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Niagara University Athletics

Niagara MBB vs. Buffalo State
Braden York
81
NJIT NJIT 2-8,0-0 America East
89
Winner Niagara Niag 3-6,0-2 MAAC
NJIT NJIT
2-8,0-0 America East
81
Final
89
Niagara Niag
3-6,0-2 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
NJIT NJIT 39 42 81
Niagara Niag 38 51 89

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Team Effort Leads to Win Over NJIT

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY – Niagara (3-6, 0-2 MAAC) notched its second-straight win Saturday afternoon in non-conference action from the Gallagher Center, defeating NJIT (2-8, 0-0 AE) 89-81 as six different Purple Eagles recorded double-figures. 
 
Sophomore Harlan Obioha paced Niagara with a double-double, recording 20 points and 15 rebounds. Transfers Luke Bumbalough and Yaw Obeng-Mensah added 14 points apiece, followed by Braxton Bayless, who contributed 13 points and a team-high four assists. Dre Bullock had 12 points off the bench, and freshman guard Ahmad Henderson II tallied 10. Niagara finished the game shooting 50.8 percent from the field, including 38.9 percent from the perimeter and 90.9 percent from the free throw line. The Purple and White outrebounded the visiting Highlanders 37-24. 
 
NJIT had four players record double-digit points, led by Tariq Francis' 20 pints on 7-for-14 shooting. The Highlanders shot 43.3 percent from the floor, 40.9 percent from 3-point land, and 66.7 percent at the line. 
 
How it Happened
NJIT recorded the first basket of the game, a 3-pointer from Adam Hess, which led to a 10-4 run to start the game for the Highlanders and a 12-9 lead by the time the game reached its first media timeout. 
 
Over the next five minutes of action, the Highlanders would take a 22-18 lead over Niagara, their largest lead of the afternoon with 10:28 remaining in the first half. The Purple Eagles would then respond with a 10-4 run over the next 4:15 of game time to pull within one, 29-28, as Obeng-Mensah led the way with six during the stretch. 
 
With 4:03 remaining in the first half, NJIT would take a five-point advantage over NU, 35-30, as Francis registered his 13th point of the first half. 
 
Bayless and Kwane Marble Jr. would power an 8-2 run for Niagara over the next 3:23, giving the Purple Eagles its first lead of the contest with 40 seconds remaining on the clock. The Highlanders would make two at the line and take a 39-38 lead into the locker rooms. 
 
The lead would change hands three times in the first minute of the second half before Henderson gave Niagara a 42-41 lead, one the Purple and White would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest. 
 
The basket sparked a 9-0 run for Niagara, giving it an eight-point margin, 49-41, with 17:23 on the clock. From there, NU would maintain a six-point lead on the Highlanders before going up by 11, 56-45, with 14:41 remaining on the heels of a 7-2 spurt. 
 
A 3-pointer from Bumbalough with 12:28 on the clock gave Niagara its largest lead of the day, 64-51, forcing NJIT to call a timeout. 
 
Over the next five minutes and change, NJIT would go 6-for-9 from the field and outscore Niagara 17-9 to make it a five-point game, 73-68, with just over six minutes to go. 
 
The final six minutes of action saw Obioha take over, leading a 16-13 stretch for Niagara with eight points, followed by Bullock with five and Bumbalough with three, resulting in an eight-point home win for the Purple Eagles.  
 
Niagara Notes
• Niagara improves to 1-1 all-time against NJIT. 
• Obioha recorded his second career double-double, setting career-highs in both points (20) and rebounds (15). 
• Obioha is the first Purple Eagle to record 15 or more rebounds in a game since Marvin Prochet grabbed 15 boards vs. Iona in 2017. 
• Niagara has shot over 50.0 percent from the field three times this season, including Saturday, and holds a 3-0 record in those games. 
• Niagara went 20-for-22 at the line in the win and is now 42-for-48 at the line over its last two games. 
• The Purple Eagles have recorded double-digit assists in six-straight games. 
• NU recorded a season-high five blocks as a team. 
• Six Purple Eagles recorded double-digit points for the second-straight game. 
• Bumbalough finished with 14 points, recording his first double-digit game since Nov. 11 against Bucknell. 
• Henderson's 10 points extends his streak of double-figures to six games. The freshman has scored at least 10 points in eight of nine games this season. 
• Bullock notched his second-straight game with 10 or more points, tallying 12 off the bench for Niagara, including six from 3-point land. 
 
Up Next
Niagara hits the road for the first time in 24 days when it travels to Vestal, N.Y., to take on another America East foe, Binghamton, on Tuesday, Dec. 19. The opening tip between the Purple Eagles and Bearcats is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN+. 
 
 
 
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