SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Niagara Purple Eagles dropped their last non-conference road game by an 80-44 decision to the No. 23 Syracuse Orange on Thursday night at the Carrier Dome.
 
One of the bright spots for the Purple Eagles (2-6)  was their effort on the boards, as they were within single digits of the Orange (9-1) at the end of the night, 48-44. 
 
"I thought we did a great job battling on the boards and to be within four in rebounding margin was really good for our group with how big they are and how athletic they were; so I was proud of that effort," head coach Kendra Faustin said.  "I thought early in the first half we did not do a great job keeping them off the boards but other than that all night I was proud of our effort."
 
The Purple and White matched the Orange from the floor heading into the first media timeout with both teams hitting at a 3-for-6 clip.  The difference was the Orange's three-pointer and going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line gave the hosts an early 11-6 lead. 
 
Throughout the half Syracuse was able to build its lead despite Niagara shooting 3-for-6 from beyond the arc through the final six minutes from the half.  Tiffany Corselli knocked down the first three for NU which was followed quickly by a pair from Val McQuade, both assisted by Meghan McGuinness. 
 
A layup from Victoria Rampado with nine seconds left sent the teams into the locker room with Syracuse leading 44-23.
 
Despite an increased presence on the boards throughout the second half, the Purple Eagles were not able to close the gap and ultimately fell 80-44.

McQuade led the team in scoring with 11 points and Chanel Johnson led the team in rebounding with nine boards. 
 
"I think this game really prepares us well for Buffalo," Faustin said.  "They do a lot of similar things; the zone, the press, the up-and-down. We need to do a better job of taking care of the basketball, obviously, so we'll work on that over the next couple of days then we'll be ready to be home in the Gallagher Center."
 
The Purple Eagles don't waste any time getting back on the court as they host the Buffalo Bulls on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in the Gallagher Center.  The game is the first half of a doubleheader with the men's team playing St. Bonaventure at 5:00 p.m

For ticket information, contact the Niagara Athletic Ticket Office at 716-286-8499, tickets@PurpleEagles.com and www.PurpleEagles.com/Tickets.