Niagara Holds Off Marist To Advance To Quarterfinals
MAAC Sports
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Niagara University men’s basketball team withstood a furious comeback by Marist College to come away with a 78-76 victory in the first round of the 2014 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Basketball Championship at the Mass Mutual Center.
The 11th-seeded Purple Eagles advanced to the quarterfinal round where they will face third-seeded Quinnipiac at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 8.
Niagara (7-25) led by as many as 24 points, holding a 59-35 advantage when Ramone Snowden converted a layup with 12:39 left in the game. Marist outscored the Purple Eagles 41-19 the remainder of the way to pull to within two on three occasions, the latest with 16 seconds remaining.
The Red Foxes (12-19) cut the Niagara lead to two for a final time, at 78-76 with 16 seconds left, on Khallid Hart’s layup. The Red Foxes then fouled Niagara’s Antoine Mason on the ensuing possession. Mason missed both free throws and Marist’s Jay Bowie grabbed the rebound, but Hart wasn’t able to convert on a three-point attempt, and Adam Kemp’s put back effort fell off the rim after he snared the offensive board as time expired.
Mason scored 38 points, the fifth best single game effort in MAAC tournament play. Marcus Ware added 14 points and Marvin Jordan scored 11 for the Purple Eagles.
Chavaughn Lewis led Marist with 26 points, while Hart added 20, and Kemp had 14 points and nine rebounds.
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