NIAGARA UNIV, N.Y. – The Niagara Purple Eagles controlled most of the game but fell just shy of handing the Iona Gaels their first MAAC loss as Niagara dropped a 94-84 decision in the Gallagher Center on Sunday afternoon.
 
"For this team right now, where we are, to play like that…I thought we did a great job," head coach Kendra Faustin said.  "We were about six minutes short of a good conference win.  This is a crazy-talented team so I'm happy about a lot of things, just not the outcome."
 
The first half of Sunday's contest was all Niagara (3-10; 1-3 MAAC) who began the game with a 7-for-8 clip from the floor to eventually take an early 15-13 lead.  Val McQuade hit the second of two first-half threes to tie the game at 18-18 with 14-13 left on the clock and send the Purple Eagles on a 10-4 run to take the lead. 
 
Throughout the rest of the half, each time Iona (11-2; 4-0 MAAC) either got within a possession or tied the game Niagara hit a shot to keep the lead in its favor, including when the lead down to one point, 34-33, with two minutes left and Chanel Johnson hit 4-of-4 free throws to send NU into the locker room with its largest lead of the half, 38-33.
 
Defensively in the opening half the Purple Eagles held the Gaels to 25.7 percent (9-for-35) from the floor, held their top two scorers (Damika Martinez and Joy Adams) to a combined 11 points, and took the rebounding battle 28-21.    
 
Iona came out of the break and tied the game at 38-38 within the first minute, but much like the first half, the Purple Eagles found a way to answer back.  McQuade was the first to respond when hit two-straight threes to give the lead back to NU, 44-38.  Later, Meghan McGuinness hit four points in a 6-0 run to give NU another six-point lead, 51-45, with 13:55 left.
 
Even after the Gaels were able to take their first lead since early in the first half, Johnson and Kelly Van Leeuwen both converted driving layups to keep the game tied before a 13-5 run gave NU the 62-58 led with seven minutes remaining in regulation. 
 
The Purple Eagles took one more lead, a 70-69 advantage with five minutes to go, before a sizable run down the stretch gave Iona the 94-84 win. 
 
"We had to do some different things to not let Martinez score 27 [points]," Faustin said.  "We wanted to make somebody else make shots and they did that in the second half and they did not in the first half.  We didn't make great rotations out of our zone and we made poor choices."
 
After the final horn, Niagara still held both the rebounding and shooting edges.  It outrebounded Iona 45-37 and shot 45.7 percent (32-for-70) from the floor while holding the Gaels to 39.1 percent (25-for-64).
 
"Winning the rebounding war is something we talk about doing all of the time and so we're excited that we can build on that and we can build on a good defensive performance in the first half."
 
Gabby Baldasare set career-highs in points and rebounds on the way to her first career double-double.  The Pittsburgh, Pa. native scored 11 points and gathered in 11 rebounds.  Chanel Johnson led the team in scoring for the third-consecutive game with 19 points on the afternoon.  Meghan McGuinness scored 17 points with a 7-for-13 effort from the floor and Val McQuade went 4-for-8 from three-point range to score 12 points. 
 
Niagara heads back out on the road next weekend, opening the trip with a 5:00 p.m. game against Siena.