| GAME 3 |
| SCORE |
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks 89, Niagara Purple Eagles 80 |
| RECORDS |
SFA (3-0), Niagara (0-3) |
| LEADING SCORERS |
SFA – Cameron Johnson (19) | Niagara – Noah Waterman (15) |
| LOCATION |
Johnson Coliseum |
| TOURNAMENT |
Garden City Showcase |
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – A late second half push fell short as the Purple Eagles were defeated by the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, 89-80, on Wednesday night in the final leg of their three-game road journey to open the season.
Game Summary
A 14-3 run by the Lumberjacks to open the second half broke open a two-point contest at halftime. The 'Jacks led 48-35 three minutes into the half after making 5 of 9 shots while limiting Niagara to one field goal attempt and forced four turnovers. SFA maintained its double digit lead and eventually led 70-49 with eight minutes remaining.
However, the Purple Eagles did not go away quietly. Niagara climbed back into the game behind an 18-4 run in 3:54. The Purple Eagles, who scored 12 straight points during the run, had five different players score and went 10-for-11 at the free-throw line to cut the lead to 74-67 with four minutes left. The 'Jacks managed to keep the Purple Eagles at bay to come away for the win.
Noah Waterman and
Justin Roberts combined for half of the Purple Eagles' points in the first half. Trailing 11-4, NU cut the lead to 13-12 behind six points by Waterman. SFA led 16-12 when the Purple Eagles went on an 11-2 run in three minutes. A
James Towns layup gave NU its first lead, 20-18, at the six-minute mark and a Roberts 3-pointer increased Niagara's lead to 23-18.
The 'Jacks closed the final five minutes of the half outscoring the Purple Eagles, 16-9, capped by a buzzer beating 3-pointer by Cameron Johnson as SFA regained the lead, 34-32, at halftime.
Eagle's Eye On…
- Noah Waterman led Niagara with a career-high 15 points. He grabbed three rebounds and added two assists.
- Marcus Hammond finished with 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting and had a season-high four assists.
- James Towns scored 14 points, including going 10-for-13 at the free-throw line, and had four assists to share game-high honors with Hammond.
- Raheem Solomon netted 12 points and grabbed five rebounds.
- Justin Roberts scored a career-high 11 points, including making a team-high three 3-pointers.
- Nicholas Kratholm grabbed a career-high six rebounds to lead the team.
Inside The Numbers
- Five Purple Eagles were in double figures scoring for the first time this season.
- Niagara had season-highs in points (80), 3-pointers (8), free throws (22), rebounds (29), assists (16), and steals (6).
- The Purple Eagles shot over 55 percent (55.6 %) from the field for the first time since February 23, 2018.
Up Next
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