LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – Emile Blackman recorded his fifth 20-point game of the season with a game-high 21 points as the Niagara Purple Eagles fell to the Rider Broncs, 77-59, on Sunday.

Dominic Robb joined Blackman in double figures with 10 points, while grabbing six rebounds to share team-high honors with Marvin Prochet, Cameron Fowler and Chris Barton.

Niagara (6-21, 4-12 MAAC) was attempting to collect consecutive wins at Rider (11-6, 7-9 MAAC) for only the second time in 19 all-time trips. The Purple Eagles snapped a five-game losing streak to the Broncs with a 65-61 win last February for their first win at Rider since January 2007. However, the Broncs used a run in the first half to create separation en route to sweeping the season series.

The Purple Eagles held a 6-3 advantage after 2:29 of action, but Rider soon went on a run to seize control of the game. Leading 14-12 at the 12:39 mark, the Broncs went on a 17-3 run in a six-minute span.  Rider went into halftime with a 41-25 lead and the Broncs maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest.

The Purple Eagles return home for their final two games at the Gallagher Center starting on Thursday against Marist at 7 p.m. The game will air live on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.

For ticket information, contact the Niagara Athletic Ticket Office at 716-286-8499 (TIXX) 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.