NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Niagara women's basketball forward Kaylee Stroemple recorded a career-high scoring game Saturday afternoon at the Gallagher Center, but the Purple Eagles lost 77-67 to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.

Stroemple, Victoria Rampado and Taylor McKay all contributed double-digit points for Niagara. Rampado led the team in scoring with 20 points, followed by Stroemple with 17 points, her career-high, and McKay with 14.

"Any time you can get double figures in production from three people, that's great," said head coach Jada Pierce. "The sky is the limit for those three players and they will have other career games this season."

Though Niagara (0-3) was not able to secure its first win of the season, they kept the game close until the end.

The Purple Eagles opened first half scoring, with Taylor McKay stealing the ball from the Golden Grizzlies, making a fastbreak and scoring a lay-up in the paint.

In the first quarter, the lead changed eight times and the Purple Eagles trailed narrowly by a score of 17-15 going into the second quarter.

Rampado kicked things off in the second quarter, scoring six points in less than two minutes, putting the Purple Eagles up 21-19. However, Oakland (2-1) pulled away late in the second quarter and went into halftime leading 34-29.

The Purple Eagles made a run for the lead late in the second half of the game. With less than two minutes left, Stroemple scored a 3-pointer, reenergizing the Niagara team and leaving them trailing by only nine points. With ten seconds left in the game, Rampado also sank a 3-pointer but, with time running out, the Purple Eagles were not able to regain a lead and went on to lose their third straight game.  

Oakland was the second straight team from the Horizon League that the Purple Eagles have faced, following a loss to Youngstown State on Tuesday, and they face two more, Cleveland State and Detroit, next week.

This is Coach Pierce's first experience coaching against the Horizon League, but there are some similarities  that she will be on the lookout for in Niagara's next two match-ups.

"What I've observed is that the 3-point shot is very critical to their offense," Pierce said. "For us to take the next step, what we have to do is get better on the other side of the ball; we have to get better defensively."

Niagara's next game is at home against Cleveland State on Friday, Nov. 29 at 1:00 p.m. For ticket information contact the Niagara Athletics Ticket Office at 716-286-8499, visit www.PurpleEagles.com/Tickets ortickets@niagara.edu.  

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