Dublin, Ireland – The Purple Eagles (1-2, 0-0 MAAC) held Central Arkansas (2-2, 0-0 ASun) to 35.9% from the field, shooting 54.7% from the floor itself en route to a 73-64 victory. at the National Basketball Arena on the first day of the MAAC/ASun Challenge. Noah Thomason He dropped a career-high 29 points on 12-18 shooting to lead the Purples and Whites to their first victory of the season.
Game summary
first half
• Central Arkansas took an early 2-0 lead and made a basket on the first possession of the contest, but shortly after. Braxton Bayless A pair of free throws will tie the game at 2.
• From there, Central Arkansas led twice, 4-2 and 5-4, and Niagara took the lead. Noah Thomasongiving NU an 8-5 lead.
• The Purple Eagles continued their 6-2 run over the next two minutes, outscoring the Bears by seven, 14-7. Bayless, Thomason, Bryce Moore Each recorded a bucket as it ran.
• Harlan Obioha Scoring in the paint gave NU a 16-7 lead and came into the frame at 11:08.
• Niagara won the back-to-back basket, 22-14, by eight points, after Central Arkansas fell to within four, 18-14.
• With 4:34 remaining in the first half, NU were 24-15 ahead by 9 points and Thomason’s paint jumper gave them their biggest first-half lead.
• After the Bears took the lead, Niagara again trailed by nine with 15 seconds remaining at halftime, and Central Arkansas baskets with 3 seconds left brought the game to the break, 33-26.
Latter half
• Niagara maintains a lead of at least five points over the first five minutes of the second half. It wasn’t until the 14:45 mark that the Bears were back within four of him at 41-37.
• The Purple Eagles responded quickly with a 9-point margin following Thomasson’s jumper and corner 3-point basket. Lance Irving.
• Niagara’s lead reached double digits at the 12:16 mark before Bayless made a free throw to make it a 3-point play and give NU a 48-37 advantage. night.
• With just over six minutes remaining, Niagara’s defense continued to stop as Central Arkansas went within five, 57-53.
• From there the Purple Eagles quickly regained the lead to 8 points. David Mitchell And Thomasson outscored the Bears 12-11 in the final five minutes to secure a nine-point victory, 73-64.
niagara notebook
• The Purple Eagles earned their first ever Series win against Central Arkansas.
• As a team, Niagara led the season in points scored (73), field goals (29), free throws (13), rebounds (35) and steals (8).
• Purple and White led for 36 minutes of the game and did not relinquish their lead after gaining an early 5-4 advantage.
• Thomason’s 29 points beat the Houston, Texas native’s career-high 27 points set against Marist at the end of last season.
• Bayless reached double figures for the second time this season. The transfer also approached a double-double with 2 rebounds, and acquired 8 boards, the most in the team. He also led NU with 5 assists.
• Sam Iorio Irving led the team with 3 steals and 2 3-pointers.
• Niagara last held a team to 35% or less off the field on Jan. 30, 2022 at Monmouth when they held the Hawks to 30.0%.
next
• On Saturday afternoon, the Purple Eagles will play the second and final match of the MAAC/ASun Challenge against Stetson in Ireland on ESPN+. Fans can also hear Todd Cullen on the Niagara Sports Network (audio only) or 1700 AM/107.3 FM.
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