ALBANY, N.Y. - The Niagara men's basketball team (10-7, 3-2 MAAC) suffered an 83-65 loss at conference-leading Siena (12-4, 5-0 MAAC) on Saturday in a contest played at the Times Union Center. The Purple Eagles trailed 42-41 at halftime, but were outscored 41-24 after the break in their second conference loss of the season.

"(Siena was) the best team on the floor (Saturday), no question about that," Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said. "I'm dissappointed in our second half, but give them credit. There is no room for error with that team."

Tyrone Lewis (Levittown, Pa.) connected on four triples and totaled a team-best 21 points in the loss. The senior guard was also a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line, but NU attempted just 10 freebies in the loss, compared to Siena's 27.

A quick lay-up by Rob Garrison (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) off a slick feed by Bilal Benn (Philadelphia, Pa.) gave Niagara a 43-42 lead just as the second half started. The Saints would respond with a 17-4 run to take a 59-47 lead at the 12:29 mark. Lewis produced back-to-back one-handed slams in a 28 second span moments later, cutting the deficit to 61-54, but Siena quickly extended the lead to double-figures, where it would remain for the rest of the game.

Junior Anthony Nelson (Plainfield, N.J.) outdueled the nation's assist leader Ronald Moore in the loss. The Purple Eagle point guard tallied 15 points, a season-high nine assists and six rebounds while connecting on three 3-pointers. Moore totaled four points and seven assists, six in the second half.

Benn was held to seven points and seven rebounds in the loss, while Garrison totaled 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Kashief Edwards (Philadelphia, Pa.) added eight first-half points off the bench and Eric Williams (Hope, B.C.) scored four points and grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds.

Niagara was outrebounded 27-16 in the second half, and NU shot 23.5 percent from the floor, compared to 48.5 percent in the first half. Edwin Ubilies scored 25 points on 11-of-19 shooting, and Alex Franklin added 20 points in 18 minutes. He was 10-for-14 from the charity stripe, while the entire Niagara team shot 9-of-10.

The Purple Eagles continue their four-game road trip at Saint Peter's on Monday with a 7 p.m. tipoff.