GAME 14
SCORE	Quinnipiac Bobcats 78, Niagara Purple Eagles 69
RECORDS	Quinnipiac Bobcats (4-6, 2-4 MAAC) | Niagara Purple Eagles (6-8, 5-7 MAAC)
LEADING SCORERS	Quinnipiac – Brendan McGuire (19) | Niagara – Marcus Hammond (22)
LOCATION	People's United Center

HAMDEN, Conn. – The Niagara Purple Eagles had their bid for a season sweep of the Quinnipiac Bobcats denied in a 78-69 setback on Saturday afternoon.

Game Summary
One day after Marcus Hammond and Kobi Nwandu combined for 30 of Niagara's 59 points, the duo combined for 42 of Niagara's 69 points in today's game. However, the duo's scoring output was not enough to lift the Purple Eagles to a season sweep.

The Purple Eagles, who led for over 31 minutes on Friday; led for only one minute on Saturday. Hammond scored the opening points before the Bobcats reeled off three straight 3-pointers. Niagara tied the game at 18-18 at the 11:27 mark of the first half after a pair of free throws by Kobi Nwandu, but Quinnipiac followed with a 6-0 run. The Bobcats remained in the lead, until the final two minutes when the Purple Eagles closed the half on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 38-38.

Nwandu opened the second half with a layup as NU regained the lead at 40-38. A Hammond free throw made the score 42-41 for a 10-3 run over five minutes. However, the Bobcats went ahead on their next possession for a lead they would not relinquish.

Quinnipiac led 56-48 with 10:42 remaining when Hammond and Nwandu drained 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to 56-54 with 9:30 left. The duo combined to score on consecutive possessions minutes later as NU trailed 62-61 with 5:31 to go. NU would go scoreless over the next two minutes as the Bobcats increased their lead to 66-61. Niagara trimmed Quinnipiac's lead to 66-64 with 2:58 left, but the Bobcats went on a 7-0 run in the next two minutes to seal the win.  

Eagle's Eye On…

• Marcus Hammond led all scorers with 22 points for his third 20-point game of the season. He has scored in double figures in 12 straight games. Hammond also grabbed six rebounds to share team-high honors.
• Kobi Nwandu netted 20 points for his second 20-point game this season and dished out a team-high three assists.
• Greg Kuakumensah scored 10 points and grabbed five boards.

Inside The Numbers

• Marcus Hammond (22) and Kobi Nwandu (20) are the first teammates to score 20 points in a game since January 26, 2019 (Chris Barton and Marvin Prochet).  
• The Purple Eagles committed just six turnovers for their seventh game of the season with 10 or fewer turnovers.   
• Niagara outscored Quinnipiac in fastbreak points (12-11), points off turnovers (14-5), points in the paint (28-26), and second-chance points (7-6).

Up Next

• The Purple Eagles return to the Gallagher Center for a two-game series with the Siena Saints on January 29-30 at 4 p.m.
• Coverage of the game will be provided by ESPN+ or ESPN3 and by the Niagara Sports Network via 107.3 FM/AM 1400 and www.PurpleEagles.com/Watch.
• The meeting on January 30 will be the virtual sellout game. For more information, visit www.PurpleEagles.com/VirtualSellout.

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