SCORE: Niagara 79, Cleveland State 77
RECORDS: Niagara (6-6, 0-0 MAAC), Cleveland State (3-7, 0-0 Horizon League) 
LOCATION: Frank and Barbara Layden Court at the Gallagher Center
 
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Kahlil Dukes scored a game-high 21 points as the Purple Eagles held off the Cleveland State Vikings, 79-77, on Tuesday night.  

Game Summary
Battling against each other for the first time since the 1987-88 season, the Purple Eagles started the first half out in front. Leading by a score of 7-6 early, Marvin Prochet and Keleaf Tate hit back-to-back three-pointers to extend the Niagara lead to a half-high seven points, 13-6. After an 11-6 run gave Cleveland State its first lead of the night, 23-22, Chris Barton found Kevin Larkin for a 3-pointer to put Niagara back out in front. With the Purple Eagles trailing 32-30, Kahlil Dukes sunk a pair of free throws to tie the score once again with 3:50 to go in the first half. From there, Niagara held its ground for the remainder of the half, heading into the break leading by a score of 39-38.
 
Similar to the first half, the Purple Eagles opened the second half out in front, outscoring CSU 10-6, capped by a Dukes 3-pointer to extend the Niagara lead to 49-44. Later in the half, as a Cleveland State run gave the Vikings the lead back at 53-52, the Purple Eagles went on a 6-0 run for a 58-53 lead with 11 minutes to play. With its lead trimmed to 62-61 with 7:52 to go, Niagara went on an 11-1 run in under three minutes to take its largest lead of the game, 73-62. The Vikings, however, did not go down easily, cutting the lead to one point with an 11-1 run of their own as the Purple Eagles led 74-73 with three minutes. With the Purple Eagles up by two and Cleveland State in possession of the ball with just 20.3 seconds left, Niagara shut down Cleveland State's hopes of a comeback with one final defensive stand. Marvin Prochet blocked CSU's Stefan Kenic shot with five seconds left and then stole the ball from Tyree Appleby with one second remaining as Niagara walked away with its second consecutive victory.

Eagle's Eye On…

• Kahlil Dukes led the game with 21 points for his eight 20-point game of the season. He has averaged 23.4 points per game in his last five games.
• Matt Scott, who entered the game second in the nation in scoring, finished with 14 points for his 12th consecutive game in double figures. Scott also led the team with a season-high 13 rebounds to go along with two assists and two steals.
• Marvin Prochet had 10 points, eight rebounds, a team-leading three assists, two assists and two steals
• Greg King had seven points and nine rebounds, while Kevin Larkin finished with eight points and four rebounds.
• James Towns had nine points for the Purple Eagles.

Inside The Numbers

• The Purple Eagles are 6-6 through their first 12 games of the season, their best mark since the 2009-10 season, when the team started the season 7-5.
• Matt Scott has now passed Marshall Wingate ('72) for 13th on the all-time scoring list. He is 138 points behind Al Butler ('61) for 12th place on the list.
• The Purple Eagles outrebounded the Vikings on the evening, 40-30.
• Cleveland State's five three-pointers are the fewest Niagara has allowed in a game this season.
• The 16 lead changes are the most in a game this season for the Purple Eagles.

Up Next

• The Purple Eagles close out their non-conference schedule on the road against Cornell on Saturday at 1 p.m.
• Audio coverage is available on the Niagara Sports Network via WGR 550 AM and www.PurpleEagles.com/Watch.

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