NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Juan'ya Green's game-high 27 points were not enough to lead the Niagara Purple Eagles over the hump as they dropped a 68-59 decision to Rider on Thursday to snap their three-game winning streak.

In a game chalked up with runs, it was the visitors who made the final run to come away with the win tonight.

Niagara, which had its best shooting performance in three seasons in its previous game, struggled to find rhythm on offense.

“There was no flow,” head coach Joe Mihalich said. “At the end of the day, you have to make foul shots (and) open shots. We are not going to beat anyone scoring 59 points.”

The lone Purple Eagle (17-12, 12-5 MAAC) to have success offensively was Green, who scored in double figures for the 24th time this season.

“If it wasn’t Juan’ya, he kept us in the game,” Mihalich said.

Green started a 7-0 run to give NU a 26-19 lead with five minutes left the first half. However, Rider (17-13, 11-6 MAAC) went on a 14-0 spurt which spilled over into the opening minutes of the second half.

A 3-pointer by Green tied the game at 40-40 with 14 minutes left and gave NU 44-42 with a layup at the 11:47 mark before Rider went on a 15-3 run over the next three minutes.

Green connected on his fourth 3-pointer, which was a game high, to bring NU to 63-59 with 1:31 remaining, but it would be the last points for the Purple Eagles.

Niagara wraps up its regular season on Saturday, March 2 against Saint Peter’s at 3 p.m. The Purple Eagles can still finish first in the conference with a victory and have Loyola split its final two games.

For ticket information, contact the Niagara Athletic Ticket Office (located at Dwyer Arena) at 716-286-TIXX (8499), tickets@purpleeagles.com or www.PurpleEagles.com/tickets.