EMMITSBURG, Md. – A Jamie Sherburne floater with 1.4 seconds remaining capped a furious fourth quarter rally as the Niagara women's basketball team closed out its non-conference schedule with a 53-51 win at Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday.

The Purple Eagles erased a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to secure their second win of the season and first on the road. 

"Grit is the word that comes to mind to describe the last two minutes of the game," said Purple Eagles head coach Jada Pierce. "This team has shown a lot of heart and lot of fight throughout the season so far, but I do feel this was a turning point for us that can help propel us into MAAC play. We stayed persistent throughout the game and maintained a confidence that we could win this game despite some of the adversity we faced."

Sam Lapszynski was the leading scorer for the Purple Eagles with 16 points. Kaylee Stroemple led the team in rebounds with nine, Taylor McKay added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Jamie Sherburne led the team in assists with a career-high seven.

In the first quarter, Niagara (2-9) got on the board first with a 3-pointer from Emily Granruth at 8:51. Granruth sank another 3-point shot with 5:33 left in the quarter to put the Purple Eagles up 6-4. With 1:25 left in the quarter, Stroemple made a basket followed by a Lapszynski lay-up to put Niagara in the lead, 10-6, at the end of the quarter.

McKay opened scoring in the second quarter with a jumper at 8:11, extending the Purple Eagles' lead to 12-6. With 7:33 left in the quarter, Lapszynski had a lay-up in the paint followed shortly by another jumper from McKay, putting Niagara up 16-11 with 7:17 left to play in the first half. The Mountaineers (2-9), however, began to pick up steam on offense and the score was tied 16 all with 6:08 remaining in the quarter. With 1:29 left in the quarter, McKay hit her third jumper of the quarter, putting the Purple Eagles up 24-22. Sherburne closed out scoring in the first half, hitting a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining. Niagara went into halftime leading 27-22.

Tiffany Corselli opened scoring for the Purple Eagles in the third quarter, hitting a jump-shot with 7:50 left, helping the Purple Eagles maintain a narrow 29-26 lead. With 6:01 left in the third, Lapszynski scored, putting the Purple Eagles up 33-26, but Mount St. Mary's made a run and with 1:13 left in the quarter, the score was tied 33-33. With 15 seconds left in the quarter, Sherburne scored a layup on a fastbreak and was fouled in the process. She went to the line, making her free-throw, and the third quarter ended with Niagara leading 37-34.

The Mountaineers scored nine straight points to open the fourth quarter, putting them in the lead 43-37 with 7:08 left to play. A Lapszynski lay-up with 6:52 remaining brought the Purple Eagles within four points of the lead, 45-39. Mount St. Mary's struck back on offense, and led 49-39 with 4:36 left in the fourth quarter. Lapszynski made two more lay-ups, at 3:05 and 1:44, putting the score at 51-45 with the Mountaineers in the lead. With 1:14 left to play, Corselli sank a 3-pointer which put the Purple Eagles within three points of the lead, 51-48. McKay hit a 3-point shot with 38 seconds left in the game to tie up the score, 51-51. With two seconds left, Sherburne scored the game-winning points for Niagara, and the Purple Eagles took home their first road victory of the season.

The Purple Eagles play next on Saturday, Jan. 2 against Siena at 3:00 p.m. at the Gallagher Center. 

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