HAMDEN, Conn. – A game-high 22 points by Matt Scott were not enough to overcome a season-high twelve 3-pointers by the hosts as the Niagara Purple Eagles fell to the Quinnipiac Bobcats, 82-68, on Saturday afternoon.

Scott led the Purple Eagles in scoring for the sixth straight game while scoring in double figures for the eighth straight contest, including his fifth straight 20-point performance and ninth of the season. Freshman Marvin Prochet scored 13 points and shared game-high honors with seven rebounds and Emile Blackman added 11 points.

The Purple Eagles outrebounded the Bobcats, who lead the nation in offensive rebounds per game and are second in the nation in rebounds per game, 16-13 and 38-36, respectively. NU also had a 32 to 18 advantage in points in the paint.  However, Quinnipiac connected on 12 of 17 3-pointers with six coming in each half.

NU (6-17,4-8 MAAC) built a 22-13 lead with 9:37 remaining in the first half on a 12-2 run, including scoring eight straight points with back-to-back buckets by Dominic Robb and Blackman, followed by four straight points by Prochet. After the Bobcats (6-13, 3-7 MAAC) tied the game at 26-26, Karonn Davis answered on the next possession with a 3-pointer with five minutes left in the half. However, Quinnipiac closed the half on a 12-1 run.

A 3-pointer by Blackman cut the lead to 39-35, but the Purple Eagles soon found themselves trailing, 56-39, with 12:59 remaining. However, the Purple Eagles crept back into the game with a 13-0 run.

Scott, who scored seven points during the run, made two free throws to trim the deficit to 56-52 with 8:58 left. Quinnipiac answered by scoring on its next possession to start an 8-0 spurt over the next two minutes to push the lead back into double digits for the rest of the game as the teams split the series for the second straight season.

Niagara returns home on Friday, Feb.5 for the first meeting of the season with the Rider Broncs at 7 p.m. For ticket information, contact the Niagara Athletic Ticket Office at 716-286-8499 or Tickets@Niagara.edu.

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