GAME 30
SCORE	Niagara Purple Eagles 86, Canisius Golden Griffins 84
RECORDS	Niagara (13-17, 6-11 MAAC), Canisius (13-16, 10-7 MAAC)
LEADING SCORERS	Niagara – Dominic Robb (20) | Canisius – Takal Molson (28)
LOCATION	Koessler Athletic Center

 
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Dominic Robb's go-ahead basket with 18 seconds remaining propelled the Purple Eagles to an 86-84 victory over the Canisius Golden Griffins on Wednesday night.

Game Summary
Dominic Robb scored Niagara's final four points as the Purple Eagles escaped the Koessler Athletic Center with a win for the third straight season.

The Purple Eagles, who led for 30 minutes, kept the Griffs at arms distance for most of the second half and had a double-digit lead with three minutes remaining. However, Canisius went on a 13-1 run in three minutes to the game at 82-82 with 44 seconds left in the contest.

On the en suing possession, Niagara ran a play for Robb and the Pittsburgh native converted a floater in the paint to give the Purple Eagles an 84-82 advantage with 18 seconds on the clock. Canisius committed an offensive foul on its next possession to come away with an empty trip. Robb was then fouled and he made two free throws for an 86-82 lead with five seconds remaining.

Robb's final impression on the game came when he swatted Malik Johnson's 3-pointer for his 221^st career blocked shot to become the program's career leader in blocks.
A run early in the first half springboarded the Purple Eagles to a double-digit halftime lead.  

After Canisius took an 8-2 lead, Chris Barton and Marcus Hammond connected on triples to tie the score at 8-8. Hammond's second 3-pointer tied the game at 13-13 which started an 11-2 run for the Purple Eagles. Niagara extended its lead to 30-22 with five minutes left in the opening frame after a pair of triples by Dominik Fragala and three-point play by James Towns.

Canisius cut NU's lead to six points on the next possession, but the Purple Eagles reeled off five straight points. Towns' 3-pointer with 50 seconds left gave Niagara a 43-32 lead at halftime.

60 seconds into the second half, five quick points by Hammond pushed NU's lead to 54-40, which was the largest in the game, as the Purple Eagles maintained a double-digit lead for the next 16:33.

Eagle's Eye On…

• Dominic Robb led Niagara in scoring for the fourth time in the last five games. He netted 20 points, including going 8-for-8 at the free-throw line.
• Marcus Hammond scored 18 points, including making a career-high five 3-pointers on six attempts. He added a team-high seven rebounds and dished out two assists.
• James Towns scored 11 points, grabbed five rebounds, and shared team-high honors in assists with four.
• Chris Barton was in double figures with 10 points.
• Marvin Prochet finished with nine points, five rebounds, four assists, and a game-high two blocks.

 
Inside The Numbers

• Niagara swept the series for the second time in the last three seasons and have won five of the last six meetings.
• NU is 4-1 in the last five visits to Canisius.
• The Purple Eagles tied a season-high in field goal percentage, shooting 51.9 percent (27-for-52).
• Niagara's 86 points and 43 first half points are both second most this season.  
• Dominic Robb became the program's career leader in blocks (221), surpassing Joe Arlauckas '87.

 
Up Next

• The Purple Eagles will play their final regular season game of the season on Sunday, March 3 against the Siena Saints at 2 p.m.
• Prior to the game, the program will honor the four seniors – Chris Barton, Greg King, Marvin Prochet, and Dominic Robb – on this season's team.
• Coverage of the game will be provided by the Niagara Sports Network via LCTV, WGR 550 AM and www.PurpleEagles.com/Watch. 

 
Stay connected with Niagara Men's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram. Follow Niagara Athletics all year long on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and purpleeagles.com.