NIAGARA UNIV., NY – Meghan McGuinness and Victoria Rampado both scored 21 points for the Purple Eagles who came up short against the Iona Gaels 83-72 on Friday night in the Gallagher Center.

Niagara (8-11, 4-6 MAAC) trailed early in the first half as Iona (10-8, 7-2 MAAC) was able to build a quick 7-2 lead. Rampado provided a spark for NU as the sophomore scored five straight points to tie the game 7-7. The Niagara Falls, Ont. native also brought down a team-high six rebounds for the Purple Eagles.

"Defensively, we struggled in the first half and offensively I thought we came out passive," head coach Kendra Faustin said. "I think we did a better job in the second half contesting Iona's shots but they still made some tough attempts."
 
From there, the Gaels were able to go on a 17- 6 run over the next five minutes to take a 24-13 lead with 9:09 left to play in the half. Niagara chipped away at the visitor's lead after going on a 7-0 run of their own. However, Iona closed out the final seven minutes of the half to take its largest lead into intermission, 52-35.

In the second half, Iona built the largest lead in the game, 64-42, with 15:26 left in the half. After trading baskets in the following eight minutes, a three-pointer by Tiffany Corselli with 6:54 left on the clock brought the score to 78-64.

Niagara scored the final four points of the game but the Gaels were able to come away with the 83-72 victory.

McGuinness shot 8-for-14 from the field and Rampado hit 7-of-8 free throws to tie for the team-lead with 21 points. Corselli went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc to add nine points while Sam Lapszynski went 3-for-4 from the field to contribute six points for the Purple Eagles. Kelly Van Leeuwen tied her season-high eight assists while not committing a single turnover.

After the final horn, Niagara held advantages in both rebounding and second chance points.  It outrebounded Iona 41-36 and took a 19-9 edge on second opportunities. NU shot 40.6 percent (28-for-69) from the floor compared to the Gaels to 49.2 percent (30-for-61).
 
Niagara heads back out on the road next week, when its go for the sweep of the Saint Peter's Peacocks on Jan. 29 at 5:00 p.m.