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Niagara University Athletics

Lance Erving goes up for a layup Nov. 26 vs. St. John's
Demetrius Kazanas
70
Niagara Niag 3-3,0-0 MAAC
78
Winner St. John's (NY) SJU 7-0,0-0 Big East
Niagara Niag
3-3,0-0 MAAC
70
Final
78
St. John's (NY) SJU
7-0,0-0 Big East
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Niagara Niag 28 42 70
St. John's (NY) SJU 37 41 78

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Niagara Edged by St. John's Saturday in Queens

QUEENS, NY – Despite finishing the game with a better field goal (40.0), 3-point (41.7), and free throw (75.0) percentage, Niagara (3-3, 0-0 MAAC) fell to St. John's (7-0, 0-0 Big East) Saturday afternoon at the Carnesecca Arena in Queens, NY by the final score of 78-70. 
 
Three Purple Eagles finished with double-digit points, including Noah Thomasson, who tallied a game-high 24 points. Sam Iorio and Lance Erving added 12 points each, and Aaron Gray grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds.  
 
Game Recap
First Half
• Iorio scored the game's first points with a 3-point basket less than a half minute into play. 
• After a Thomasson 3-pointer tied the game at 8-8, St. John's would rattle off eight-straight to take a 16-8 advantage before Erving put an end to the run with a corner three. 
• Erving would make it a six-point game, 20-14, later on with another corner 3-pointer, his second of the game. 
• Niagara would find itself in an eight-point hole at the 7:56 mark, 24-16, despite shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point range to start the contest. 
• Niagara would call timeout under two minutes later as St. John's would score in the paint to take a 30-16 advantage and extend its run to nine. 
• Thomasson would connect from 3-point range to end the Red Storm run and make it a 30-19 ball game with 5:20 to go in the half.
• Keith Kiner III would cut the St. John's lead to single-digits, 32-29, with a mid-range jumper for his first two points of the game. 
• The Purple Eagles would end the half 3-for-4 from the field to make it a nine-point game at the break, 37-29.
 
Second Half
• St. John's used the first five minutes of the second half to get its largest lead of the night, 51-32, outscoring NU 14-4 to start the half. 
• The Purple Eagles would respond with seven unanswered, including a 3-point play from Harlan Obioha, to make it a 51-39 game with 13:42 to go. 
• Over the next 4:26, Iorio scored seven of Niagara's 13 points as the Purple and White trimmed St. John's lead down to single-digits, 57-52. Aaron Gray capped off the run with a layup to make it a five-point game. 
• The Johnny's would respond with seven-straight points to go back up by double-digits, 64-52.  
• Thomasson made it a 10-point game once again with 5:57 to go when he found Iorio for the two-handed slam, followed by a Gray 3-pointer a pair of possessions later to put the Purple Eagles down nine, 68-59. 
• The Purple and White would pull within eight with 23-seconds remaining with a Thomasson 3-pointer, but following a pair of makes at the line for St. John's and a trio of misses from Thomasson at the stripe, the Red Storm would hold on for the win. 
• Kiner would score with three seconds left to give the game its 78-70 final score.  
 
Niagara Notes
• St. John's took the 101st meeting between the Purple Eagles and Red Storm and now holds a 74-27 all-time advantage over NU. 
• Niagara shot 40.0 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from 3-point land, both better marks than St. John's.
• Niagara finished the game with 15 assists, compared to nine for St. John's. 
• Thomasson led NU in scoring for the fifth time this season while reaching 20-plus points for the second time. The Houston, Texas, native added six rebounds and six assists, both season-highs. 
• Gray is the first Purple Eagle this season to reach double-digit rebounds, grabbing 10. 
• Erving scored a season-high 12 points on 3-for-7 shooting, including going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc and 4-for-4 at the line. 
• Iorio reached double-digits for the third time this season and the second time in as many games. 
• Niagara finished the game with 21 points off the bench, 24 in the paint, 11 off turnovers, and 10 on second-chance opportunities. 
 
Up Next
• The Purple and White will play its first two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference games of the season, starting with Iona on Friday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. from the Hynes Center, followed by a trip to Hamden, Conn., for a Sunday afternoon tilt with the Bobcats. Both MAAC games will air on ESPN+, and Todd Callen will have the call on the Niagara Sports Network (Audio Only). 
 
Stay connected with Niagara Men's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram. Follow Niagara Athletics all year long on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, purpleeagles.com, and the Niagara Purple Eagles app. 
 
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