ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Niagara saw its season come to a close Friday evening at Jim Whalen Boardwalk Hall with a 71-59 loss at the hands of No. 1 Iona.
The No. 5 Purple Eagles were led by Aaron Gray who finished with a team-high 18 points, followed by Noah Thomasson who scored 15 points on 5-for-14 shooting. Braxton Bayless added nine points, four rebounds and three assists in the loss and David Mitchell grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
Game Recap
First Half
• Braxton Bayless got Niagara on the board first with his patented floater following the opening tip.
• Four minutes into the contest, Iona would have a 8-6 lead over the Purple and White, but the Purple Eagles would take a 9-8 lead with 16:09 on the clock when Thomasson hit a second-chance 3-pointer off the window.
• The lead would change hands twice over the next few possessions, including Niagara taking a 12-10 after an old-fashioned 3-point play by Bayless.
• The game would be tied at 12 the very next possession, leading to a 5-0 run by Niagara that was highlighted by Thomasson triple and a Joe Kasperzyk contested layup.
• Iona would tie the game at 17-17 following five unanswered points, but Gray would hit a three on the wing to put NU back on top.
• Niagara would maintain its lead until the 5:19 mark when Walter Clayton Jr. would tie the game and give Iona three-point lead with five-straight points.
• Kasperzyk and the Purple Eagles responded with a triple, tying the game at 27-27.
• Gray gave Niagara a 3-point lead with less than a minute to go.
• Clayton Jr. would connect on a 3-pointer to tie the game at 35 moments before the break.
Second Half
• Niagara jumped out to a six-point lead to start the second half two layups from Gray and another from Bayless to put NU up 41-35.
• The Gaels would respond with an 5-0 run to make it a one-point Niagara lead, but Thomasson would drive to the hole as the shot clock expired, giving the Purple Eagles a 43-40 lead.
• The next four minutes saw the Gaels take a one-point, 46-45, lead on a second-chance effort.
• Iona would go up by as much as three, before NU got baskets from Thomasson and Harlan Obioha to tie the game at 48 with 10:34 to go.
• Five minutes later Iona would have a 58-50 lead over NU, which grew to as much as 10 points, 60-50.
•. An 9-4 burst by the Purple Eagles made it a six-point game with 2:18 to go, but the Gaels would score each of the last seven points to give the game its 71-59 final.
Niagara Notes
• The Purple Eagles finished the season with a 16-15 overall record, its first winning season since 2017-18.
• Niagara fell to 6-10 all-time in MAAC semifinal games.
• Eleven of Niagara 59 came from the bench, including six from Obioha.
• Niagara finished the game with 16 second chance points, 11 off turnovers, and 34 in the paint.
• Friday’s contest was the first-time Niagara went into the locker room tied.
• NU led for over 20 minutes of action, and the game was tied for six.
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