WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Kahlil Dukes scored a team-high 20 points as the Purple Eagles fell to conference-leading Monmouth, 93-75, on Thursday night.
The Purple Eagles scored six straight points to take an early 8-7 lead. Kahlil Dukes connected on the first of his three first half 3-pointers to give NU an 11-10 lead with 14:37 left in the half. The Hawks answered with a 13-3 run, including three 3-pointers by Justin Robinson, for a 23-14 lead. Baskets by Dominic Robb and Dukes cut the lead to 23-18 before Monmouth pushed its cushion to double digits en route to a 54-36 halftime lead.
Niagara opened the second half on a 6-0 spurt with Matt Scott and Dukes providing the scoring. NU trailed 56-44 after a Maurice Taylor Jr. layup with 16:48 remaining before the Hawks increased their lead to 67-46 with a 9-2 run. The Hawks led by as much as 27 points on their way to clinching the regular-season title.
Dukes led Niagara with 20 points for his eighth 20-point game of the season. Shane Gatling scored 12 points to score in double figures for the first time in 14 games. Matt Scott scored 12 points to reach double figures in 14 straight games and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Kevin Larkin finished with 10 points. Dominic Robb had a team-high two blocks.
Dominic Robb, who leads the MAAC-lead with 70 blocks, is two blocks away from tying the single-season record set by Mark Henry during the 1987-88 season. Niagara went 21-for-24 at the free-throw line to shoot over 87 percent for the fourth time this season.
The Purple Eagles will play their final regular season road game at Siena on Saturday, February 18th at 8 p.m. The game will air on ESPN3 with audio coverage on the Niagara Sports Network via WGR 550 AM and www.PurpleEagles.com.
from PurpleEagles.com via IFTTT
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