GAME 31
SCORE	Canisius Golden Griffins 67, Niagara Purple Eagles 63
RECORDS	Canisius (12-19, 7-13 MAAC) | Niagara (11-20, 9-11 MAAC)
LEADING SCORERS	Canisius – Majesty Brandon (19) | Niagara – James Towns (18)
LOCATION	Koessler Athletic Center

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Senior James Towns led the Purple Eagles in scoring with 18 points as they fell at rival Canisius, 67-63, in the regular-season finale on Friday night.
 
Game Summary
The Purple Eagles, who had won six of the last seven meetings including three straight in the series, built a 21-10 lead midway through the first half. Niagara got contribution from six different scorers while connecting on 8 of 13 shots, including three 3-pointers during the stretch.
 
However, Canisius used a 12-0 run to take its first lead of the game, 22-21, with five minutes remaining in the half. James Towns halted the run with a 3-point play which sparked an 8-2 run by the Purple Eagles over the next two minutes.
 
The Golden Griffins closed the gap to one point by scoring the final four points of the half as NU took a 29-28 lead into the break.
 
Canisius took control of the game early in the second half. The Golden Griffins outscored the Purple Eagles 16-5, including an 11-0 run, in the opening five minutes.
 
The Golden Griffins led by 15 points with five minutes remaining before NU started to chip away at the deficit.  A 15-5 run in a three-minute span cut the lead to 62-57 heading into the final minute of play. Canisius' Malik Johnson made a jumper with 39 seconds left to push the lead to seven points as the Griffins managed to hold off the late charge by the Purple Eagles.
 
Eagle's Eye On…

• James Towns led NU in scoring with 18 points and grabbed six rebounds.
• Marcus Hammond netted 15 points, including a team-high three 3-pointers, and brought down a team-high seven caroms.
• Greg Kuakuemensah scored 11 points.
• Raheem Solomon finished with 10 points and five rebounds.

Inside The Numbers

• Four Purple Eagles – James Towns, Marcus Hammon, Greg Kuakumensah, and Raheem Solomon –  scored in double figures.
• Niagara outscored Canisius in paint points (22-18), fast break points (8-5), and bench points (29-23).  

 
Up Next

• The Purple Eagles will be the No. 6 seed in the 2020 Hercules Tires MAAC Men's Basketball Championships at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. NU will face 11^th-seeded Marist on Tuesday, March 10 at 9 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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