Postgame Infographic

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara Purple Eagles were 10 seconds away from topping conference-leading Iona before falling in the final seconds, 80-79, on Friday night at the Gallagher Center in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPNU.

For the second straight meeting, the Purple Eagles (3-13, 2-5 MAAC) fell in the final seconds by one point. Last season it was a 3-pointer by A.J. English with eight seconds to give the visitor a 90-89 win. Tonight it was a pair of free throws by English, who finished with a game-high 28 points, with two seconds left.

After chipping away at a deficit as much as 16 points in the first half, Niagara took its first lead of the game, 76-75, with 31 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Ramone Snowden behind a 13-2 run. On the en suing possession, English converted a 3-point play after scoring a layup with 19 seconds left.  The Purple Eagles answered on their next possession with Snowden once again draining a 3-pointer in the corner to put NU back in front, 79-78, with 10 seconds remaining.

On the following possession, Wesley Myers and English collided for the loose ball near the 3-point arc, but Myers was called for the foul with two seconds remaining; English would make both free throws to give Iona (13-5, 6-1 MAAC) an 80-79 lead. Karonn Davis' desperation three-quarter heave hit the backboard as time expired.

"I'm extremely proud of our guys, because they fought and they continued to fight; they could have gone away, but they did not," head coach Chris Casey said. "I'm very proud of the fight and the togetherness of our guys."

NU, which found itself trailing 16-5 after the opening 3-plus minutes, closed the first half on a 10-1 run to trail 41-34 at the break. The Purple Eagles continued to trim the lead and trailed 64-61 with 5:16 left before Iona pushed its lead back to double-digits, 73-63, with 2:26 on the clock.

Snowden finished with a team-high 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Snowden is averaging 20.6 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game in three all-time meetings with Iona. Emile Blackman scored 15 points and had a team-high eight rebounds, Dominique Reid had 11 points and seven rebounds and Davis chipped in 10 points and five boards.

Niagara continues its MAAC weekend on Sunday against the Siena Saints at 2 p.m. on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel. For ticket information, contact the Niagara Athletic Ticket Office at 716-286-8499.