SPRINGFIELD - Seventh-seeded Niagara earned a date with No. 2 Loyola in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference quarterfinals after holding of Canisius 80-70 Friday night at the MassMutual Center. The Purple Eagles grabbed the lead with 7 minutes, 33 seconds left in the first half and never relinquished it, forcing 12 turnovers in a first half that ended with...
Niagara's Ameen Tanksley passes the ball over the head of Canisius guard Reggie Groves during Friday night's MAAC Tournament at the MassMutual Center.SPRINGFIELD - Seventh-seeded Niagara earned a date with No. 2 Loyola in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference quarterfinals after holding of Canisius 80-70 Friday night at the MassMutual Center.
The Purple Eagles grabbed the lead with 7 minutes, 33 seconds left in the first half and never relinquished it, forcing 12 turnovers in a first half that ended with Niagara holding a 33-26 lead.
And it only got better for Niagara after that as they pulled away from the Golden Griffins and led by as many as 15 points before holding off a late rally by the team that is its greatest rival.
"I've talked about these rivalry games before, you hate them and you love them,'' Niagara coach Joe Mihalich said. "This was a good game for us to play and our guys were excited about it. I think if we had played another team I don't think our guys would have understood what the tournament is like.''
The Niagara-Canisius rivalry dates back to 1904 and this was the 170th meeting between the schools, although just the sixth time they've met in the MAAC Tournament.
The two regular season meetings were claimed by the Purple Eagles, one in overtime. This one wasn't in danger of that as Niagara held close to a double-digit edge for most of the second half.
MAAC rookie of the year Juan'ya Green, who led Niagara with a game-high 20 points, gave his team the lead for good when he buried a 3-pointer to make it a 15-14 lead with 7:33 to play.
All five Purple Eagles scored in double figures led by Green. Joseph Thomas added 15, Ameen Tanksley scored 14 with 10 rebounds, Malcolm Lemmons scored 12 and Antoine Mason dropped in 10.
The Golden Griffins were led by Harold Washington with a game-high 24, Gaby Belardo scored 18 and Alshwan Hymes added 16 for Canisius.
While the young Purple Eagles will be the underdog to the No. 2 Greyhounds on Saturday, they will have had a taste of postseason success to build on and they did split with Loyola during the season.
"We are the third youngest team in America so for them to get a postseason win, a playoff win is exciting for us and something to build on and use for tomorrow night,'' Mihalich said.