Box Score BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – The Niagara Purple Eagles secured their first win of the season as they came out on top Wednesday afternoon, 63-52, over the Binghamton Bearcats in the Events Center.
Four Purple Eagles scored in double figures as sophomore forward
Victoria Rampado led the way with a team-high 16 points and 11 rebounds marking her first double-double of the season. Senior guard
Meghan McGuinness also added 15 points while
Taylor McKay and
Kaylee Stroemple combined for a total of 21 points.
"I was very happy with our rebounding; it's something we've talked about in practice all week and executed effectively," head coach
Kendra Faustin said. "I don't think we shot the ball particularly well but the battle on the boards really helped us negate a poor shooting night."
The Purple Eagles (1-3) actually started the game in a 3-2 hole as Binghamton (1-3) hit a three-pointer in its first possession, but from there it was all Niagara. The Purple Eagles went on a 13-2 run that got started with a three pointer by McGuinnes and McKay attacking the lane. Over the next eight minutes the Bearcats came back to tie the game 23-23, but Niagara closed out the half with an 11-5 run and headed into the locker room with a 34-28 lead.
Through the opening half the Niagara defense stayed strong, holding the Bearcats to a 32.3 percent (10-for-31) clip from the floor.
The Bearcats would not fade away and continued to hang in tough through the second half as they were able to get within three points, 37-34, with 16 minutes left in the game. The Purple Eagles responded with an 18-4 run to go up 55-38 and never looked back. BU would find themselves within single digits in the final two minutes but NU kept its lead on its way to the 63-52 victory.
The Purple Eagles finished the game going 9-for-13 from the free-throw line (69.2 percent). They topped the Bearcats in every statistical category but one. NU shot 36.8 percent from the floor to Binghamton's 29.5 percent; pulled down 56 rebounds to BU's 34; and had six steals to BU's five. The Purple Eagles also had an 18-6 advantage of points in the paint and 39-10 points off the bench.
"We had some great contributions coming off the bench," Faustin continued. "This was a great team win."
Niagara now leads 5-1 in the all-time series against Binghamton, having won the past five meetings.
The Purple Eagles are back on the court this Saturday for their home opener against the Detroit Titans. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.
