ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Niagara earned a trip to the MAAC Semifinals with a 71-65 win over No. 4 Siena Friday evening in the quarterfinal nightcap. Noah Thomasson finished with 18 points to lead the Niagara, followed by Joe Kasperzyk with 16 and Aaron Gray with 12 and David Mitchell with 11.
Game Recap
First Half
• The game started with a 6-0 run by the Saints, before Gray put Niagara on the board.
• A 3-point jumper by Mitchell put Niagara down by one, 8-7 with just over 14-minutes to go in the first half.
• The Purple and White would take its first lead of the game, 16-15, four minutes later on a three from Kasperzyk, but the Saints would respond with a three of its own to go up 18-16.
• With the game tied 19-19 with just under ten to go, the Purple Eagles would go on a 9-0 run to take a 28-19 lead over the Saints.
• Harlan Obioha ended the half with a layup after taking a pass from Gray, giving NU a 34-26 lead at the break.
Second Half
• A couple minutes into the second half, Niagara would go up 41-30 on a 3-pointer by Thomasson.
• A nearly four-and-a-half-minute scoreless drought by Niagara allowed Siena to pull within one, 45-44 with 12 to go in the contest.
• The Saints would later tie the game at 49-49 and eventually take a 52-51 lead over the Purple Eagles.
• An 8-0 run that featured three’s from Thomasson and Gray put Niagara back up by seven, 59-52.
• Niagara would maintain its lead over the next few minutes, but a 4-0n run by the Saints in the final two minutes to make it a 66-65 ballgame in favor of the Purple and White with 42 seconds remaining.
• Niagara would get a dagger 3-pointer from Gray with 12 seconds left and Kasperzyk would seal the win at the line for NU.
Niagara Notes
• The Purple Eagles advance to the MAAC Semi’s for the first time since 2021.
• Thomasson reached 1,000 points for his career in the first half.
• As a team, Niagara finished the contest 52.0 percent from the field, improving to 7-2 on the season when shooting 50 percent or better.
• The Purple Eagles were perfect at the line for the first time since 2020 against UAlbany. Kasperzyk led the Purple Eagles going 6-for-6.
• Thomasson added a team-high five assists, while Gray led NU with seven boards.
• Niagara’s bench outscored Siena 20-4 and NU finished with 36 points in the paint, compared to 30 for Siena.
Up Next
• Niagara will play No. 1 Iona Friday afternoon at 6 p.m. from Jim Whalen Boardwalk Hall. The game will air on ESPNNews and Todd Callen and Sue Petronsky will have the call on 1400AM/107.3FM.
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