ALBANY, N.Y. – The Purple Eagles extended their win streak to three games with a 70-65 victory over the Albany Great Danes on Tuesday afternoon.

Game Summary
The Purple Eagles erased a five-point halftime deficit by outscoring the Great Danes, 40-30, in the second half en route to snapping a three-game skid in the series.

Niagara seized momentum at the start of the second half with an 18-5 run in the opening seven minutes. Greg Kuakumensah started the run with a three-point play 20 seconds into the half; Kuakumensah accounted for five of the 18 points during the run. A pair of Marcus Hammond free throws pushed Niagara's lead to its largest of the game, 48-40, with 13 minutes remaining.  

The Great Danes gradually chipped away at the lead over the next 10 minutes, tying the game on three occasions. With the score knotted at 63-63, Marcus Hammond drained a 3-pointer with 2:24 on the clock to give the Purple Eagles a lead they would not relinquish.

Albany cut the lead to one point on its next possession, but failed to score on its final three possessions. Justin Roberts restored the Purple Eagles' three-point lead, 68-65, with 10 seconds remaining. Albany's Jamel Horton, then, missed the front-end of a one-and-one free throw and Niagara got possession.  The Purple Eagles iced the game at the free-throw line with Hammond's two free throws.
 
The Great Danes jumped out to an 11-2 lead, including scoring the first eight points. However, the Purple Eagles used an 11-2 run of their own to take their first lead, 28-26, at the 3:47 mark. Albany answered with a 9-2 run for a 35-30 halftime lead.

Eagle's Eye On…

• Kobi Nwandu led NU in scoring with 16 points, in assists with four which ties a season-high, and in steals with one. Nwandu has scored in double figures in five straight games.  
• Marcus Hammond netted 14 points, including going a game-high and season-best 7-for-7 at the free-throw line.
• Justin Roberts scored 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting.

Inside The Numbers

• The Purple Eagles went 14-for-14 at the free-throw line to shoot 100 percent from the line for the first time since going 14-for-14 at Minnesota on November 15, 2017.
• Niagara shot 50 percent from the field for the second straight game.
• The Purple Eagles outscored the Great Danes in points in the paint (32-26), second-chance points (6-5), and points off turnovers (13-12). 

Up Next

• The Purple Eagles return to MAAC play to start the New Year when they travel to face the Iona Gaels on January 1-2 at 2 p.m.
• Coverage of the game will be provided by ESPN+ (Friday) and ESPN3 (Saturday) and by the Niagara Sports Network via 107.3 FM/AM 1400 and www.PurpleEagles.com/Watch.

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