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SCORE: Niagara 91, Canisius 84
RECORDS: Niagara (7-14, 4-6 MAAC), Canisius (12-9, 5-5 MAAC)
LOCATION: Gallagher Center – Niagara University
 
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Four Purple Eagles scored in double figures as Niagara led wire-to-wire in a 91-84 victory over archrival Canisius on Monday night.
 
Game Summary
The Purple Eagles jumped out to an early 7-0 lead. Marvin Prochet opened the scoring with a 3-pionter 47 seconds into the game, followed by a baseline jumper and a Matt Scott layup, en route to a 13-2 advantage. A 3-point play by Kahlil Dukes increased Niagara's lead to 25-13 with 11:10 left in the half as the Purple Eagles maintained a double-digit lead for the rest of the half.  A Chris Barton 3-pointer gave the Purple Eagles a 51-34 lead with 1:12 left as NU went into halftime with a 17-point cushion.
 
Canisius started the second half on an 11-2 run, cutting Niagara's lead to 53-45. The Golden Griffins trimmed Niagara's lead to 58-51; however, the Purple Eagles answered with an 11-2 run in a 3-minute span. Barton, Prochet and Scott all contributed in the run as a Scott 3-pointer gave Niagara a 71-53 lead with 11:12 left in the game. Kevin Larkin's 3-pointer with 5:54 remaining gave the Purple Eagles their largest lead of the game at 84-66.  
 
The Purple Eagles withstood a late push by Canisius as the Golden Griffins got within five points with two minutes left. After two empty possessions by Canisius, Dukes made two free throws with 30 seconds left for an 89-82 lead. Scott capped the game's scoring with a breakaway layup as Niagara picked up its first home win in the series since February 2012.  
 
Eagle's Eye On…

• Marvin Prochet scored a team-high 19 points, including 15 points in the first half, as he shot 7-11 from the field while adding six rebounds and a career-high five assists.
• Matt Scott had 18 points and a season-high 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
• Kahlil Dukes chipped in 17 points and dished out a game-high nine assists to tie a career-high.
• Kevin Larkin scored a season-high 16 points, including going 3-for-3 from behind the 3-point line.
• Dominic Robb raised his MAAC-leading blocks total to 51 with a block in the game, while also adding eight points and five rebounds.

 
Inside The Numbers

• Niagara led for 39:12.
• The Purple Eagles went 17-for-17 at the free-throw line to go perfect at the line for the first time since February 2, 2009 against Iona (8-for-8).
• NU shot 53.2 percent (33-for-62), which is Niagara's second highest field goal percentage this season.
• The Purple Eagles scored 51 points in the first half for their most first half points since scoring 51 points against Marist on January 3, 2013.

 
Up Next

• The Purple Eagles continue their three-game homestand on Thursday, January 26 against Manhattan at 7 p.m.
• The game will air on LCTV, AM 1400 WWWS and on the Niagara Sports Network via PurpleEagles.com.
• For ticket information, contact the Niagara Athletic Ticket Office at 716-286-TIXX, tickets@Niagara.edu or www.PurpleEagles.com/Tickets.

 
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