GAME 24 |
SCORE |
Niagara Purple Eagles 69, Canisius Golden Griffins 66 |
RECORDS |
Niagara (8-16, 6-7 MAAC) | Canisius (9-15, 4-9 MAAC) |
LEADING SCORERS |
Niagara – Marcus Hammond (17) | Canisius – Jacco Fritz (18) |
LOCATION |
Gallagher Center |
Â
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara Purple Eagles battled their way to a 69-66 win against longtime rival Canisius on Wednesday night for their third straight victory in the series.
Â
Game Summary
Clutch free throws and a defensive stop lifted the Purple Eagles to a nail-biting victory over the Golden Griffins. The Purple Eagles had to overcome a one point deficit in the final minute to pull out the win.
Â
Niagara looked on its way to the victory when
Marcus Hammond converted a layup to give the Purple Eagles a 65-61 lead with 2:49 remaining. However, Canisius scored five straight points, including a putback layup on a missed free throw, to take a 66-65 lead into the final minute.
Â
On Niagara's next possession,
Raheem Solomon was fouled driving to the basket and the sophomore drained both free throws for a 67-66 lead with 31 seconds on the clock. On the en suing possession, the Golden Griffins' Malik Johnson turned over the ball;
Justin Roberts collected the ball and scored a layup for a 69-66 advantage with 20 seconds remaining.
Â
Â
Canisius missed two 3-pointers in its attempt to tie the game and was eventually called for a travel with four seconds left as NU closed out the game with the win. Â
Â
Niagara benefitted from a quick start as the Purple Eagles led 8-2 after four minutes. Canisius cut the lead to 13-12 before the Purple Eagles went on a 9-0 run for a 22-12 lead with 6:51 remaining in the first half. NU saw its 34-24 lead with three minutes left trimmed to 34-32 at the break as the Griffins closed the half on an 8-0 run.
Â
The margin was close throughout the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Golden Griffins took their first lead on the night, 51-50, on a Jacco Fritz layup with 9:48 on the clock.
James Towns immediately answered with a 3-pointer on the next possession, and his jumper at the 7:57 mark tied the game at 55-55.
NU trailed 59-58 with five minutes left, but Hammond provided five straight points for a 63-59 lead with 3:44 remaining. His jumper at the 2:49 mark gave NU a four-point lead heading into the final two minutes.
Eagle's Eye On…
- Marucs Hammond scored a team-high 17 points, grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, and dished out three assists to share team-high honors in a team-leading 33 minutes.
- James Towns poured in 16 points to be in double figures in five straight games against Canisius.
- Greg Kuakumensah netted 12 points to be in double figures for the fourth straight game.
Â
Inside The Numbers
- Niagara has won six of the last seven meetings, including three straight.
- The Purple Eagles, who lead the MAAC in assist-to-turnover ratio, finished with 12 assists and six turnovers for a 2.0 ratio. Â
- NU outscored Canisius in points in the paint (34-28).
Â
Up Next
Stay connected with Niagara Men's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram. Follow Niagara Athletics all year long on Twitter, Instagram
Â