KENT, Ohio – In a high-scoring contest, the Niagara Purple Eagles were outlasted by the Western Carolina Catamounts, 98-90, on Friday evening in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Kent State Subregional.

"We did shoot the ball well, but we have to get off to better starts," head coach Chris Casey said. "We have to get stops early in the game to establish yourself defensively. We shot the ball well from the floor, from the 3-point line, and we got to the foul line a significant amount. We just need to get better defensively and rebound better."

Despite another slow start to the game, Niagara only trailed 22-20 after a layup by Ramone Snowden with 10:23 on the clock. WCU created some breathing room by going on a 13-4 run to lead 35-24 with six minutes left in the half en route to taking a 56-40 lead into the break. The Catamounts shot 64 percent from the field in the first half.

NU responded well to open the second half. The Purple Eagles opened the half on a 10-2 run, but the Catamounts restored their 16-point halftime lead, 74-58, with 12:22 remaining. Niagara would then go on a 15-2 run, bookended by points from Marcus Ware, to cut the lead to 76-73 with 7:41 left in the game.  WCU answered back with an 11-3 spurt to pull away in the final minutes.

NU had four players in double figures, including three who set career-highs.

Antoine Mason continued his torrid start to the season by registering his third 30-point game of the season. The Queens, N.Y. native, who entered the game second in the nation in scoring at 30 ppg, shared game-high honors with WCU's Trey Sumler with 35 points to set a new career-best.

Niagara's frontcourt had strong representation on the stat sheet as well. Snowden scored a career-best 16 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Ware had the identical stat line. Rayvon Harris netted a career-high 11 points in 19 minutes of work.

Niagara concludes play at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic subregional against the host Kent State on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on WGR 550 AM and on Purple Eagles All-Access.