Niagara University, N.Y. — Niagara basketball got off to an early start but could not hold on, eventually falling to Morgan State 73-67 on Saturday night in non-conference action inside the Gallagher Center.
The Purple Eagles fell to 0-2, while the Bears improved to 3-0.
Niagara opened sharply. Logan Woods hit a 3-pointer off a Bastien Rieber assist on the game's first possession, and the Purple Eagles led for most of the opening 17 minutes. Rieber made two straight 3s, and Fidel Rotta and Ruey Ruey got to the line. Niagara built a 22-11 lead with 11:19 left, and it was still up 34-23 on Ruey's two free throws with 5:41 to go.
Morgan State closed on a 19-0 run. Richard scored eight points in the stretch, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Worrell tied it at 34 with a 3 with 2:34 left. He put the Bears ahead on a layup with 1:49 remaining. Richard's 3 off a fast break with 49 seconds left made it 42-34 at the break.
Niagara shot 10 for 26 (38%) in the half, but made 5 of 12 from 3-point range and 9 of 10 from the line. Morgan State had a 20-13 rebounding edge, including nine offensive rebounds to Niagara's three.
Niagara missed its first several shots in the second half, and Morgan State scored the first eight points, capped by a Jeremiah Kwarteng layup that made it 50-34. Rieber hit a 3 with 16:02 left to give the Purple Eagles their first basket of the half.
Tae Blackshear sparked the comeback off the bench. He scored all 10 of his points in the second half, with two 3s and four free throws, and Rieber added another 3 to make it 55-46. Ruey's fast-break layup cut it to 57-49 with 8:54 left, and Blackshear's 3 made it 58-53 with 6:41 to play. Morgan State answered with Oliver Spence's layup, free throws from Worrell and Kwarteng, and Richard's 3-pointer for a 68-57 lead with 4:05 remaining.
Niagara then went on a 10-0 run while Morgan State went scoreless for 2:16. Woods hit a 3 off a Ruey assist, and Rotta scored five straight points, including a three-point play. He then converted a layup off a Samuele Miccoli assist after Richard was called for an offensive foul, making it 68-67 with 2:19 left.
The Bears made one of two free throws with 1:49 left to make it 69-67. Richard and Worrell made all four of their late free throws to seal it.
Niagara was 8 for 27 (30%) from the field in the second half, including 5 for 17 from 3-point range, and made only 12 of 20 free throws. For the game, the Purple Eagles shot 34% and Morgan State shot 33%.
Ruey led Niagara with 15 points, and Rotta and Rieber each scored 12. Woods had eight points, nine rebounds and three steals.
Niagara Notes
Niagara is now 1-2 all-time against Morgan State
Ruey scored a career-high 15 points
Rotta scored his first collegiate points ending with 12
Woods tallied a career-high nine rebounds
The Purple and White won the block battle 4-2
Up Next
Niagara stays in non-conference play heading back on the road at Bowling Green Thursday October 12 at 7:00 pm.
