SCORE: Niagara Purple Eagles 73, Saint Peter's Peacocks 70
RECORD: Niagara (11-8, 4-2 MAAC), Saint Peter's (8-9, 2-4 MAAC)
LOCATION: Frank and Barbara Layden Court at the Gallagher Center
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The MAAC's top two leading scorers, Matt Scott and Kahlil Dukes, combined for 44 points as the Purple Eagles grinded out a 73-70 win over the Saint Peter's Peacocks on Sunday to extend their win streak to four games.
Game Summary
The Purple Eagles had to hold off a late Peacocks push. Niagara led 66-59 with six minutes remaining when Saint Peter's started a run that tied the game at 70-70 with two minutes left. Scott provided the game-winner on a step back jumper with 1:36 on the clock. The Peacocks missed a 3-pointer on their next possession, but Niagara failed to score on the en suing possession. After another empty possession for Saint Peter's, a technical foul was assessed to the Saint Peter's coach with Niagara leading 72-70 with nine seconds left; Dukes went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line. The Peacocks' Davauhnte Turner missed the game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Niagara sprinted to a 10-2 lead to start the game, prompting a Saint Peter's timeout three minutes in the game. A Matt Scott 3-pointer gave Niagara its largest lead of the half, 22-13, with 8:32 on the clock. SPU trimmed the lead to 24-21 with an 8-2 run, but Scott's tip-in halted the momentum and Dukes quickly followed with a 3-pointer for a 29-21 lead. In the final seconds of the half, Keleaf Tate stole the inbound pass and made a layup as time expired as Niagara went into halftime leading 33-26.
Niagara's 4-0 run to end the first half continued to start the second half as the Purple Eagles opened the second frame with five straight points on a dunk by Greg King and a 3-pointer by Dukes for a 38-26 lead.
However, the Peacocks gradually chipped away at the lead and eventually tied the game at 51-51. Niagara broke the tie with a Dominic Robb layup, followed by two 3-pointers by Scott to take a 59-54 lead.
Eagle's Eye On...
- Matt Scott led all scorers with 23 points, including going 4-for-4 from behind the 3-point line, led NU in rebounds with five and added two assists.
- Kahlil Dukes scored 21 points, including making 3 of 4 3-pointers, and had a team-high three assists.
- Scott and Dukes both have 13 20-point games, which leads the MAAC, and have scored 20 points in the same game nine times.
Inside the Numbers
- Niagara's 11-8 record is its best in five seasons.
- The Purple Eagles' four-game win streak is their longest since the 2014-15 season.
- Niagara is 7-2 in its last nine games.
- The Purple Eagles improved to 6-0 in games decided by less than five points.
- Six of the last nine meetings with Saint Peter's have been decided by less than five points with NU going 5-1 in those six games.
- The starting lineup of Kahlil Dukes, Chris Barton, Matt Scott, Marvin Prochet and Greg King is 5-0 this season.
- Dukes and Scott combined for 26 of Niagara's 40 second half points.
- Niagara led for 95.7 percent of the game and never trailed.
Up Next
- Niagara head back on the road for two league games this week. The Purple Eagles are 6-3 on the road, including 2-0 in MAAC games, and have won five straight.
- The Purple Eagles start their two-game Connecticut road trip against Quinnipiac on Thursday, January 18 at 7 p.m.
- The game will air on the Niagara Sports Network via AM 1400 WWWS and www.PurpleEagles.com/Watch.
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