NEWARK, N.J. – Antoine Mason netted a career-high 34 points in Niagara's season-opening defeat to the Seton Hall Pirates, 83-72, as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer opening round on Saturday night.

Mason's game-high 34 points had a heavy contribution from the free-throw line, where he set career-highs in free throws made (15) and attempted (20).

Free throws played a major part in tonight's contest. The teams combined to shoot 102 free throws in the game with Niagara converting 32 of 50, including going 17-for-26 at the charity in the first half to account for half of its scoring output.

The Purple Eagles (0-1) battled the Big East's Seton Hall (1-0)  throughout the first half and midway through the second half. 

"We played hard, played relatively well defensively, and rebounded well. We just needed to make a few more shots in the second half," said head coach Chris Casey, who made his Division I head coaching debut tonight.

Niagara tied the game on six different occasions in the first half, including a jumper by Marvin Jordan to tie the score at 29-29 with 4:33 left.  SHU closed the half on 10-5 run to take a five-point halftime lead.

Mason scored 25 of his 34 points in the second half to keep Niagara in the game. Mason scored seven straight points as the Purple Eagles cut the Pirates' lead to 44-42 after three minutes played in the second half. A jumper by Mason at the 13-minute mark saw Niagara trail 50-47; however, Seton Hall would go on a 16-4 run over the next five minutes. The closet Niagara would get would be 11 points on two different times.

"They are good defensively," Casey said about Seton Hall. "They do a good job at contesting shots and making you take tough shots."

A couple of Purple Eagles shined during their debut. Marcus Ware, a redshirt senior from Vineland, N.J., scored 10 points and added seven rebounds. Freshman Ramone Snowden grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds and scored seven points.

Niagara will host Big 4 rival Buffalo on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. for its home opener. The game will be broadcast on 1520am ESPN (WWKB) and on Purple Eagles All-Access.