Niagara University, N.Y.—The Niagara women's basketball closed out the regular season at home as they hosted Mount St. Mary's at the Gallagher Center. Niagara earned the 61-52 win to earn the second seed in the MAAC Championship next week.
Game Recap
First Quarter

• The Purple Eagles jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter as they outscored Mount 16-13 in the opening 10 minutes.
• Niagara used platoon scoring in the first quarter as six different Purple Eagles having points. Aaliyah Parker and Saige Glover each had four points in the first.
• Niagara doubled up the Mount on rebounds as Niagara had 10 and allowed just five from Mount. Niagara had six offensive boards with Glover leading the way with two. Niagara had six second chance points.
• The Purple Eagles forced five turnovers with four steals in the first quarter. Aaliyah, Angel Parker, Jade Rutledge, and Lore Porter all had steals.

Second Quarter

• The tight game continued in the second quarter as Mount outscored the Purple Eagles 13-10 in the second quarter. The teams went to the locker room tied at 26 after 20 minutes.
• Five Niagara players scored in the second quarter with all of them having two points. Sydney Faulcon, Aaliyah, Angel, Amelia Strong, and Jade Rutledge all scored in the frame.
• Niagara notched five steals with Mount turning the ball over six times. Nickelle O'Neil had two steals while Angel, Aaliyah, and Porter all also had a steal.
• Niagara held the lead for over six minutes of the quarter, the lead changed five times and the game was tied on three different occasions.

Third Quarter

• The Purple Eagles built a seven point lead in the third quarter as they forced eight turnovers in the 10 minutes. Niagara outscored Mount 22-15 with 14 points coming off turnovers.
• Aaliyah led all scorers as she had seven points on 3-4 shooting. Angel was right behind her as she had six points in the third stanza.
• Niagara shot 9-16 from the field in third quarter while also notching nine second chance points. The Purple Eagles had four offensive rebounds with Aaliyah leading with two of them.
• The Purple Eagles exploited the paint as they scored 14 points in the paint in the quarter.

Fourth Quarter

• The Purple Eagles led the whole fourth quarter and built on its lead as they outscored Mount 13-11 in the frame.
• Niagara had 17 rebounds in the fourth quarter which included 10 on the offensive side of the ball. Mount had just four in the whole quarter. Niagara had six second chance points. Aaliyah notched six boards in the quarter.
• Faulcon led the way in the fourth for the Purple Eagles as she had a game high six points in her final game at the Gallagher Center.
• With nine seconds remaining in regulation, head coach Jada Pierce pulled her seniors as they received a standing ovation on senior day. Faulcon had eight points and four rebounds in her final regular season game, Maddy Yelle had four points and two rebounds, while O'Neil had two points, two boards, and three steals.

Niagara Notes

• With the win Niagara finishes 16-4 in MAAC play which is their best finish in program history. Niagara will be the second seed for the first time in program history. Niagara has only been a one seed once and that was in the 1992-93 season.
• Aaliyah finished with a game high 18 points while pulling down 11 boards. It was her ninth double double of the season. Against Mount this season she averaged 17.5 points and 14.5 rebounds in the two games.
• Niagara forced 24 turnovers and had 14 steals with Aaliyah having five. Niagara scored 29 points off turnovers. This season Niagara has scored 756 points off turnovers as they average 27 points per game off turnovers.
• The Purple Eagles limited Mount to just 40 shots while Niagara took 70 shots in the game. Niagara had 23 offensive rebounds while having 23 second chance points. Mount had just three offensive boards.
• For the eighth straight game Niagara scored 30 or more points in the paint. Niagara had 36 points in the paint on Saturday and now average 31.4 per game.
• The Purple Eagles are now 9-0 this season when they allow 60 or less points. They are also 17-3 this season when scoring 60 or more points.

Up Next

• With Niagara securing the second seed in the MAAC Championships, the Purple Eagles have earned a first round bye. Niagara will play on Wednesday, Mar. 8 at 3:30 on ESPN+ from Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.