NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara women's basketball team defeated the Saint Peter's Peacocks, 51-46, on Sunday afternoon.

"We're feeling really good," said Purple Eagles' head coach Jada Pierce. "The girls are following the game plan for the most part and we have to keep doing that. We can't go away from what we're not good at, which we did a little bit in the first half of this game, but we snapped back to reality which helped us win this game."

Kaylee Stroemple recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds; she led the team in both scoring and rebounding. Sam Lapszynski narrowly missed her eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and nine rebounds. In her first career start, Kharysma Bryant scored a career-high nine points and had a career-best six rebounds.

Tiffany Corselli opened scoring for the Purple Eagles in the first quarter, hitting a 3-pointer less than two minutes into the game. Baskets from Taylor McKay, Stroemple and Lapszynski left the Purple Eagles trailing narrowly, 14-11, at the end of the first quarter.

Bryant scored the first points in the second quarter, putting Niagara (6-11, 4-4 MAAC) down by only one point, 14-13. A lay-up from Stroemple with a little over six minutes to play in the first half put the Purple Eagles in the lead, 15-14. The Purple Eagles and Peacocks continued to score back and forth and a Stroemple score to end the second quarter left the teams tied at 19 all.

A big steal from Bryant and a lay-up from McKay put Niagara back in the lead early in the third quarter, 23-21. However, with 4:41 left in the quarter, the score was once again tied, 25-25, followed by a Peacocks' run that put them in the lead, 30-25. But the Purple Eagles did not give up; Bryant made a bucket as time expired in the third quarter to tie the score up, 34-34, with one quarter remaining to play.

Niagara and Saint Peter's kept the score close in the fourth quarter, but the Purple Eagles picked up momentum, taking advantage of turnovers and fouls, and pulled away from the Peacocks, taking home a win and sweeping the season series with Saint Peter's (4-13, 2-6 MAAC). The Purple Eagles have now won four of their last five games.

The Purple Eagles play next at Iona on Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7:00 p.m.

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