NIAGARA UNIVERSITY — The Niagara women’s basketball team earned their fourth MAAC win of the season as they defeated Saint Peter’s 67-64 at home on Saturday afternoon.
Game Recap
First Quarter
- Niagara came out of the gates flying as they forced two turnovers to start the game and took an early lead.
- After the opening 10 minutes, Niagara led 17-12 with six different Purple Eagles scoring a point in the frame. Angel Parker and Aaliyah Parker both had four points in the first quarter.
- Turnovers would be theme of the game as the Purple Eagles forced 10 in the first quarter alone, Niagara had four steals with Nickelle O’Neil, Maddy Yelle, Ary Hicks, and Angel all tallying a steal.
- The Purple Eagles pulled down nine boards to start the game while seven of them came on the offensive side.
Second Quarter
- In the second quarter, Saint Peter’s outscored Niagara 15-12 after shooting 6-12 from the field.
- Niagara once again forced 10 turnovers in the second quarter which included six steals with Aaliyah and Yelle having two each.
- Angel led the Purple Eagles with six points in the second quarter while also pulling down two rebounds.
- As a team Niagara had eight rebounds in the frame with Jade Rutledge pulling down two and Sydney Faulcon pulling down two offensive boards.
- At the half, Niagara held a one point lead as Angel had a team high 10 while the Purple Eagles outrebounded the Peacocks 17-12 in the first half.
Third Quarter
- The third quarter the teams played back a forth as Niagara built on their lead in the third as they edged out the Peacocks 17-16 in the frame.
- With Angel in foul trouble the Purple Eagles looked to secondary scoring in the quarter. Lore Porter had a team high five points while Yelle, Faulcon, and Nickelle O’Neil along with Aaliyah all had points.
- Saint Peter’s turned the ball over seven times in the third quarter while the Purple Eagles notched five steals in the quarter.
- Niagara held the lead for 9:32 of the frame while having a lead as high as six in the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
- With the game on the line in the fourth quarter the Purple Eagle defense forced 11 Peacock turnovers with six steals. O’Neil and Aaliyah accounted for two steals each while Ary Hicks and Angel each had one.
- The two Parker’s combined for 18 points with Angel having 10 and Aaliayh eight.
- Niagara held the lead for 7:46 of the fourth while the lead changed four times in the fourth quarter along.
- The Purple Eagles also pulled down six offensive boards in the fourth quarter while Aaliyah had three of them.
Niagara Notes
- Niagara forced a season high 38 turnovers in the game which is the most they have forced in game since they forced 39 turnovers last season on Mar. 3 against Iona.
- Aaliyah returned after missing the last two games and is now averaging 16.5 points per game and is second in the MAAC. She notched her second double-double of the season as she had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Purple Eagles.
- Angel played 20:03 against Saint Peter’s while scoring a team high 22 points. She is third in the MAAC in scoring as she is averaging 16 points per game.
- Niagara’s turnover margin is up to 9.57 this season which is more than seven higher then the next team in the MAAC.
- The Purple Eagles are 5-2 this season when they score 60 or more points in a game. The Purple Eagles are also 3-1 in games that are decided by under four points.
- Off of their 38 forced turnovers, Niagara had 29 points off turnovers which is the third highest this season. They are now averaging 24.6 points per game off turnovers.
- Niagara also had 28 points in the paint and has raised their average to 26.7 points per game in the paint.
Up Next
- Niagara is back in action Thursday as they head back on the road to take on Fairfield on Thursday and Rider on Saturday.
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