KENT, OHIO – The Niagara Purple Eagles staged a remarkable second half comeback against the USC Upstate Spartans, but eventually fell 83-74 on Thursday night as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Kent State Subregional.

The Purple Eagles  (1-2) slashed a 26-point second half deficit down to four points with 1:45 remaining, behind a strong second half showing.  NU outscored the Spartans, 46-36, in the second half behind a combined 32 points from captains Antoine Mason and Marvin Jordan. Mason netted 21 of his game-high 31 points in the second stanza, while Jordan scored all 11 of his points in the second half, including draining his 219th career 3-pointer for his 1,000th career point. Niagara turned up its defensive pressure, too, causing 11 Spartans turnovers while just committing two in the second half.

The Spartans' hot shooting, and Niagara's slow start offensively, propelled Upstate (2-2) to a 47-28 halftime lead. Upstate shot 55 percent from the field, including connecting on 8 of 14 three pointers. The Purple Eagles, however, didn't make their first field goal until the 13:20 mark on a Mason floater to make the score 14-5 in favor of the Spartans. Despite the slow start, Niagara was still in striking distance until Upstate ran off three straight triples to end the half up 47-28.

Niagara started its march back into the contest with an 11-0 run to cut the lead to 57-42 with 12:02 left. Trailing 65-50, and with just six minutes remaining, the Purple Eagles went on another flurry. The run was sparked by Mason and Jordan, who combined for four straight 3-pointers during this span. Jordan's third and final 3-pointer with 2:50 left brought Niagara to 73-69 and a free throw by Mason kept Niagara within four, 76-72, with 1:45 left. However, the Purple Eagles' rally would come to a halt as a couple of missed shots in the final minute, combined with the Spartans going 5-for-8 at the free-throw line.

"We didn't make shots early on and they took advantage," head coach Chris Casey said. "We did a good job of working our way back into the game in the second half and showed a lot of fight."

Niagara continues play in the Coaches vs. Cancer subregional against Western Carolina on Friday at 5 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN 1520 AM and on Purple Eagles All-Access.