Niagara University, N.Y.—The Niagara women's basketball team extended their win streak to seven on Thursday as they downed the Siena Saints 84-70 who entered the game on a seven-game winning streak of their own.
First Quarter
The teams played an even first quarter as the score was 16-16 after the opening 10 minutes. Seven Purple Eagles had a point in the first quarter as Ary Hicks had a team high four points, Amelia Strong had three points in the first quarter while Aaliyah Parker, Marlie Dickerson, Chardonnay Hartley, and Alyssa Rossignol each had two points. Niagara forced nine turnovers in the first while having seven steals. Hicks led the way with two steals while Aaliyah, Dickerson, Lore Porter, Saige Glover, and Shelby Fiddler all had a steal. Niagara outrebounded the Saints 13-10 with Angel Parker having a quarter high three rebounds.
Second Quarter
Siena took a five-point lead in the second quarter as they outscored the Purple Eagles 20-15. Glover, Hicks, and Angel all had four points while Hartley had three points. Niagara forced nine turnovers in the second quarter while Porter and Hartley each had a steal. 12 of Niagara's 15 points in the quarter came from the paint. Niagara had eight rebounds in the quarter as Glover had a team high four. The lead changed hands four times in the quarter while the game was tied four different times.
At the half
Niagara forced 18 turnovers in the first half while having nine steals. Hicks led Niagara with eight points in just under 12 minutes of playing time, she was 4-5 from the field in the half. As a team Niagara had 21 rebounds with 11 coming on the offensive side. 20 of Niagara's points came in the paint while the bench also accounted for 20 points.
Third Quarter
The Purple Eagles scored 29 points in the third quarter while outscoring the Saints 29-14 while taking a 10-point lead after three quarters. Niagara ended the quarter on an 8-0 run which was the largest of the quarter. Strong had a team high five while Aaliyah, Angel, Dickerson, and Glover all had four points. Niagara shot 60% from the field which included going 2-3 from three. Hartley and Porter both hit threes in the quarter. Niagara forced nine turnovers for the third straight quarter while having five steals. Aaliyah had three while Angel had two steals. Niagara had nine rebounds in the frame with Strong having a team high two. Niagara scored 18 points in the paint in the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Niagara secured the win in the fourth quarter as they outscored Siena 24-20 while shooting 55.6% from the field and holding Siena to a 26.7% shooting percentage. Aaliyah scored a team high six in the quarter while Angel and Fiddler each had five points. Dickerson, Glover, Porter, and Hicks all had two points in the quarter. Hartley had three of the teams five assists in the fourth. Aaliyah, Dickerson, and Hicks all had steals as Niagara forced six turnovers. Niagara scored 14 points in the paint while 12 of the 24 points came on the fastbreak.
Niagara Notes
· It was the 35th time that Niagara has defeated Siena in program history. The Purple Eagles have defeated the Saints five straight times at the Gallagher Center.
· The Purple Eagles are riding a seven-game win streak, it is the longest since Niagara's seven game winning streak last season from Feb. 15-Mar. 8.
· Angel notched two steals and is now at 315 career steals and is second all-time in Niagara history. The current record is held by Stace Kane and is 316.
· Aaliyah pulled down four rebounds and is three from 500 career rebounds.
· Angel was the leading scorer with 13 points while Aaliyah and Hicks both had 12.
· Niagara is 6-0 this season when scoring 80 or more points in a game.
· All 12 dressed Purple Eagles recorded at least one stat while 10 of the 12 tallied points.
· Niagara forced 33 turnovers while having 17 steals. Niagara has recorded 15 or more steals in 14 games this season while having double digit steals in 21 of 24 games.
· The Purple Eagles shot 48.6% from the field which is their second best of the season behind shooting 52.4% against Manhattan in their last game. In the last two games Niagara is shooting 50.4%
· Niagara took 72 shots against Siena; it is the 13th time this season they took 70 or more shots.
· The Purple Eagles are now 4-1 in games decided by 10-14 points.
· Niagara is 8-1 this season when they finish with a better field goal percentage.
· It was the fourth time this season that Niagara won after trailing at halftime.
· The Purple Eagles are 7-3 at the Gallagher Center this season and 4-2 at home in MAAC play.
· Niagara sits tied for second in the MAAC with a 10-4 record in conference play, Niagara's seven game winning streak is the second longest in the MAAC currently.
Up Next
Niagara hosts Marist on Saturday at 2 PM at the Gallagher Center.
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