RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Four Purple Eagles recorded double-figures to help Niagara (5-8, 1-2 MAAC) earn a wire-to-wire win over Manhattan (4-8, 1-2 MAAC) 81-67 Friday night in MAAC men's basketball action inside Draddy Gymnasium.
 
Harlan Obioha and Braxton Bayless paced Niagara with 21 and 20 points, respectively. Obioha added a career-high 16 rebounds to go with his career-high in points, while Bayless added a team-best and career-high seven assists. Kwane Marble Jr. added 11 points in 21 minutes off the bench and Ahmad Henderson II tallied 10 points in a bounce-back performance.
 
As a team, Niagara shot 55.8 percent from the floor, making 29-of-52 shots, getting assists on more than half of them with 17 as a team. The Purple Eagles went 20-for-26 at the line and out-rebounded Manhattan 32-27.
 
Manhattan was led by a game-high 30 points from Shaquil Bender who finished the game 11-of-20 from the field and 5-of-7 from beyond the 3-point line. The Jaspers finished the contest shooting 44.6 percent from the field, including 30.4 percent from three.
 
How it Happened
With the score tied at 6-6 with 16:06 on the clock the Purple Eagles would spark a 15-2 run to take their biggest lead of the first half, 21-8.
 
The run was highlighted by a fast-break alley-oop dunk from Marble Jr. after Luke Bumbalough and Braxton Bayless teamed up to find the grad transfer. Ahmad Henderson II led Niagara with five points during the run, including capping it off with a three pointer.
 
The Jaspers would make it a four-point game with an 8-0 run from the 8:42 to the 7:01 mark to make the score 24-20.
 
Niagara would answer as Bayless, Obioha, and Bumbalough would each connect on the ensuing three possessions for Niagara to put the Purple and White up by eight, 30-22, with 4:16 left in the half.
 
The Purple Eagles would take a 34-27 lead into the intermission.
 
In the second half, the Jaspers would get as close as two, 36-34, with 18:51 on the clock, however Niagara would use the next six-plus minutes of game action to go up by 10 as five different Purple Eagles recorded a basket over the 15-7 outburst, including five from Obioha.
 
Three and a half minutes later, Niagara's lead would be 11, 60-49, after Bayless knocked down two at the line with 8:18 to go. However, the Jaspers wouldn't go away quietly scoring five unanswered to pull within six, 60-52, less than a half minute later, but, Niagara would respond right back getting four-straight points from Marble Jr. to go back up by double-digits, 64-54, with 7:18 left to play.
 
Niagara wouldn't let the Jaspers get any closer than eight points over the remainder of the contest, building its lead to a game-high 16 points, 81-65, on a 30-foot three from Bumbalough, before the Jaspers made the final basket to give the game its 81-67 final.
 
Niagara Notes
• Niagara improves to 37-59 all-time against Manhattan with its first win at Draddy since Jan. 18, 2022.
• Niagara led after 20-minutes of action for the fourth time this season and improve 3-1 in those contests.
• Obioha recorded his second double-double of the season and third of his career. It's his second career double-double with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds.
• With 20 points from Bayless, Niagara's streak of a different Purple Eagle recording at least 20-points moves to six-straight games.
• Obioha and Bayless are the first pair of Purple Eagle teammates to each record 20 or more points in a game since Feb. 3, 2023 against Canisius.
• Bayless' seven assists is a career-high for the senior, surpassing his previous career-best of six helpers set on Nov. 23, 2022 against D'Youville.
• Marble Jr. recorded his third game with double-digit points this season and first since Dec. 1, 2023 vs. Saint Peter's.
 
Up Next
Niagara will conclude its five-game road swing at Iona on Sunday, Jan. 7. The MAAC contest between the Purple Eagles and defending MAAC Champion Gaels is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+ at the Hynes Center. The voice of Niagara men's basketball, Todd Callen, will describe the action live on 1400 AM.
 
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