NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY – Led by Noah Thomasson's 20 points and a strong defensive effort the Purple Eagles (8-5, 3-1 MAAC) defeated the visiting Rider Broncs (6-7, 3-1 MAAC) 61-59 Monday afternoon in MAAC men's basketball action from the Gallagher Center.
 
Sam Iorio added 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Aaron Gray contributed 14 points. As a team, Niagara shot 40.8 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from 3-point land and 66.7 percent at the line.
 
Game Recap
First Half
• Lance Erving scored the first points of the game for the Purple and White, with his team down by four, the junior connected on a 3-pointer to get the offense going.
• The Broncs would go on a 6-2 run over the next four minutes of play to take a 10-5 advantage over the Purple Eagles.
• Sam Iorio and Noah Thomasson would connect on back-to-back 3-pointers to give Niagara an 11-10 lead at the under 12-media timeout.
• Following the timeout, Aaron Gray would connect on Niagara's fourth 3-pointer of the half, capping off a 9-0 run for the Purple and White.
• Iorio would pour in four points and Thomasson would connect on another 3-pointer over the next 3:11 of action to take a six-point lead over Rider, 21-15.
• From there the NU lead would continue to grow, reaching double-digits at the 3:6 mark following an Iorio triple.
• Iorio would make three at the line later in the half to give NU its largest lead of the game, 33-22.
• Rider would close the gap to eight, 33-25, at the break.   
 
Second Half
• Niagara would keep Rider at bay for the first 10-plus minutes of the half, however by the 9:32 mark of the second stanza, the Broncs had tied the game at 48-48.  
• The lead would change hands three times before being deadlocked at 54 with 4:20 left in the contest.
• On Niagara's next possession, David Mitchell would hit a jumper in the lane to give the Purple Eagles a two-point lead.
• Thomasson would follow that up with another 3-pointer to put Niagara ahead by four, 59-54.
• A pair of free-throws by the broncs would make it a two-point game, 59-57, with 45 seconds remaining.
• Moments after Thomasson would drive baseline and pull up for a fadeaway jumper to give NU a 61-57 advantage.
• Rider would make two at the line to again get within two, leading to a foul and a miss by the Purple Eagles on the frontend of a one-and-one.
• On the game's final possession, Rider's Dwight Murray Jr would pull up for the game winning 3-pointer and with a hand in his face the shot would go off the front iron and find Bryce Moore to secure the win for NU.
 
Niagara Notes
• Niagara improves to 25-30 all-time against Rider, ending a two-game losing streak to the Broncs.
• The Purple Eagles improve to 5-0 at home this season and extend their home win streak to nine games.
• Thomasson recorded his seventh game with 20 or more points and fifth with four 3-pointers.
• Iorio led the team in rebounding for the fifth time this season.
• Braxton Bayless who played 28 minutes off the bench registered a team-high four assists.
• Of Niagara's 61 points, 19 came off 13 Rider turnovers.
• Gray extended his double-digit points streak to eight games.
 
Up Next
• Niagara will head to Fairfield, Conn., for the first of two road games on Friday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. from the new Lee D. Mahoney Arena. The contest between the Purple Eagles and Stags will air on ESPN3, fans can also listen to Todd Callen call the action on the Niagara Sports Network (Audio Only) or 1400 AM/107.3 FM.
 
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