Box Score
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara University women's basketball team scored a season-high in points after a 78-60 victory over Mount St. Mary's (Md.) at the 'Taps' Gallagher Center Tuesday evening.

Senior guard Meghan McGuinness led Niagara with 22 points while sophomore forward Victoria Rampado was three points shy of her career-high with 20 points and added a team-high nine rebounds.

This was the first time this season NU had two players score at least 20 points in one game. The last time the Purple Eagles had two players score in the twenties was on Feb. 22 vs. Monmouth when McGuinness and Rampado both scored 20.

Val McQuade also chipped in 10 points, three assists and three steals while Kelly Van Leeuwen contributed six assists for the Purple and White.

"We really dug in on the defensive effort in the first half which ironically led to our season-high in points," said head coach Kendra Faustin.  "We want to continue to make sure that defensively, night in and night out we're doing the things we need to do."

Niagara (6-5) came out on fire Tuesday evening and took an early lead over the Mountaineers (2-9).  The Mount scored the first basket of the contest, taking their only lead of the game, 3-0, but over the next eight minutes NU responded with a 23-2 run. The first half ended with Niagara outscoring the Mount off turnovers 16-8 and outrebounding the visitors 17-14 on its way to taking a 42-25 lead into halftime.

In the first seven minutes of the second half, Niagara went on a 22-10 run to take their largest lead of the game, 64-35.  Mount St. Mary's battled back but was not able to get any closer than 18 points while the Purple Eagles coasted to a 78-60 win.

McGuinness went 5-for-9 from beyond the arc marking her 223^rd career 3-pointer which ties her in second for the all-time record. Sheryl Klick who played for Niagara from 1996-00 has also scored 223 career three pointers.

This was also the sixth consecutive game McGuinness has scored in double digits which is the longest double-figures streak by a Purple Eagle this season.

"I can't say enough about Meghan McGuinness and what she means to this team," Faustin said after the game.  "It's no surprise that she's a phenomenal shooter because she's in the gym all the time."

As a team, Niagara shot an impressive 31-for-56 from the field (55.4 percent) which is their best shooting percentage so far this season.  It also outrebounded its opponent for the seventh time this season as Niagara pulled down 36 boards to Mount's 28. 

The Purple Eagles start conference play as they travel to Connecticut on Friday, January 2 to face-off against the Quinnipiac Bobcats at 1 p.m.