jumped out to a 17 point lead just six minutes into the game after connecting on seven of their first eight three-pointers. NU shot 51.9 percent (14-for-27) from the floor in the first half, including 8-for-13 (61.5 percent) from behind the arc. In the second half, however, Austin Peay connected on 63.0 percent of its shots (17-for-27). The Governors rallied in the second half and took a 58-57 lead with 6:18 remaining.

After a pair of ties and two lead changes, Bilal Benn (Philadelphia, Pa.) stepped to the line for a pair of free throws with his team trailing 65-63. The senior connected on both freebies, tying the score at 65-65 with 1:44 to play.

After an offensive foul on Austin Peay, senior Rob Garrison (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) missed a contested lay-up with 1:07 remaining and the Governors grabbed the defesnive carom. AP's Anthony Campbell connected on an off-balance jumper to give Austin Peay a 67-65 lead with 35 seconds remaining.

NU called a quick timeout to set up an offensive set, and Benn connected on a fade-away 18-footer with 15 seconds remaining to knot the score at 67-67, setting up the game's final possession. AP's Marcel Williams received the ball on the left block and scored the game winner with 3.5 seconds remaining on the clock. NU's Anthony Nelson's (Plainfield, N.J.)  desperation three-pointer at the buzzer fell short and the Governors escaped with the comeback win.

Nelson finished the game with a team-high 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Benn and Demetrius Williamson (Chicago, Ill.) both finished with 12 points while Garrison added 11. Kashief Edwards (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored eight points and collected four blocks in the loss, upping his season total to 15. Austin Cooley (Silver Spring, Md.) netted seven points for NU.

The Purple Eagles return to the court on Wednesday at Mount St. Mary's for a 7 p.m. tip.