Box Score

LOUDONVILLE, NY – The Niagara women's basketball team erased a nine-point halftime deficit but eventually fell to the Siena Saints, 62-49, on Friday.
 
Niagara (6-11, 2-3 MAAC) trailed Siena (4-10, 2-3 MAAC) 32-23 to open the second half but began its rally four minutes into the half.  

Lauren Gatto got things going with a layup at 16:29 and four minutes later, a three-pointer by Chanel Johnson capped an 11-1 run to give the Purple Eagles their first lead of the game at 36-35 lead with 12 minutes remaining.
 
"We have shown that we can play in stretches but need to show consitency," head coach Kendra Faustin said.  

The Saints took a small lead but  Niagara continued to battle and did not let Siena’s lead increase to more than five points until late in the game when it was forced to foul.  The Saints were able to pull away at the free-throw line with a 62-49 win.
 
Both teams came out firing to begin the first half, scoring 12 points in the first four minutes.  With five minutes left in the half, and down by 14, Niagara went on a 9-2 run to close the half and cut the deficit to 32-23. 

"We had a poor start and we can't expect to have success when we are not ready to play," Faustin said. 

Niagara was led by Johnson's eleven points and Val McQuade's eight rebounds.
 
The Purple Eagles are back in action on Sunday when they visit Marist for a 2 pm tip.