| GAME 6 |
| SCORE |
Niagara Purple Eagles 65, Norfolk State Spartans 61 |
| RECORDS |
Niagara (1-5), Norfolk State (3-6) |
| LEADING SCORERS |
Niagara – Greg Kuakumensah (15) | Norfolk State – Jermaine Bishop (17) |
| LOCATION |
Echols Hall |
NORFOLK, Va. – The Niagara Purple Eagles picked up their first win of the season in a thrilling 65-61 victory over the Norfolk State Spartans on Sunday afternoon.
Game Summary
For the third time in the last four meetings, the matchup between Niagara and Norfolk State was decided by four points or less. In a game full of momentum swings, the Purple Eagles used a pivotal 12-0 run midway through the second half to retake the lead for good.
Trailing 49-43 with 10:15 remaining in the contest, the Purple Eagles reeled off 12 straight points behind 4-for-4 shooting from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers, to lead 55-49 with 7:53 left.
After the Spartans cut the lead to 57-56 with four minutes remaining,
Greg Kuakumensah scored five straight points in 51 seconds. The Spartans once again cut the lead to one point, 62-61, with 11 seconds left, but
Raheem Solomon answered by making two pressure free throws. NSU's Jermaine Bishop had a decent look to tie the game with a 3-pointer, but missed his shot.
Noah Waterman made 1 of 2 free throws with 0.8 seconds left to seal the game.
Niagara sprinted to a 13-6 lead after
Marcus Hammond connected on his second 3-pointer in four minutes. NSU responded with an 11-0 run to lead 17-13 in a half that featured six lead changes. The Purple Eagles entered the final two minutes of the first half trailing 30-28, but went into halftime leading 35-30 behind a 7-0 run.
The Spartans opened the second half on a 7-1 run to take a 37-36 lead; though NU answered immediately with a 3-pointer by
Noah Waterman and layup by Solomon. NSU went on a 12-2 run to build a 49-43 lead before NU surged ahead.
Eagle's Eye On…
- Greg Kuakumensah led NU in scoring with 15 points, which ties a career-high. He also grabbed six rebounds.
- James Towns scored 13 points, had three assists and grabbed four rebounds.
- Noah Waterman netted 10 points, grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, and swatted two shots.
- Marcus Hammond had a season-high seven assists while also scoring nine points.
Inside The Numbers
- First career win for head coach Greg Paulus.
- Niagara improved to 5-0 all-time against Norfolk State.
- The Purple Eagles outscored the Spartans in bench points (31-21), fast break points (15-9), points off turnovers (25-8), and points in the paint (28-22).
Up Next
- The Purple Eagles return to the Gallagher Center for their lone home game in the month on Sunday, December 8 against Colgate at 1 p.m.
- Coverage of the game will be provided by ESPN+ and by the Niagara Sports Network via 107.3 FM/AM 1400 and www.PurpleEagles.com/Watch.
- 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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