NIAGARA UNIVERSITY – Niagara defeated Delaware State 68-57 in their home opener Monday evening at the Gallagher Center. The Purple Eagles improved to 2-1 on the season while the Hornets fell to 0-3.
Niagara set the tone early with a three pointer from Josiah Sabino, before briefly giving up the lead 6-3 to the Hornets.
The Purple Eagles answered back with baskets from Sabino and Will Shortt to regain the lead 7-6 and never looked back leading the rest of the way.
Justin Page was instrumental in building the lead, scoring 11 first-half points while dishing out four assists. His back-to-back baskets helped push Niagara’s advantage to 15-8.
The Purple Eagles shot 50% from the field (12-of-24) in the opening 20 minutes while connecting on 5-of-12 attempts from beyond the arc. Niagara dominated the interior in the first half with 14 paint points.
Niagara picked up right where they left off after intermission, matching their first-half output with another 34-point performance. The Purple Eagles’ shooting improved to 56.5% (13-of-23) in the second half.
Justin Hawkins took over in the second half, scoring 11 of his 13 points after intermission. Hawkins connected on 4-of-5 field goal attempts in the final 20 minutes and added three rebounds.
The Purple Eagles extended their lead to 16 points at 59-42 with 5:55 remaining following a layup by Hawkins. Niagara’s defense tightened in the second half, forcing seven Delaware State turnovers while maintaining their paint dominance with 16 additional points inside. The Purple Eagles’ bench contributed seven second-half points.
Game Notes
The Purple Eagles are 1-0 all-time against the Hornets
Hawkins led the Purple and White with 13 points
Shortt, Hawkins and Prudhomme all led Niagara with five rebounds a piece
Page and Prudhomme tallied five assists a piece to lead the Purple Eagles
Up Next
The Purple Eagles head back on the road to face in-state rival Le Moyne Monday October 17 at 7 pm inside the Le Moyne Events Center.
Courtesy of Niagara University Athletics.
