NIAGARA UNIVERSITY — Matt Scott led all scorers with 20 points as Niagara’s second half comeback fell short in the final seconds to the Manhattan Jaspers, 70-69, on Thursday.
The 83rd all-time meeting between the programs featured 10 ties and 16 lead changes. The final lead change occurred with 16 seconds remaining in the game on a pair of free throws by Manhattan’s Zane Waterman. On the en suing possession, Matt Scott’s layup was waived off when he was called for an offensive foul with five seconds left. A pair of free throws by Scott 24 seconds earlier gave the Purple Eagles a 69-68 advantage.
After the Jaspers scored the game’s first two points, the Purple Eagles scored five straight courtesy of a Scott 3-point play followed by a Kahlil Dukes layup. The lead changed six times over the next seven minutes with Kevin Larkin giving Niagara its largest lead of the game at 22-16 after sinking three free throws. A Chris Barton 3-pointer put Niagara in front, 36-33 with 3:49 left in the half, but the Jaspers closed the half on a 9-0 run.
Five minutes into the second half, the Purple Eagles cut Manhattan’s lead to 46-42; however, the Jaspers answered with an 11-3 run over the next three minutes. Niagara faced a 62-50 deficit with under 10 minutes remaining when the Purple Eagles charged back into the game.
Larkin and Scott combined for seven points to cut Manhattan’s lead to 66-63 with 3:10 left, and Chris Barton made four straight free throws to put Niagara ahead 67-66 with 1:04 on the clock, for the Purple Eagles’ first lead since the 4:09 mark in the first half. On Manhattan’s next possession, Zavier Turner made a floater in the paint, before Scott’s free throws gave NU its final lead of the game.
The Purple Eagles conclude their three-game homestand on Saturday, January 28 against Rider at 3 p.m. The game will air on LCTV, WGR 550 AM and on the Niagara Sports Network via PurpleEagles.com.
from PurpleEagles.com via IFTTT
