GAME 4
SCORE	Niagara Purple Eagles 68, Fairfield Stags 51
RECORDS	Niagara (1-3, 1-2 MAAC), Fairfield (1-6, 1-2 MAAC)
LEADING SCORERS	Niagara – Marcus Hammond (14), Fairfield – Caleb Green (12)
LOCATION	Gallagher Center

 
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Purple Eagles put on a defensive gem against the Fairfield Stags to secure their first win of the season with a 68-51 victory on Friday night.

Game Summary
The Purple Eagles stymied the Stags from the opening tip en route to their largest win in the series in 26 seasons. Niagara, which led by as much as 19 points, held Fairfield to 15 first-half points on 5 of 27 shooting.

Trailing 5-3, Kobi Nwandu and Marcus Hammond combined for eight straight points for an 11-5 lead with 14:39 left in the half. The Stags answered with a 7-0 run to regain the lead at 12-11, but Niagara rolled past the Stags behind a 17-3 run in the final 11 minutes of the half. The Purple Eagles started the run with a Nick MacDonald triple followed by buckets from Greg Kuakumensah, Nwandu, and a 3-pointer by Hammond as part of 12 straight points for a 23-12 advantage with three minutes left in the half. After Fairfield scored its first point in nine minutes, the Purple Eagles wrapped up the last two minutes of the half with five straight points for a 28-15 halftime lead.  

The Purple Eagles maintained their double-digit lead in the second half while shooting at a 54 percent clip. Fairfield cut Niagara's lead to 35-25, but Hammond and Jordan Cintron scored on layups on consecutive possessions to halt the push. Shandon Brown drained a baseline jumper to give Niagara a 51-33 lead heading into the final five minutes of the game. Justin Roberts' 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring gave the Purple Eagles their largest lead of the game, 68-49, with 18 seconds remaining.
 
Eagle's Eye On…

• Marcus Hammond scored a game-high 14 points to be in double figures for the second straight game.
• Kobi Nwandu posted 13 points on 6 of 8 shooting from the field.
• Justin Roberts netted 10 points, including a team-high two 3-pointers, and went 4-for-4 at the free-throw line.
• Jordan Cintron scored eight points, grabbed three rebounds, and had three assists in 19 minutes in his debut as a Purple Eagle.

 
Inside The Numbers

• Niagara held Fairfield to its fewest points (51) in the series.
• Niagara's 17-point win is its largest in the series since beating Fairfield 79-59 on February 11, 1995
• The Purple Eagles outscored the Stags, 30-16, in points in the paint, 15-4 in points off turnovers, and 19-12 in bench points.

Up Next

• The Purple Eagles wrap up their two-game set with Fairfield on Saturday at 4 p.m.
• Coverage of the game will be provided by ESPN3 and by the Niagara Sports Network via 107.3 FM/AM 1400 and www.PurpleEagles.com/Watch.

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