ALBANY — The Niagara Purple Eagles were edged in their regular-season road finale by the Siena Saints, 76-70, on Saturday night.
In a game that featured 14 lead changes and seven ties, it was the Siena Saints who pulled away in the final five minutes to split the season series.
After falling behind 7-0, Niagara tied the game with an 8-1 run. The Purple Eagles took their first lead of the game, 13-11, on a Kevin Larkin layup at the 13-minute mark as NU led for the next five minutes. After a Dukes jumper gave NU a 25-24 lead with 7:42 left, the Saints went on a 10-0 run in a two-minute span. Niagara closed the half on a 6-2 run to trail 41-35 at halftime. Kahlil Dukes was the driving force for the Purple Eagles, leading all scorers with 15 first half points.
The second half was close as the game was played within a three-point window between 17:20 to 6:38 remaining on the game clock. Niagara opened the half with a 9-2 run, including scoring six straight, to regain the lead at 44-43 with 17:20 left. There were nine lead changes and three ties over the next nine minutes. The momentum changing moment came with Siena leading 64-62, when the Saints connected on consecutive 3-pointers for a 70-62 lead with three minutes remaining. Matt Scott hit a jumper on Niagara’s next possession before the Saints reeled off six straight points to build a 12-point lead with 43 seconds left.
The Purple Eagles begin their final homestand of the season on Friday against Saint Peter’s at 7 p.m. The game will air on LCTV with audio coverage on the Niagara Sports Network via WGR 550 AM and www.PurpleEagles.com.
from PurpleEagles.com via IFTTT
