LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – Four Purple Eagles scored in double figures as Niagara prevailed in overtime to earn a 64-59 victory over the Siena Saints on Thursday at the Alumni Recreation Center.
 
A game that saw seven ties and nine lead changes featured multiple players in double digits, led by Sylvia Maxwell's game-high 15 points and three assists. Sophomore forward Victoria Rampado and junior guard Taylor McKay both finished with 14 points on the night.  Kelly Van Leewen and McKay both dished out four assists, while Donisha Watson finished with a team-high six rebounds.

"It was a really physical back and forth game, probably the most physical game we've ever played," head coach Kendra Faustin said. "I thought down the stretch we showed great poise and defensively we got some pretty big stops."
 
Meghan McGuinness hit two three-pointers in the first stanza to keep Niagara in front for the majority of the half.  She finished with 13 points after going 5-for-6 from the charity stripe. The Purple Eagles, who led 22-16 with 8:10 left in the first half, went into intermission with a 25-23 lead.

Play in the second half was fairly even as it was played in a five-point window and the score was tied four times. With 2:01 remaining in the game the Saints knocked down two free throws to take a 52-48 lead. However, Van Leeuwen hit a three-pointer and McGuinness put the game into overtime with a foul shot.

In overtime, Niagara took the lead right off the bat as Rampado hit two free throws before a jumper by Maxwell which gave the Purple Eagles a 56-52 lead. On the next possession, Siena hit a three-pointer to bring the Saints back within one point, 56-55, with 2:24 on the clock. The hosts were forced to foul with under a minute remaining as the Purple Eagles went 6-for-6 from the line to come away with a 64-59 victory.
 
Niagara shot 45.1 percent (23-for-51) from the floor as a team while also going 5-for-10 from 3-point range. Defensively the Purple and White held the Saints to a 30.6 percent (19-for-62) shooting percentage which included keeping the hosts to just 1-for-8 from beyond the arc in the first half. 
 
The Purple Eagles get right back to work on Saturday with a matchup against the Marist Red Foxes at 7 p.m. in Jersey City, N.J.