Atlantic City, N.J.—The Niagara women’s basketball team advanced to the MAAC Semifinals for the second straight season as they defeated Rider 67-64.
Game Recap
First Quarter
- In the opening quarter the Purple Eagles came out and led after the first quarter by three as Niagara put up 22 points while Rider was at 19.
- Aaliyah Parker led the game with 10 points in the first quarter while also having two rebounds in the first quarter, she also notched four steals.
- Niagara forced 10 turnovers to start the game with a combined seven steals. Niagara also had 10 points off turnovers.
- The Purple Eagles went inside on the Broncs as they had 12 points in the paint, they also had eight fast break points.
Second Quarter
- Niagara built on its early lead in the second quarter as they outscored the Broncs 16-12 in the frame as they went to the locker with a 38-31 lead.
- Just like the first quarter, in the second quarter the Purple Eagles went inside on the Broncs, Niagara had all 16 points in the paint the quarter.
- The Purple Eagle pulled down 11 boards in the quarter along with five on the offensive side.
- Angel Parker had a team high four points while six other Purple Eagles all had two points in the frame.
- At the break Niagara had a 21-15 advantage on the boards.
Third Quarter
- In the third the two teams were separated by just a point as Niagara outscored the Broncs 12-11. Aaliyah had team high four while also pulling down a game high five rebounds which included four on the offensive glass.
- Sydney Faulcon had a key offensive rebound and an and one as she finished the quarter with three points.
- Ary Hicks was also key Purple Eagle on the glass as she had three offensive rebounds along two points in the quarter.
- 10 of the 11 Niagara points came in the paint in the third quarter while seven came on the second chance.
Fourth Quarter
- The Purple Eagles held on in the fourth quarter despite being outscored 22-17 in the frame.
- Niagara sealed the three point game with less than a second remaining in the fourth quarter, Angel drew a offensive foul with half a second left that sent her to the free throw line. She made it three point game at the line.
- Angel had eight points in the fourth quarter as she did not come off the court in the fourth quarter.
- Niagara forced eight turnovers in the fourth while committing just one turnover. Niagara had six steals with Aaliyah having five in the fourth.
Niagara Notes
- Aaliyah finished with 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 steals. She is the first Purple Eagle in program history to notch a triple double. This season she had nine double doubles in the regular season and led the MAAC in scoring, steals, and was fourth in rebounding.
- Angel had 17 points in the game while adding three rebounds and seven assists.
- The Purple Eagles forced 28 turnovers with 18 steals. Off the 28 turnovers the Purple Eagles scored 25 points.
- Niagara pulled down 42 rebounds in the game which included a season high 29 offensive rebounds.
- The Purple Eagles led the game from start to finish after the scored their first basket 43 seconds into the game.
- The bench for the Purple Eagles generated 23 points with Faulcon leading the way with nine points off the bench. Hicks finished right behind her eight points and four rebounds.
- Aaliyah is still leading the MAAC in scoring with 17.0 points per game, she is third in rebounding and leads the conference with 3.8 steals per game.
- Niagara’s turnover margin is now 9.79 which leads the MAAC and the country.
Up Next
- The Purple Eagles are on to the MAAC Semifinal for the second straight season. They will have Thursday off before taking on the winner of Quinnipiac and Manhattan on Friday at 1:30.
