CLEVELAND, Ohio - Senior forward Val McQuade went 6-for-6 from beyond the arc in the scored half to help lead the Niagara Purple Eagles to a 76-58 victory over the Cleveland State Vikings Thursday afternoon at the Wolstein Center.

Niagara (5-3) had four Purple Eagles score in double-figures as McQuade led the team with a game-high 20 points. Junior guards Taylor McKay and Sylvia Maxwell came out strong in the first half and combined for 29 points in the game. Senior guard Meghan McGuinness shot a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line finishing with 10 points in the win.

Kelly Van Leeuwen added five points of her own while she collected five assists without committing a single turnover.McQuade, McKay, Maxwell and freshman forward Kaylee Stroemple all had eight rebounds for the Purple and White.

"In the first half, Taylor and Sylvia did a phenomenal job getting some easy scores to the basket and securing rebounds," said head coach Kendra Faustin. "Then in the second half they were worried about those two girls and we came out to shoot the ball very well."

On defense NU succeeded in keeping the Vikings (6-4) to contested jumpers from the outside, holding them to a 30 percent clip (9-for-30) from beyond the arc and 34.5 percent (20-for-58) showing from the floor.

"On the defensive end, I'm so happy with our adjustments, communication and effort." Faustin continued. "I thought we did a great job executing our scouting report defensively."

Coming out of halftime leading 31-25, the Purple Eagles went on a 15-9 run after back-to-back three pointers from McGuinness to build their lead to double-digits. Cleveland State climbed back within single-digits down the stretch, including cutting the deficit to 56-49 with less than six minutes left on the clock.

Unfazed, three 3-pointers in the span of a little over two minutes from McQuade kept NU in the lead and ultimately gave it the 76-58 victory.

"She was in the zone," Faustin said of McQuade. "When she's in that zone she doesn't hesitate and it is definitely fun to watch."

Niagara led the battle of the boards throughout most of the game, including a 25-20 lead after the first half. NU finished with a 46-35 edge on the glass, a 32-20 advantage in points in the paint and a 26-10 upper hand in points off the bench.

The win marked a season-high in points for Niagara while also improving its winning streak to five games. The last time NU went on a five-game winning streak was in the 2009-10 season.

The Purple Eagles are back home on Saturday, Dec. 20 when they take on St. Bonaventure in a Big Four matchup. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. at the Gallagher Center.