ALBANY, N.Y. – Hot shooting and tough defense was the name of the game as the tenth seeded Niagara Purple Eagles knocked off the seventh seeded Rider Broncs, 71-67, in the first round of the MAAC Tournament on Thursday from the Times Union Center. The victory was head coach Kendra Faustin's first MAAC Tournament win.

“We played like we are capable of today,” Faustin said. “I am pleased, thrilled and excited.”

Niagara (3-27) started the game scorching hot from the field, connecting on eight of its first 10 shots. Jennifer McNamee (Oxford, Ohio), playing in her first game in over six weeks, made her first two 3-pointers in that span. The Purple Eagles built a 31-19 lead with 3:51 remaining in the first half; two Purple Eagles were already in double-figures, McNamee with 12 points and Liz Flooks (White Plains, N.Y.) with 10.

The NU defense disrupted the Rider (10-20) offense throughout the half, however, the Broncs ran off a 10-0 spurt to close the half and cut Niagara’s lead to 31-29.

Tied at 43-43 with 11:33 on the clock, McNamee drained a step back 3-pointer to give NU a lead it would hold on to. Freshman guard Ali Morris (Parkersburg, W.Va.) scored five-straight points to increased the Purple Eagles margin to 64-54 with four minutes remaining.

The Broncs staged a dramatic comeback by going on an 8-0 run in two minutes. Niagara increased the drama by missing free throws that would have iced the game. The Purple Eagles missed seven of their last nine free throw attempts, but Rider could not capitalized on its end.

Niagara, leading 70-67 with eight seconds left, watched Rider’s Amanda Sepulveda’s 3-point shot rim out and Niagara collected the rebound. Senior guard Erika Harris (Gahanna, Ohio) went 1-for-2 at the line to cap the win.

The win for Niagara is its first in the MAAC Tournament since beating Saint Peter’s 65-59 in 2006. It was also the last time a 10-seed won a game at the MAACs.

Morris, who averaged 14.5 ppg against Rider this season, dropped a career-high 19 points in her first-ever MAAC Tournament game. McNamee also had 19 points in her first game back since Jan. 25; Flooks had 14 points to join the others in double-figures.

“It’s great to have Jen (McNamee) back,” Faustin said. “Ali (Morris) and Liz (Flooks) also shot well. Having those three on the court give us a lot of options.”

The Purple Eagles shot 47.4 percent from the field and 69.2 percent from the 3-point line, while holding the Broncs to under 30 percent shooting in the game (29.6).

Niagara advances to face rival No. 2 Canisius on Friday at 9:30 a.m.