NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The Niagara University Purple Eagles dropped the final leg of their four-game road trip to the Iona Gaels, 65-52, on Monday.

Tonight's contest was a two-point game with less than eight minutes remaining when Iona (7-6, 4-0 MAAC) used a 14-3 run to pull away for the win.

"We held one of the highest scoring teams in the league to 65 points and we did what we needed to do defensively," head coach Chris Casey said. "Offensively, we handled the ball well (and) that is a team that presses and forces a lot of turnovers; but we have to make some open looks in order to keep pace offensively. I'm proud of our effort, and we will get back to the gym tomorrow and get ready for our game against Saint Peter's."

A pair of freshmen were the catalysts to the Purple Eagles (3-12, 1-3 MAAC) offense with Marvin Prochet leading the team with 11 points, while grabbing a team-high six rebounds, while Dominic Robb scored 10 points. Emile Blackman and Karonn Davis each scored nine points, and Davis dished out a game-high five assists.

After falling behind 8-0, the Purple Eagles surged in front on a 13-4 run powered by Matt Scott and Prochet. A triple by Davis gave NU its largest lead, 23-19, with 5:56 on the clock and a Blackman layup one minute later sustained NU's four-point advantage. The score was tied at 27-27 with 1:06 left in the half when Iona scored five straight points to head into halftime leading, 32-27.

Robb opened the second half with six straight points and a Blackman jumper at the 15:39 mark tied the game at 37-37. The Gaels responded with an 8-0 run, but NU trimmed the deficit to 49-47 after a 3-pointer by Blackman with 9:47 remaining. NU had three empty possessions before a jumper by Iona's Aaron Roundtree with 7:54 left started the Gaels run as they gradually built a double-digit lead on their way to the win.

The Purple Eagles return to the Gallagher Center for their first home game of 2016 on Thursday against Saint Peter's at 7 p.m. The game will air live on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel and on the Niagara Sports Network via AM 1400 WWWS and PurpleEagles.com/Watch.

For ticket information, contact the Niagara Athletic Ticket Office at 716-286-8499 or Tickets@Niagara.edu.

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.