NIAGARA UNIVERSITY — Niagara hosted Canisius on Wednesday for the 101st matchup between the Battle of the Bridge rivals. Niagara sent the Griffs back south after the Purple Eagles won 82-72.
Game Recap
First Quarter
- Niagara dominated the Griffs in the first quarter as they jumped out a 24-8 lead in the opening 10 minutes.
- The Purple Eagles went on a 9-0 run to open the game and never looked back as they led the entire game after that.
- Jade Rutledge was the second Purple Eagle on the board after a Maddy Yelle basket opened the scoring. Rutledge went on to have a quarter high seven points in the opening 10 minutes.
- Five different Purple Eagles scored in the first while the team forced five turnovers. Niagara had three steals with Rutledge, Yelle, and Sydney Faulcon all having one. Rutledge and Aaliyah Parker also both had blocks.
Second Quarter
- The Griffs answered back in the second quarter as they outscored Niagara, 25-24 but still trailed by 15 at halftime.
- The Parker sister’s heated up in the second as both Aaliyah and Angel Parker had seven points each.
- Niagara forced nine turnovers in the second quarter and they converted those turnovers into 15 of their 24 points in the quarter.
- The Purple Eagles scored 48 points in the first half which was the most they have scored in a first half this season. Angel had 11 points in the quarter while six other Purple Eagles also got in on the scoring.
Third Quarter
- Niagara answered back in the third quarter and built their lead as they outscored the Griffs 20-15 in the third.
- Brooklyn Jones led all scorers in the frame as she went 2-2 from three and hit a pair of free throws for eight points. Angel had four while Aaliyah, Yelle, Faulcon, and Saige Glover all had two points.
- Half of the 20 Niagara points came in the paint while 12 of them came from players off the bench.
- Early in the third, Niagara’s lead was 21 which was the second highest it was in the game.
- Niagara forced four turnovers while three came from steals. Angel had two while Nickelle O’Neil was credited with the other.
Fourth Quarter
- Trailing by 20 entering the fourth the Griffs came out firing as they went 9-17 from the field in the third and outscored Niagara 22-14.
- The Purple Eagles weathered the storm as Angel had six points in the fourth. Aaliyah chipped in four while Rutledge, and Yelle each had two.
- Niagara closed out the game at the line as they went 5-6 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
- Angel also her second block of the season as she chased down a Griff with 40 seconds left in the game.
Niagara Notes
- Niagara and Canisius have played 101 times in program history, Niagara is 41-60 all-time but Niagara has now won the last three games and four of the last five. The Purple Eagles have also defended the nest as they have won the last four games at the Gallagher Center.
- The Purple Eagles scored 38 points in the paint which tied a season high that was set against Manhattan on Dec. 31 in a 66-62 win. Niagara is averaging 28.22 points in the paint per game.
- Niagara last scored 80 or more points on Feb. 26, 2022 when they scored 82 on Canisius at the Gallagher Center in a 82-78 win. Niagara has scored 80 or more points against the Griffs in their last three games and all four of their last four wins.
- Angel led all scorers with 21 while she also collected four rebounds, five steals, and had three assists. She is averaging 17.1 points per game, which is second in the MAAC by .1.
- Aaliyah had 13 in the win and is averaging 16.4 which is third in the MAAC.
- The Purple Eagles as a team are second in the MAAC in scoring as they are average 63.3 points per game this season, in just conference games, they are averaging 67.5 points per game which leads all MAAC teams.
- Niagara’s 9.56 turnover is still tops in the MAAC and leads the country. Despite causing just 20 turnovers which is their second lowest this season, they still lead the MAAC by 165 opponent turnovers.
- The Purple Eagles pulled down 31 boards in the win and outrebounded the Griffs, they are now 3-2 when outrebounding their opponents. Of the 31, 11 were off the offensive glass, Niagara still leads the MAAC in offensive boards with 15 per game.
- The month of January has seen the Purple Eagles go 6-1 in the first month of 2023, last season they went 3-5 to open 2022.
- Niagara is second in the MAAC with an 8-2 MAAC record while Iona is 8-1 for the MAAC lead.
Up Next
- Niagara heads back on the road following a two game homestand to face the newest member of the MAAC in Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday at 2 PM.
