Niagara University, N.Y.—The Niagara women's basketball team played their second to last regular season game on Saturday at the Gallagher Center. The Purple Eagles downed the Gaels in convincing fashion 86-56.
First Quarter
The Purple Eagles took an early 24-16 lead over the Gaels as Niagara forced eight turnovers while having four steals. Amelia Strong, Angel Parker, Destiny Strother and Saige Glover all recorded a steal. Niagara was led offensively by Aaliyah Parker with six points on 3-4 shooting. An. Parker and Alyssa Rossignol each had five points in the quarter. Niagara pulled down 15 rebounds which included 10 offensive rebounds. Iona came down with just nine boards in the first quarter. Nine of Niagara's 24 points in the quarter were second chance points while Niagara's bench had 10 points.
Second Quarter
The second quarter saw both teams go back and forth with Iona edging out the Gaels 16-14 in the quarter. Niagara was led by Rossignol who had four points in the quarter, An. Parker had three points while Aa. Parker, Strother, and Marlie Dickerson all had two points. Niagara forced seven turnovers in the quarter while having five steals. Aa. Parker and Chardonnay Hartley each had two steals while Rossignol came away with the other. Niagara outrebounded the Gaels 10-7 in the quarter as Aa. Parker and Saige Glover each had two to lead Niagara.
At the half
Niagara led 38-32 at halftime as Rossignol led Niagara with nine points while both An. Parker and Aa. Parker had eight points. Niagara forced 15 turnovers in the first half while having nine steals. Niagara also pulled down 25 rebounds in the first half while Aa. Parker had a game high seven. Niagara limited Iona to 25 shots in the first half while the Purple Eagles took 43 shots. Niagara scored 16 points in the paint in the first half along with 14 second chance points.
Third Quarter
Out of the locker room the Purple Eagles dominated the Gaels in the third quarter as they outscored Iona 29-11. Niagara was led by An. Parker who notched 13 points on 5-5 shooting along with two threes. Niagara forced eight turnovers with five steals, Aa. Parker, An. Parker, Strother, Hartley, and Lore Porter each had a steal in the game. Niagara as a team shot 46.2% in the third quarter while limited Iona a 28.6% shooting percentage. Niagara dominated the glass as they pulled down 16 rebounds while limiting Iona to just 10. Niagara had 14 points in the paint while having 12 off of turnovers.
Fourth Quarter
Niagara expanded their lead in the fourth quarter as they outscored Iona 19-13 in the fourth quarter. Glover had a team high five points while Rossignol (four), An. Parker (three), Porter (three), Hartley (two), and Kylie Buckley (two) all scored for Niagara. Niagara's bench accounted for 16 points in the fourth quarter. Niagara forced nine turnovers in the fourth quarter with six steals. Porter had three steals while Strong, Aa. Parker, and Shelby Fiddler each had one.
Niagara Notes
· An. Parker set a new season high with a game high 24 points. It is her third 20+ point game of the season and the 26th 20+ point game of her career.
· Aa. Parker notched her first double double of the season; she had 11 points while pulling down 12 rebounds. It is the second straight game that a Niagara player has recorded a double double.
· Rossignol set a new career high with 15 points, she also tied her career high of seven rebounds.
· Niagara forced 32 turnovers in the win while having 20 steals. It is the fourth time this season that Niagara recorded 20 or more steals in a game.
· The Purple and White pulled down 54 rebounds which is a new season high for the Purple Eagles. It is the first time Niagara pulled down 50 or more rebounds since grabbing 50 against Saint Peter's on Feb. 9, 2023.
· The Purple Eagles improve to 10-1 this season when boasting a better field goal percentage then their opponents.
· It is the 23rd time this season that Niagara has recorded 60 or more points, they are 17-6 when scoring 60+.
· Niagara is now 8-0 when allowing less than 60 points.
· The Purple Eagles are 8-0 this season when scoring 80 or more points.
· In the last two games against Rider and Iona, Niagara outscored their opponents 161-112 while forcing 70 combined turnovers and notching 40 steals. Niagara came away with 45 offensive rebounds and a combined 93 total rebounds. Five players averaged over eight points per game,
· Heading into the final week of the regular season, Niagara is second in the MAAC with a 14-5 record in MAAC play. Niagara is one game up on Siena who is 13-6, Niagara can not fall past third in the MAAC.
Up Next
The Purple Eagles close out the regular season on Saturday, Mar. 9 as they play host to Canisius. Tip is scheduled for 2 PM with senior day festivities prior to the game.
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