ROCHESTER, Mich. – Despite an early lead, the Purple Eagles women's basketball team fell to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, 67-59, on Sunday. 

Game Summary
Final Score: Oakland 67, Niagara 59
Leading Scorers: Victoria Rampado (16 points), Jamie Sherburne (13 points)
Records: Oakland (2-2, 0-0 Horizon League), Niagara (0-4, 0-0 MAAC)
Location: Blacktop at the O'Rena – Rochester, Michigan

Game Recap

• The Purple Eagles got off to an early lead in the first quarter, with a 3-pointer from Maggie McIntyre helping them to a 7-1 lead with a little under seven and a half minutes remaining in the quarter. Rampado added eight points in the first quarter and Kaylee Stroemple had five rebounds. The Purple Eagles led the Golden Grizzlies, 17-10, going into the second quarter.
• McIntyre opened scoring for Niagara in the second quarter, hitting her second 3-pointer of the game to keep NU in the lead, 20-15. Rampado added six more points in the second quarter and the Purple Eagles went into halftime leading Oakland, 31-25.
• Niagara got off to a strong start in the third quarter; two straight steals, resulting in two points from Sherburne and another 3-pointer from McIntyre, forced Oakland to call a timeout less than one minute into the quarter and put NU up, 36-25. The Golden Grizzlies, however, began to pick up some offensive momentum and, with just under four minutes remaining in the quarter, the score was tied, 40-40. With 1:26 left in the third quarter, Oakland took its first lead of the game, 44-42, and the Golden Grizzlies went into the fourth quarter leading by one point, 45-44.
• Oakland took a 47-44 lead early in the fourth quarter, but a 3-pointer from Sherburne tied things up, 47-47. Four more points from Sherburne put NU back in the lead, 56-54, with just a little over five minutes left in the game. Oakland came back to tie the score for the third time in the fourth quarter, 56-56, and began to pull away from the Purple Eagles, defeating NU, 67-59.

Inside the Numbers

• Rampado led the Purple Eagles in scoring with 16 points and Sherburne recorded a career-high 13 points. Stroemple also scored in double figures, recording 10 points; she is now only 10 points away from 1,000 career points.
• Stroemple led the team in rebounding with nine rebounds and Adila Gathers tied her career-high with six rebounds. Stroemple also led the Purple Eagles in assists with five.
• McIntyre added nine points for Niagara and went 3-for-4 from the 3-point line.

Up Next

• The Purple Eagles will compete in the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas, Nev. over Thanksgiving weekend. Niagara will take on Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, Nov. 25 and Louisiana Tech on Sunday, Nov. 26. Both games will begin at 2:00 p.m. EST.

Stay connected with the Purple Eagles through social media. Follow Niagara Athletics on Twitter @NUPurpleEagles and for women's basketball updates at @NiagaraWBB. Check in with the Purple Eagles on Facebook/PurpleEagles and on Instagram @NUPurpleEagles.