MACON, Ga. – The Niagara men’s basketball team held on late to defeat the Sam Houston State Bearkats, 59-52, in its final game in the Progressive CBE Classic on Wednesday.
“(It was a) hard fought win (and) I’m really proud of these guys,” head coach Joe Mihalich said. “It was a character win after two tough nights. Down the stretch with the game on the line (guys) made winning plays.”
Guards Juan’ya Green, Antoine Mason and Marvin Jordan combined for 35 points to help snap Niagara’s three-game skid.
The turning point of the game came from Green. The freshman guard from Philadelphia connected a 3-pointer to regain Niagara’s lead to 53-50 with 4:59 left. The Purple Eagles (2-3) would go 6-for-6 at the free-throw line over the next three minutes to end the game.
Green, Jordan and Mason accounted for 77 percent of Niagara scoring in the first half as the Purple Eagles took a slender 26-25 lead at the half; their first-time leading at the half this season.
The Purple Eagles opened the second half the better of the two teams and eventually built a 43-36 lead, after a layup by Joe Thomas Sam Houston State (1-4) chipped away at Niagara’s lead and tied the game at 50-50 with a 3-pointer by Darius Gatson with 5:21 left, before Green drained the go-ahead triple.
Niagara had the top two scores in the game in Green and Mason. Green led all scorers with 20 points and had a career-high and game-high five steals. Mason netted 15 points, grabbed seven boards and had three steals en route to being named to the CBE Classic Macon Subregional All-Tournament Team. Jordan scored 10 points, including two 3-pointers, and had three assists.
Niagara will wrap up its five-game road swing with a contest at St. Francis (Pa.) on Monday at 7 p.m.
Leave a Reply