NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara men's basketball team (23-7, 13-4) clinched the second seed in next week's MAAC Tournament with a dominating performance in front of a standing-room only crowd at the Gallagher Center on Friday. The Purple Eagles led from start to finish over the league's No. 1 seed Siena Saints (22-7, 15-2), 100-85.

"Clearly a statement win for us," Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said. "We had to prove to ourselves that we could be one of the best teams in this league. And we just beat the best team in the league."

Niagara made it a point early to get the ball inside. The Purple Eagle big men combined for 30 points and 10 rebounds in the win, as Benson Egemonye (Benin City, Nigeria), Kamau Gordon (Greenwich, Conn.) and Kashief Edwards (Philadelphia, Pa.) each played pivotal minutes in the early going.

Egemonye scored the team's first two buckets and finished with 13 points and six rebounds, while Edwards added six of his 11 points in the first half. Gordon also was a key down low in the opening stanza, finishing with six points.

The big men didn't hog the spotlight though, as Anthony Nelson (Plainfield, N.J.) and Rob Garrison (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) were sensational in the victory. They took over the game at times with their scoring offense, but both guards had multiple assist-zero turnover nights.

Nelson finished with 11 points, eight assists and four rebounds, while his backcourt-mate totaled 19 points, five assists and four caroms. For Nelson, that's the third game this year with at least seven assists and no turnovers. Over his last 10 games, the sophomore has combined for 75 assists to just 15 miscues (a 5-to-1 turnover ratio). His third assist of the night gave him 300 for his career.

Junior guards Bilal Benn (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Tyrone Lewis (Levittown, Pa.) continued to make a case for First-Team All-Conference. Benn recorded his MAAC-high 11th double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. He also nabbed a game-high three steals in the win.

Lewis chipped in with 12 points, including a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe while holding a Preseason Player of the Year to a horrible shooting night for the second consecutive game. One week after forcing Illinois State's Osiris Eldridge into 1-of-12 shooting and three points, the defensive star held Siena's Kenny Hasbrouck to 2-of-20 shooting and five points.

The Purple Eagles had six players in double figures for the second time this season, a feat that has never been accomplished before this season for a Mihalich-coached team. It also marked the second time this year that Niagara tallied triple digits in points. The last time NU recorded two 100-point games in a season was the 2004-05 MAAC Championship team.

The Purple Eagles close out the regular season with a Senior Day celebration on Sunday at 2 p.m. against Marist.