WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The Purple Eagles got 20 points from both Meghan McGuinness and Victoria Rampado in their 85-57 victory over the Monmouth Hawks on Saturday night.
 
Rampado was a threat from all over the floor for Niagara (9-18; 7-11 MAAC). The freshman went 8-16 from the floor, 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, and narrowly missed out on a double-double with a team-high nine rebounds. Monmouth (6-23; 5-13 MAAC) had no answer for McGuinness from three-point range as the junior hit 6-for-10 from beyond the arc in front of a sizeable cheering section from her hometown of Lincroftt, N.J., which is just 15 minutes down the road.
 
"Victoria scored in a number of different ways offensively; offensive rebound putbacks, post moves, mid-range jump shots off the bounce," head coach Kendra Faustin said. "I was really pleased with her second half, I thought she really picked it up and finished some great shots."
 
"When we move the ball well and get [McGuinness] good looks, she's certainly capable of doing a lot of things, but going 6-for-10 from three is certainly one of those," Faustin continued. "She stretches the defense…Meghan helps Victoria score and Victoria helps Meghan score."
 
Four of Niagara's five starters scored double-digits. Taylor McKay scored 13 points and Chanel Johnson added 12 to join McGuinness and Rampado.  Kelly Van Leeuwen and McKay tied for the team lead with five assists, but Van Leeuwen didn't commit a single turnover.
 
The Purple Eagles came out of halftime with a 35-28 lead and pulled away throughout the half with a 36-13 run that started at the 12:16 mark propelled them to the eventual 85-57 final. NU shot 59.3 percent (16-for-27) from the floor and an even 60.0 percent (6-for-10) from beyond the arc in the half.
 
"Overall I thought our effort in rebounding and being strong with the ball took a step forward tonight," said Faustin. "Being strong with the ball shows in our assist-to-turnover ratio. We moved the ball, got high percentage shots as we were making the extra pass, and we were really strong with the ball."
 
With a new starting five, the Purple Eagles took the lead with an early 10-0 run to take a 10-2 lead on a layup and the and-one from  Rampado. While NU was never able to pull away in the half, it was able to keep Monmouth at bay to maintain a multiple possession lead and took a 35-28 lead into halftime.
 
For the game Niagara shot 43.8 percent (28-for-64) from the field, 50.0 percent (9-for-18) from three-point range, and 83.3 percent (20-for-24) from the free throw line. It also forced 20 turnovers while committing only 10.
 
The Purple Eagles return home next weekend for the final two games of the regular season. The first game is against Rider on Friday night at 7:00 p.m.