Niagara University, N.Y.—The Niagara women's basketball team earned their third win of the season as they defeated Radford of the Big South 64-53 at the Gallagher Center on Saturday afternoon.

First Quarter

The Purple Eagles took an early 20-15 lead in the first quarter. Niagara shot 9-19 in the first quarter with six Purple Eagles hitting a field goal. Amelia Strong started the game off strong as she had seven points on 3-3 shooting while also making one free throw. Lore Porter had five points with one three and two pointer. Chardonnay Hartley, Destiny Strother, Shelby Fiddler, and Ary Hicks all had two points in the first quarter. Niagara forced six turnovers in the opening 10 minutes with three coming from steals. Hicks notched two steals while Fiddler was credited with the third steal. Niagara scored 14 points off turnovers while scoring 10 points in the paint.

Second Quarter

Niagara built their lead to 10 after the second quarter in which they outscored the Highlanders 15-10 in the second quarter. Strong once again led the way for Niagara as she had four points. Hartley, Strother, Kylie Buckley, Hicks, and Fiddler each had two points. Marlie Dickerson hit one free throw in the quarter. Niagara forced nine turnovers in the second quarter. Hartley, Strother, Hicks, Dickerson, and Fiddler all had steals in the quarter. The Purple Eagles pulled down 11 boards in the second quarter which included six on the offensive side. Hicks led all players with three rebounds.

At the half

After two quarters Niagara held a 35-25 lead with Strong having a game high 11 points. Niagara led on the boards as they outrebounded Radford 17-15. Niagara had seven offensive rebounds. Hicks led all players with five rebounds while Fiddler and Buckley each had four rebounds. Niagara had 22 of their 35 points off of 15 Radford turnovers.

Third Quarter

Radford erased the 10-point Niagara lead in the third quarter as Radford outscored Niagara 16-6 in the quarter. Hartley had three points in the quarter while Glover had two and Alyssa Rossignol had one. Niagara forced six turnovers in the quarter with Buckley and Hicks having steals.

Fourth Quarter

The Purple Eagles secured the win in the fourth quarter as they outscored the Highlanders 23-12 in the fourth. Niagara was fouled 12 times and took 16 free throws. Niagara made 15 of the 16 attempts from the free throw line. Hartley went 10-10 from the line and led all scorers with 10 points. Strong had six points in the quarter while Hicks had five. Porter chipped in two points in the fourth. Niagara had two steals along with seven forced turnovers in the fourth quarter. Niagara pulled down six rebounds with four offensive rebounds.

Niagara Notes

·       Niagara forced 28 turnovers and scored 29 points off turnovers. The 29 points is the most points off turnovers that Niagara has scored this season. The 28 forced turnovers are also a season high for Niagara.

·       Both Hartley and Strong had 17 points. For Strong that is a new career high.

·       Niagara outrebounded Radford 28-25, it is the third time this season Niagara had outrebounded their opponents. They are 2-1 in those games with the lone loss coming to #7 LSU.

·       All 10 Purple Eagles that played had at least one point.

·       Hicks set a new career high with eight rebounds which led Niagara.

·       Glover had a pair of blocks in the game.

·       Niagara drew 25 fouls while committing 22. It is the first time this season Niagara has committed less fouls than their opponents.

·        Niagara held the lead for 25 of the 40 minutes.

·       The Purple Eagles move to 1-0 against Radford all-time.

·       This was the final home game for Niagara in the calendar year 2023, they finished 10-2 in the Gallagher Center in 2023.

Up Next

Niagara heads back on the road until Jan. 4. Niagara plays Cleveland State on Dec. 6 in their final non-conference game before opening MAAC play on Dec. 16 at Iona. Niagara then plays Saint Peter's on Dec. 18 before closing out 2023 and non-conference play against West Virginia on Dec. 21.

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