RIVERDALE, N.Y. - It took a big second-half run and an overtime period, but the Niagara Purple Eagles won their second consecutive game with a 71-67 win over Manhattan on Thursday night.
 
Niagara (6-12; 4-5 MAAC) opened the second half with a 22-4 run that saw the team go 9-for-12 from the field while holding Manhattan (4-14; 3-6 MAAC) to a 1-for-9 clip and featured eight points from Chanel Johnson. Storming back from a five-point deficit to start the half, Niagara had an 11-point lead by the end of the run.
 
"We did a better job rotating in our zone and we got stops so we could go in transition," head coach Kendra Faustin said about what led to the run.  "I didn't think the majority of our starters played well tonight but I thought our bench stepped up phenomenally.  Taylor McKay was so good in transition (and) Tiffany Corselli was a part of that big second-half run."
 
The visitors were able to build a lead that got as high as 13 points with 11:51 left, but in a mirror image of the opening half, Manhattan (4-14; 3-6 MAAC) chipped away at the lead until it eventually tied the game at 61-61 with three minutes left. The game headed into overtime with the score knotted up at 63-63. 
 
McKay scored eight points in the second half on her way to a career-high 14 points on the night.
 
Johnson continued to lead the charge with six more points in the overtime period, but it was a pair of free throws from Kelly Van Leeuwen that gave NU a lead 68-67 after Manhattan briefly had a one-point advantage.  Johnson hit a layup and a free throw to give NU a two-possession cushion.  The Japers had the ball with just seconds left but McKay capped her career night by stepping into a passing lane and getting a steal to give the Purple Eagles the 71-67 victory.
 
"Chanel's maturity showed in this game because she did not have a great first half but she came back in the second half and was really poised in the offensive end when our team was struggling," said Faustin.  "I think Taylor really excels in the defensive end and she can get easy points in the offensive end by playing good defense and getting big steals. When we can play them together…that's a tough tandem to keep out of the paint and to score on because they are so good on the defensive end and going in transition."
 
The senior and sophomore duo of Johnson and McKay finished with strikingly similar stat lines.  Johnson went 5-for-11 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line to finish with 15 points.  McKay's 14 points came from a 6-for-10 showing from the floor and 2-for-4 night from the charity stripe. Both players finished tied for the team lead with eight rebounds and five assists.  Victoria Rampado also finished with a share of the team lead in rebounds with eight, and contributed eight points of her own.
 
As a team the Purple Eagles shot 52.7 percent (29-for-55) from the field and again won the rebounding battle, nearly doubling up the Jaspers 49-25.
 
The first half was a back and forth affair. Each time Manhattan was able to build a lead, Niagara would go on a run to get within a possession. The Jaspers had a 10-point advantage with three minutes remaining, but an 8-2 run by the Purple and White cut the deficit to four, 36-32, going into the break.
 
NU is back in action with a chance to get to .500 in MAAC play on Saturday night when it takes on the Marist Red Foxes at 7:00 p.m.