| GAME 25 |
| SCORE |
Niagara Purple Eagles 77, Monmouth Hawks 72 |
| RECORDS |
Niagara (9-16, 7-7 MAAC), Monmouth (14-11, 8-6 MAAC0 |
| LEADING SCORERS |
Niagara – Marcus Hammond (26) | Monmouth – Melik Martin (14) |
| LOCATION |
Gallagher Center |
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. –
Marcus Hammond notched his second career double-double with a game-high 26 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, and
Shandon Brown's career-high 17 points, propelled the Purple Eagles to a 77-72 win over the Monmouth Hawks on Sunday.
Game Summary
Trailing 67-65 with 2:55 remaining, Niagara closed the game on a 12-5 run.
Shandon Brown ignited the run by pickpocketing George Papas at halfcourt and then scoring a layup to tie the score at 67-67 with 2:28 left.
After another Monmouth turnover,
Marcus Hammond scored the go-ahead points with a layup at the 1:38 mark for a 69-67 lead. The Hawks came away with another empty possession as Brown then added a pair of free throws as part of 6-0 run for a 71-67 lead with 1:18 remaining. After the Hawks cut the lead to 71-69,
Justin Roberts made two free throws to restore Niagara's four-point lead. The Purple Eagles went 8-for-10 at the free-throw line to close out the game.
The second half had nine lead changes. The Purple Eagles trailed 38-30 early, but powered their way back into the game with electric shooting. NU went on a 10-1 run to take a 40-39 lead with 16 minutes left in the game.
Nick MacDonald connected on a 3-pointer as part of stretch of three straight 3-pointers by the Purple Eagles for a 54-48 lead with 12:59 on the clock.
Niagara made 10 of its first 11 shots to open the half, including going 6-for-6 from 3-poniters, for a 56-51 lead with 12:20 left. The Hawks bounced back with a 7-1 run for a narrow 58-57 lead with 10 minutes left. NU immediately answered with five straight points, but Monmouth used a 9-3 run to go ahead 67-65 with 2:55 left.
Hammond paced the Purple Eagles with a game-high 15 first half points. He accounted for five of Niagara's 10 points as the Purple Eagles led 10-4 after five minutes.
The Hawks outscored NU 14-7 in the next five minutes to take their first lead at 18-17. Hammond's 3-pointer on the next possession gave NU a brief 20-18 lead before the Hawks scored six straight. A
Greg Kuakumensah dunk tied the game at 24-24 with six minutes remaining.
Monmouth used a 12-2 run to build a 36-26 lead with one minute left in the half, though the Purple Eagles scored the final four points to trail 36-30 at the break.
Eagle's Eye On…
- Marcus Hammond collected his second career double-double with game-highs in points with 26 and in rebounds with a career-high 12 in a game-high 39 minutes. Hammond connected on 6 of 9 3-pointers for a career-high. His first double-double came against Monmouth last month. Hammond also led NU in assists with three.
- Shandon Brown scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
- Justin Roberts netted 10 points.
Inside The Numbers
- NU shot a season-best 62.5 percent from the field in the second half.
- Niagara improved to 6-2 in league games at the Gallagher Center.
- The Purple Eagles have won three straight at home against Monmouth
Up Next
- The Purple Eagles are back on the road next week with their first game of the trip against the Fairfield Stags on Friday, February 21 at 7 p.m.
- Coverage of the game will be provided by ESPN3 and by the Niagara Sports Network via WGR 550 AM and www.PurpleEagles.com/Watch.
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