NIAGARA UNIVERSITY – A late second half surge by Siena (12-5, 6-0 MAAC) lifted the Saints over Niagara (9-7, 4-3 MAAC) 70-64 Friday night in MAAC men’s basketball action from the Gallagher Center.
Three Purple Eagles reached double figures, led by Noah Thomasson’s 19 points and 9-for-9 clip at the line. Sam iorio added 13 points and a team-high five boards, while Aaron Gray finished with 16 points in 33 minutes of action. As a team, Niagara shot 45.8 percent from the field and 81.8 percent at the line.
Game Recap
First Half
• Siena took an early 6-2 lead before a 16-2 offensive outburst gave the Purple Eagles a 18-8 advantage over Siena with 9:37 remaining in the contest.
• Sam Iorio scored seven during the seven-plus minute run for Niagara, while Noah Thomasson added four points, as NU went 6-for-11 from the field.
• Over the next 5:38 of game action, the Saints would chip away at the Niagara lead, pulling with three points 29-26, with 3:28 to go.
• Thomasson would score the next five points to put the Purple Eagles back up by eight, 34-28, with just over 2:05 left in the opening stanza.
• The Purple Eagles would head into the break with a 37-30 advantage over the Saints.
Second Half
• Niagara would keep Siena from tying the game as the Saints pulled with two five times over the first 14-minutes of action, before the Saints finally tied the game at 52-52 with 6:13 to play.
• The two teams would trade buckets over the next three minutes of play, before Siena took its first lead since the first half, 59-58, with 3:26 remaining in regulation.
• Two free throws by Joe Kasperzyk would put the Purple Eagles back on top 60-59, however the lead wouldn’t last long as the Saints outscored the Purple Eagles 11-4 over the final two and half minutes to earn the comeback win. 70-64.
Niagara Notes
• Siena now leads the all-time series 58-50.
• For the Purple Eagles, the loss marked the first inside the Gallagher Center this season, and ended a nine-game home win streak for Niagara.
• Niagara finished with 40 points in the paint, with another 19 coming off turnovers.
• Thomasson has now scored double-digit points in all but two games this season.
• Iorio led the team in rebounding for the eight times this season and 20 times in his Purple Eagle tenure.
Up Next
• Niagara continues its two-game homestand with a 12 p.m. tip on Sunday against Marist.
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