SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The No. 1 seed Niagara Purple Eagles started their march to a conference tournament championship by defeating ninth-seeded Siena, 74-62, in the 2013 MAAC Tournament Quarterfinals on Saturday.

Niagara advances to its 13th semifinal and 10th under Joe Mihalich. The Purple Eagles will play the winner of No. 4 Iona/No. 5 Canisius on Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPN3.

“We found a way to win,” head coach Joe Mihalich said. “I don’t think it was our best game we played all year. Guys made plays when they had to and we are just happy to be one of four teams to be around tomorrow.” 

A couple of themes that were consistent throughout the season helped Niagara staved off Siena (8-24) for the fourth straight time on Saturday.

The sophomore tandem of Antoine Mason and Juan'ya Green paced Niagara offensively, while the defense stifled the Saints.  Mason and Green were the top two scorers in the game; Mason led with 21 points and Green followed with 15. Mason went a game-best 10-for-10 at the charity stripe and tied a career-high with a game-high four steals. Green had a game-high six assists.

Defensively, NU forced 20 Saints turnover which turned into 32 points for the Purple Eagles. It was the eighth time this season NU has forced at least 20 turnovers.

Mason set the tone in the first half for the Purple Eagles. His 3-pointer at the 11:56 mark in the opening stanza sparked an 11-3 that spanned nearly four minutes. Mason led the team with eight first half points, as NU held a narrow 32-31 advantage heading into halftime.

Niagara began the second half on a 12-3 run, trigger by a 10-0 run to open the final stanza.  Siena cut the lead to 44-42 when it reeled off an 8-0 run over three minutes before T.J. Cline connected on a triple to halt the run with 11:57 remaining.

The Purple Eagles picked up timely baskets and made key defensive stops the rest of the way as the Saints would not get any closer than four points. Green effectively sealed the game with a 3-pointer with two minutes left to increase NU’s lead to 70-61.

Niagara ended the game making four straight free throws as the Purple Eagles connected on 22 of 27 attempts (81.5 percent).