JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Freshmen Juan’ya Green and Antoine Mason helped carry the Niagara Purple Eagles to a second half comeback win against the Saint Peter’s Peacocks, 59-56, on Friday at the Yanitelli Center.
“It was a great win for our team because we played poorly,” head coach Joe Mihalich said. “It had the makings for a disastrous night, but we found a way to save the night and get a really important win for us. For the third youngest team in the country, it was another night to build on for the future.”
Niagara (13-17, 8-9 MAAC) trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half and entered the half down, 35-27. The deficit could have been larger if it was not for Green who had a game-high 14 points through the opening 20 minutes.
“We shot poorly in the first half and dug a big hole for ourselves,” Mihalich said. “I thought our pressure came through at the end of the half and to be only down eight was the key.”
Saint Peter’s (5-24, 4-13 MAAC) extended its lead back to double digits, 38-28, but NU outscored SPC 18-5 through the opening seven minutes of the half which included the Purple Eagles reeling off 15 straight points.
A pair of free throws by Mason started the run and a 3-pointer by Green tied the game at 38-38 with 16:15 on the clock. Green capped the run with two free throws as Niagara led 45-40; Green and Mason combined for 15 of Niagara’s 17 points during the run.
With the game tied at 54-54, Joe Thomas made a free throw to put Niagara up 55-54 with 3:34 left. The Peacocks’ Darius Conley made a pair of free throws to push SPC back in front with two minutes remaining. On Niagara’s next possession, Ameen Tanksley grabbed one of his game-high 11 boards on a missed 3-pointer by Mason and was fouled. The Philadelphia, Pa. native calmly drained two free throws as NU regained the lead with 1:27 on the clock.
After an empty possession by each team, Niagara forced a turnover to get the ball back with 18 seconds left. Green went to the free-throw line and converted two more for a career-high 12-for-12 at the line. SPC ended the game missing two potential game-tying 3-pointers as the Purple Eagles came away with their first season sweep of the Peacocks in four seasons.
Green led all scorers with 23 points, including going 3-for-4 from the behind the arc. Green’s three steals in the game tied him with Ronnell Felton for most steals by a freshman in school history (53). Mason finished with 16 points and made three 3-pointers. Marvin Jordan went 1-for-8 from 3-pointers, but his one trey set the sophomore record in 3-pointers (76) for a season; Jordan also holds the freshman record.
Niagara has won four straight conference games and sits in sole possession of sixth place. NU will conclude its regular season on Sunday at Marist for a 2 p.m. tip-off. A victory by the Purple Eagles will secure a first round bye in next week’s MAAC Tournament in Springfield, Mass. Fans can listen to the action on WWKB 1520 AM and on Purple Eagles All-Access.
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