Led by 23 points from sophomore guard Dylon Cormier and 21 from junior forward Erik Etherly, Loyola defeated Niagara.
SPRINGFIELD - The law of averages dictates that even the most lopsided of rivalries is bound to take a turn.
With a berth in the conference semifinals at stake, the Loyola University men's basketball team got the better of a team it has traditionally struggled against.
Led by 23 points from sophomore guard Dylon Cormier and 21 from junior forward Erik Etherly, Loyola defeated Niagara 86-73 Saturday in the quarterfinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship at the MassMutual Center.
The No. 2 Greyhounds (22-8) will take on the winner of Saturday's late game between No. 3 Manhattan and No. 6 Siena in a semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
Niagara entered the contest with a 34-16 series lead, with Purple Eagles coach Joe Mihalich posting a 25-5 career mark against the Greyhounds over 14 seasons. Loyola and Niagara each won on the other team's home court this season. On neutral hardwood, the Greyhounds, whose coach Jimmy Patsos is now just 6-12 against Niagara, proved superior.
"We always have battles, Joe Mihalich and I," said Patsos, the MAAC coach of the year. "I really admire how he was like 'I'm just going young (this year).'"
Mihalich's core of freshmen were the keys to Niagara's ability to make it a game. Juan'ya Green, the MAAC rookie of the year, led the No. 7 Purple Eagles (14-19) with 22 points. Antoine Mason, son of former New York Knick and Charlotte Hornet Anthony Mason, had 11, as did sophomore Malcolm Lemmons.
For the third time this season, Cormier and Etherly each scored 20 or more. Every time, the Greyhounds have won. Shane Walker, a senior forward from England, dropped in 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
Robert Olson's second straight 3-pointer, with about 8:45 left, was the play that put Loyola comfortably in front, 65-53. Niagara cut the deficit to four points twice, thanks to key shots from Green and reserve Marvin Jordan.
The Greyhounds' ability to pull away was forged by their difficult early-season slate.
"Our non-conference schedule set us up for our win today," said Patsos, who said he breaks the season down into four stages - non-conference, MAAC, tournament and post-season.
Loyola strung together seven straight points - four coming on strong low-post plays by Etherly - to take a 59-50 lead with a little more than 11 minutes to go. The big play in the run was a 3-pointer from Cormier.
"He's been great all year," Patsos said of Cormier. "I think Dylon really wanted to play Niagara because he didn't get to play much on our Buffalo trip (against Niagara and Canisius)."
With the country's third youngest Division I team, Mihalich is justifiably looking ahead at what could come next season and beyond.
"I can't wait for next season to start," Mihalich said. "We're a piece or two of the puzzle away from being a really good team."
Green sent Niagara into halftime tied at 37 after he stole an inbounds pass and scored on a layup in the waning seconds of the first half.
The largest lead by either team in the first was 19-13 Loyola on an inside play by Shane Walker. However, Niagara clawed back from that and took a 25-22 lead on a 3-pointer by Malcolm Lemmons.
The Greyhounds got to the foul line early and often, as the Purple Eagles picked up seven team fouls only 4:23 into the game. Loyola converted 15 of 19 free throw attempts in the half, including a stretch where eight of its 10 points were from the stripe.