NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - A Kashief Edwards jumper in the paint as time expired lifted Niagara to a 67-65 victory over archrival Canisius on Wednesday at the Gallagher Center to cap one of the most exhilarating contests in the history of the rivalry.

“That was one for the ages, there’s no doubt about that,” head coach Joe Mihalich said. “This is what college basketball is all about and what it means to have a great rivalry. When Niagara plays Canisius (you can) throw out the records. It’s going to be a great game, anybody can win, (and) it will probably go down to the wire. I don’t know if it gets any closer coming down to the wire then it did tonight. “

The 169th meeting between Niagara (7-21, 4-12 MAAC) and long-time rival Canisius (13-12, 7-8 MAAC) concluded with one of the most dramatic finishes in the history of the series. NU appeared to be on its way to its eighth straight win over Canisius at the Gallagher Center. The Purple Eagles went on a 13-4 run to break a 30-30 tie with five minutes left in the first half to take a 43-34 halftime lead. NU extended its lead to as much as 11 in the second before the Golden Griffins gradually chipped away at the deficit.

Niagara was up 65-61 with 1:42 remaining, but would miss three straight one-and-one free throws over the next 1:20, while Canisius cut the lead to two. Canisius’ Elton Frazier tied the game with a layup at 65-65 with six seconds left.

In the next Purple Eagles’ possession, Marvin Jordan had his shot blocked out of bounds as the clock read zero and both teams prepared for overtime. However, the officials reviewed the play and put 0.4 seconds back on the clock. On the en suing inbound, Anthony Nelson lobbed his pass to Edwards, who shot was goaltended by Canisius’ Marial Dhal, as the Purple Eagles secured their 14th win in the last 17 meetings.

“It was the first time it worked in 13 years,” Mihalich said about the final play.

Four Purple Eagles scored in double figures. Edwards led the game in scoring with 21 points for the second consecutive game, including tying a career-high 10 field goals, and pulled seven boards. Nelson scored 10 and led the game with nine assists and is seven assists shy of tying the all-time career assists record at Niagara. Malcolm Lemmons and Eric Williams each added 10 points.

“It was a real big win (for us),” Edwards said. “It is always great to beat Canisius, no matter what type of season (we are having).”

Niagara will step out of conference play for its Sears BracketBusters game when it hosts Central Michigan on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Final Play of The Game

Post-Game Press Conference