ALBANY, N.Y. - The Niagara men's basketball team dropped a closely contested MAAC Championship game at top seeded Siena on Monday, 77-70. The Purple Eagles sit at 26-8 and await their postseason fate.

"It was a tough game and I thought our kids really played hard," Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said. "We have had a special season, and it would be a tremendous honor to be in the NCAA Tournament or the NIT."

Niagara tied the game at 50-50 with a fast-break dunk by Tyrone Lewis (Levittown, Pa.) with just under nine minutes remaining. Siena would then go on a 13-1 run over the next 3:47 to pull away from the Purple Eagles. Niagara would fight back, cutting the deficit to five with 21 seconds left, but the Saints claimed the title.

Lewis finished with a game-high 22 points to go along with four assists and three rebounds. The former MAAC Tournament MVP opened the game hot from behind the arc, but was saddled with two fouls in the first half. Lewis' hot start gave Niagara a 10 point lead, but he picked up his second foul with a 19-13 lead. However, after losing the lead, the Purple Eagles fought hard to a 33-33 tie at the half.

The conference's leading rebounder Bilal Benn (Philadelphia, Pa.) owned the glass again, collecting 11 rebounds in the loss. Lewis and Benn were both named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team.

Demetrius Williamson (Chicago, Ill.) connected on three triples and finished with 13 points off the bench, while Rob Garrison (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) and Benson Egemonye (Benin City, Nigeria) recorded double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.