Bowling Green, Ohio — Niagara found its shooting touch in the second half, but ultimately fell 88-76 to Bowling Green Thursday night at the Stroh Center in non-conference action.
The Purple Eagles fell to 0-3, while the Falcons improved to 3-0.
FIRST HALF
Bowling Green opened on an 11-0 run that included a 3-pointer from Leach and a dunk from Beckford. The Purple Eagles didn't score until Samuele Miccoli's layup with 14:26 left in the half.
Logan Woods helped the Purple Eagles stay in range. He hit a 3-pointer with 13:15 left, assisted by Bastien Rieber, and Daniel Emokhare scored on a Rieber feed and again on a jumper at 10:22. Each time, Bowling Green answered. Juan Cranford Jr. hit a 3 on the break, Shackelford hit one from deep, and Beckford hit another with 10:53 left.
The deficit reached 15 at 26-11 after a Preston Squire tip-in. Woods hit a 3-pointer, Rotta scored inside and Miccoli hit a jumper, but Beckford and Leach kept scoring at the rim. Leach's layup with 5:20 left made it 32-19, and Zach Howell's 3-pointer at 4:06 pushed the margin to 16.
Niagara responded with a 7-0 run, getting layups from Miccoli, a 3-pointer from Woods and a Miccoli fast-break layup after a Rotta steal. That cut it to 35-26, and Bowling Green called a timeout. The Falcons came out with a layup from Squire and a jumper from Shackelford, and Leach's 3-pointer with 1:19 left made it 42-28.
Farrell, off the bench, scored five points late: a layup with 1:47 left and a 3-pointer with 57 seconds left. Squire's layup with 39 seconds left sent the teams to the locker room at 44-31.
Niagara shot 12 of 32 (37.5%) in the half, including 4 of 16 from 3-point range. Woods led Niagara with nine points on three 3-pointers.
SECOND HALF
Niagara blocked a Howell layup attempt on Bowling Green's first possession, but Beckford scored at 19:09 to make it 46-31. Woods answered with a 3-pointer, assisted by Rieber, and hit another with 18:00 left, this time assisted by Miccoli. Miccoli then converted a steal into a fast-break layup to cut it to 46-39.
The Falcons pushed back. Howell hit a jumper, Leach hit a 3-pointer and Beckford scored on a tip-in. Woods hit a 3-pointer, assisted by Tae Blackshear, with 14:48 left, but Cranford's three-point play and two Leach layups pushed the lead to 14 at 58-44.
The Purple Eagles started chipping away. Blackshear hit a 3-pointer, Rotta scored on a layup, and Farrell threw down a dunk off a Rieber pass with 11:37 left. Bowling Green led 63-51 after two Beckford free throws.
Then Niagara made its push. Rieber hit a 3-pointer, assisted by Rotta, with 11:02 left. Miccoli scored on two layups, one on a fast break after a steal and the other on a Rotta assist, and Farrell hit a 3-pointer with 8:51 left. Miccoli then hit a 3-pointer, assisted by Rotta, with 7:39 left to make it 67-64. That finished a 13-4 run.
Bowling Green responded with a 13-2 run over the next five minutes. Cranford hit a 3-pointer, and Beckford and Trey Simmons added free throws. Niagara went 2:28 without scoring, missing a layup, a dunk that was blocked by Squire, and a 3-pointer. Howell hit a 3-pointer, Beckford hit another, and Leach scored inside to make it 80-66 with 2:23 left.
Niagara scored the next six points on two Rotta free throws and consecutive fast-break layups by Blackshear off steals, cutting the deficit to 80-72 with 1:52 left. Squire hit a 3-pointer, assisted by Leach, to end any comeback hopes. Woods made three free throws late, and Cranford added a final layup.
Niagara shot 15 of 31 (48.4%) in the half, including 7 of 13 from 3-point range, and made 8 of 9 free throws. It committed five turnovers and had 10 assists. Woods scored 12 of his 21 points in the half, Rotta scored nine, Miccoli added nine, and Blackshear scored all seven of his points.
Game Notes
Niagara is now 6-5 all-time against Bowling Green
Miccoli tallied a career-high 17 points
Woods scored a career-high 21 points
Miccoli recorded five steals
Rotta led the Purple and White with six rebounds
Up Next
Niagara stays on the road to face Iowa State Sunday November 15 at 1:00 pm inside Hilton Coliseum.
