GAME 18
SCORE	Siena Saints 68, Niagara Purple Eagles 66
RECORDS	Siena (9-3, 9-3 MAAC) | Niagara (8-10, 7-9 MAAC)
LEADING SCORERS	Siena – Manny Camper (18) | Niagara – Kobi Nwandu (15_
LOCATION	Gallagher Center

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara Purple Eagles had their chance at a season sweep of the unanimous preseason favorite Siena Saints denied in the final seconds in a 68-66 defeat on Sunday.

Game Summary
For the second straight game and the third consecutive game in the series at the Gallagher Center, the contest was decided in the final minute. Today's meeting came down to the final seconds.

Marcus Hammond tied the game at 66-66 with a corner 3-pointer, for his first points of the game, with 17 seconds remaining. However, the Saints had one more possession. After a timeout, Manny Camper drove in the lane to find Jackson Stormo under the basket for a layup with 0.2 seconds on the clock for the game-winner.

It was the fourth lead change of the second half in a game that had eight lead changes and nine ties.

The Saints raced out to a 12-4 lead before an 8-0 run by the Purple Eagles tied the game at 14-14. Jordan Cintron's 3-point play gave NU its first lead of the game, 21-20, with eight minutes left in the opening half. Trailing 28-25, the Purple Eagles surged back in front with another 8-0 run for a 33-28 lead with three minutes remaining. The Saints closed the half on an 8-2 run for a 36-35 lead.

The Saints looked like they were going to pull away when they led 50-41 with 11:42 on the clock in the second stanza. However, the Purple Eagles erupted with a lightning-quick 13-0 run in two minutes. The Purple Eagles made 6 of 7 shots during the run on their way to a 54-50 lead.

A 3-pointer by Raheem Solomon with 8:45 remaining gave NU its largest lead, 57-52. Niagara held on to the lead until a 7-0 run by the Saints lifted the visitors to a 63-61 lead with 2:20 on the clock.

Eagle's Eye On…

• Kobi Nwandu netted 15 points to lead Niagara in scoring for the fourth straight game. He swatted a team-high three blocks, added four assists and two rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.
• Jordan Cintron scored 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting while leading the team in rebounds with six and steals with two.
• Justin Roberts added 11 points, including going 3-for-3 from behind the arc.
• Marcus Hammond had a team-high six assists.

Inside The Numbers

• Niagara shot a season-high 68.4 percent from the field in the first half, including going 5-for-8 from 3-pointers
• The Purple Eagles had 16 assists for the second straight game which are tied for second-most this season.
• The Purple Eagles, who lead the MAAC in assist-to-turnover ratio, had a 2.0 ratio in today's game.
• Niagara outscored Siena, 28-10, in bench points led by Jordan Cintron's 14 points. NU also had a 9-2 advantage in fast breakpoints.

 
SPECIAL NOTE

• Before the game, there was a moment of silence for the Honorable Hugh B. Scott who passed away recently. U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott was invested in the Western New York community, serving on numerous boards dealing with education, domestic violence, healthcare, racial justice, and indigent prisoners. Judge Scott was a trailblazer who became the first black assistant U.S. attorney and the first black federal judge to serve the Western District of New York. Judge Scott, who was a member of the Niagara University Board of Trustees, graduated from Niagara University in 1971 where he co-founded the Black Student Union.

 
Up Next

• The Purple Eagles are scheduled to host rival Canisius on March 4-5 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.

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