NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - Paced by four double-digit scorers, the Niagara men's basketball team (10-6, 3-1 MAAC) defeated MAAC foe Fairfield (10-4, 3-1 MAAC) by a score of 77-68 at the 'Taps' Gallagher Center on Monday night. Senior Tyrone Lewis (Levittown, Pa.) led the Purple Eagles with 22 points while fellow senior Bilal Benn (Philadelphia, Pa.) tallied his seventh double-double on the season, with 15 points and 13 boards.

"I don't know you would call this a must-win, but it definitely was a must to get the feeling that we had last year back," Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said. "I think we did that tonight. This was a great win for us."

The Purple Eagles were efficient on both ends of the court, shooting 49.0 percent from the floor (25-for-51) on the offensive end getting 19 points off of 16 turnovers on the defensive side. Niagara held Fairfield, the league's third best shooting team, well below its average, forcing the Stags to shoot 37.0 percent (27-for-73).

Senior guard Rob Garrison (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) rebounded after being held scoreless in his last contest to tally 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He also collected a career-high five steals in the win.

Redshirt freshman Eric Williams (Hope, B.C.) was rewarded for his recent hot play with his first career start. He responded with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 20 minutes of work.

Lewis and Benn were again the catalysts on the court for Niagara. Lewis connected on three triples while grabbing six rebounds. Benn, who had nine rebounds at the half, extended his league-leading rebounding total with 13 rebounds, including 10 on the defensive end.

Junior point guard Anthony Nelson (Plainfield, N.J.) handed out seven assists, moving him into fifth place on the school's all-time charts. He passed NU great Phil Scaffidi ('80) and now has 414 helpers in two-and-a-half seasons of work.

Senior Demetrius Williamson (Chicago, Ill.) had a pair of electric dunks while finishing with seven points and three rebounds off the bench.

After the brief time at home, the Purple Eagles return to life on the road on Saturday, playing their first of four-straight away contests. The tip-off at Siena is scheduled for 1 p.m.