Second Half Run Gives Niagara MAAC Tournament Win Over QU Men's Basketball

Thursday, March 2

Albany, NY

5:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

10-21

Niagara University

10-22

Team	1	2	F
Niagara	29	59	88
Quinnipiac	27	42	69

Second Half Run Gives Niagara MAAC Tournament Win Over QU Men's Basketball

3/2/2017 8:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

ALBANY, N.Y. – Ninth-seeded Niagara used a 12-0 run midway through the second half to take control and capture an 88-69 win over eighth-seeded Quinnipiac in the opening round of the 2017 MAAC Tournament on Thursday afternoon at the Times Union Center.

Niagara (10-22) moves on top face top-seeded Monmouth, which has won its last 16 games in a row, in the MAAC Quarterfinals tomorrow at 7 p.m. Quinnipiac sees its season end at 10-21.

The Bobcats were within 56-53 with 9:52 left after freshman guard Mikey Dixon (New Castle, Del.) stole the ball in the backcourt and broke in for a layup, but the Purple Eagles scored the game's next 12 points to take control. Senior guard Daniel Harris (Tampa, Fla.) broke the drought with his fourth three-pointer, and freshman guard Peter Kiss (New York, N.Y.) hit a long three to make it 73-61, but that was as close as the Bobcats could come down the stretch.

Harris got the Bobcats jump started early in the second half, scoring Quinnipiac's first eight points on a put back lay-up and two three-pointers to give the Bobcats a 35-32 lead. A 7-0 run from Niagara put the Purple Eagles ahead 39-35, before senior forward Alain Chigha (Yaounde, Cameroon) knocked down a three-pointer on his way to a career-high 10 points.

The teams then traded baskets for a while, as freshman guard Peter Kiss (New York, N.Y.) knocked down a three-pointer to cut the Niagara lead to 46-41. Chris Barton's basket was then answered by junior forward Chaise Daniels (Meriden, Conn.) and a three-pointer by Matt Scott of Niagara was answered right away by sophomore guard Andrew Robinson (Takoma Park, Md.) to make the score 51-46.

The first half was a defensive struggle that saw Niagara take a slim 29-27 lead on a put back from Marvin Prochet with 35 seconds left. The Purple Eagles took an early 9-2 lead, but the Bobcats responded as Chigha hit a spinning jumper and a three-pointer to close to 11-10. Harris gave the Bobcats their first lead with a three-pointer from the top of the key at 16-13, and Kiss put the Bobcats ahead 27-25 with a three-pointer before Niagara scored the final four points of the half to take the lead into the break.

Kiss finished with a team-high 15 points to go along with six rebounds and seven assists, one shy of his personal best in assists that he achieved in the last meeting with Niagara on Feb. 4, when he almost had a triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Harris ended with 14 points in his final game with the Bobcats, hitting 4-of-6 from the three-point line (3-of-3 in the second half). Daniels was also in double figures with 11 points and added five blocks.

Scott led dour Niagara players in double figures with 19 points, while Kahlil Dukes had 18, include g 11-12 at the foul line. The Purple Eagles shot 22-27 at the line in the second half and 26-31 in the game, while Quinnipiac was just 8-13.

The Bobcats return their top three scorers next year in Daniels, Kiss and Dixon, as well as regular starters Abdulai Bundu and Phil Winston, as they will look to challenge for a MAAC title next year with one of the top returning lineups in the league.