NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara men's basketball team finished its MAAC opening weekend with a convincing 77-57 win over the Loyola Greyhounds on Sunday afternoon at the 'Taps' Gallagher Center. Four Purple Eagles scored in double-figures, including Tyrone Lewis (Levittown, Pa.) with a game-high 21 points.

"I am so proud of this team," Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said. "When they found out that Loyola changed it's lineup to play its best five guys right way, our guys were even more excited to play."

Lewis was one of four seniors to connect on three 3-pointers, as the Purple Eagles made 13-of-30 from behind the arc in the win. Lewis and classmate Rob Garrison (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) made all three of theirs in the second half, as NU shot 8-for-14 from 3-point range after intermission. Bilal Benn (Philadelphia, Pa.) went 3-for-4 in the first half, and Demetrius Williamson (Chicago, Ill.) finished the contest 3-for-5 from long distance.

Benn finished with his sixth double-double of the season, scoring 13 points and pulling in a team-high 10 rebounds. He also added four assists, a pair of steals and a blocked shot in the win. Lewis' three triples inched him closer to the school record of 3-pointers made. He now sits four away from tying the mark of 220 career 3-pointers.

Sophomore Kashief Edwards (Philadelphia, Pa.) had 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting for Niagara. He grabbed three offensive rebounds and added a blocked shot. Junior Anthony Nelson (Plainfield, N.J.) flirted with a triple-double for the second-straight Niagara-Loyola contest. The point guard had eight points, eight rebounds and seven assists on Sunday after totaling 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists last season at home. Nelson's seven assists moved him into a two-way tie for 10th place on the all-time list with 374.

Williamson finished with 11 points and three rebounds off the bench, while freshman Scooter Gillette (Philadelphia, Pa.) chipped in with four big bench points in the first half. His two-handed slam off a no-look pass from Nelson erupted the NZone as Niagara built its first-half lead.

Loyola took an early-3-0 lead, but Niagara responded with a 10-0 run and never trailed again. Niagara led 38-30 at the break and started the second half on a 21-9 run to lead by 20 midway through the second stanza. The Purple Eagles led by as many as 25 in the win.

The Purple Eagles host local rival Buffalo on Wednesday at 7 p.m.