Skip To Main Content

Niagara University Athletics

Prochet
68
Niagara NIAM 3-10 (1-1)
82
Winner St. Bonaventure SBU 8-3
Niagara NIAM
3-10 (1-1)
68
Final
82
St. Bonaventure SBU
8-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Niagara NIAM 27 41 68
St. Bonaventure SBU 35 47 82

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Bonnies Best Purple Eagles In Rivalry Matchup

OLEAN, N.Y. – The Niagara University men's basketball team dropped an 82-68 decision to longtime rival the St. Bonaventure Bonnies on Wednesday night to snap its four-game win streak at the Reilly Center.

The Purple Eagles (3-10) entered the 156th meeting with the Bonnies having won their last four trips (2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010) to the Reilly Center as the programs were meeting on St. Bonaventure campus for the first time since 2010.

Niagara trailed 35-33 early in the second half before Bona (8-3) built a 22-point lead with a 28-8 run over an eight-minute span.

"We have lulls we need to overcome," head coach Chris Casey said. "I thought we had a lull in the first half when we had a lead and had one in the second half, and those things will cost you the game. We will continue to work on trying to get better at those. My guys do compete extremely hard and I do like that about them."

The first half was a back-and-forth affair with four lead changes through the first six minutes. Niagara jumped out to a 10-2 lead after three minutes of action with a 10-0 run, which was buoyed by consecutive 3-pointers by Emile Blackman.

Blackman put the Purple Eagles back in front, 17-16, with a layup at the 12:37 mark before the Bonnies reeled off eight straight points over the next five minutes.  Bona held the half's largest lead at 35-23 with 1:16 on the clock, but NU closed the half scoring four straight points courtesy of Maurice Taylor, Jr.

The Purple Eagles carried the momentum from the end of the first half into the start of the second half. NU scored six straight points to open the half; Marvin Prochet made a jumper at the top of the key, Dominic Robb finished with a layup in the paint and Cameron Fowler scored a layup to trim the lead to 35-33 with 17:50 left in the game.

Bona followed with consecutive 3-pointers by Nelson Kaputo to spark the 28-8 run for the Bonnies. Trailing 63-41 with 9:39 remaining, Niagara continued to battle and outscored Bona, 18-6, to cut the lead to 10 points with four minutes left; though it would be the closet the Purple Eagles would get as the Bonnies pulled out their fifth straight win in the series.

"I thought they played very, very well," Casey said. "I thought we played well for portions of the game. I do think we competed hard, as we normally do. They shot the ball extremely well, which they do."

Blackman led NU in scoring with 19 points and Fowler scored a season-high 14 points to be the only Purple Eagles in double figures. Prochet and Karonn Davis each scored nine points, with Prochet grabbing six rebounds to share team-high honors with Dominic Robb.  

The Purple Eagles resume MAAC play on Saturday, Jan. 2 against the Siena Saints at 7 p.m. from the Times Union Center. The game will air live on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel, ESPN3 and on the Niagara Sports Network via WGR 550 AM and PurpleEagles.com/Watch.

Stay connected with the Purple Eagles through social media. Follow Niagara Athletics on Twitter @NUPurpleEagles and for men's basketball updates at @NiagaraMBB. Check in with the Purple Eagles on Facebook/PurpleEagles and on Instagram @NUPurpleEagles.
 
Print Friendly Version