STAFF REPORTS
Niagara Gazette
Niagara Gazette — Juan'ya Green hit a 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left Friday to lead the Niagara Purple Eagles to a 57-54 win at Marist.
Green scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half as Niagara (15-11, 10-5) ended a three-game losing streak, its longest of the season, and remained in first place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
The Purple Eagles preserved their one-game lead over Loyola in the conference standings while building a two-game cushion on Iona, which lost in double overtime Friday at Manhattan, and Canisius.
Niagara played without leading scorer Antoine Mason (ankle) for the third straight game. Marvin Jordan started in his place and scored 10 points. No other Purple Eagle reached double-figures.
Freshman point guard Tahjere McCall had a team-high nine rebounds. Green and Ameen Tanksley each had eight. Niagara out-rebounded Marist 38-26.
Marist (7-19, 4-11 MAAC) came into the game having beaten the MAAC's second- and third-place teams, Loyola and Iona, at home last weekend. Adam Kemp, whose grandmother lives in Tonawanda, led the Red Foxes with 17 points.
The Purple Eagles led by as many as nine points in the first half and six in the second but fell behind on Kemp dunk with 13:43 left. A Jordan 3 put Niagara back in front 40-38 at 9:40 and an eight-point flurry from Green pushed Niagara's lead to 50-42 with 7:09 remaining. But Marist tied the game twice in the final four minutes on free throws by Chavaughn Lewis.
Niagara plays its final road game of the regular season Sunday at Manhattan.
Niagara's women's team had its three-game winning streak snapped with a 68-41 loss at Marist.
Marist (18-6, 13-0 MAAC) built a 35-15 lead in the first half as the Purple Eagles shot 24 percent from the floor.
"I was disappointed in our lack of aggressiveness in the first half," coach Kendra Faustin said.
The Niagara women play at Siena on Sunday.
