Dec. 23, 2008

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ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - A 22-7 run midway through the first half helped Niagara build a comfortable halftime lead as it defeated St. Bonaventure 83-65 on Tuesday evening at the Reilly Center.

The loss snaps the Brown and White's win streak at four games as they fall to 7-4 on the season. Meanwhile, the Purple Eagles (9-2) extend their road winning streak to five games with the victory - their sixth in a row over the Bonnies.

For the second straight game, freshman Andrew Nicholson established a new season-high for points with 23. Nicholson accomplished his 11-of-14 night from the field with an array of dunks, layups and hook shots. The Mississauga, Ontario product also added a team-best seven boards and three blocks.

Niagara was led by junior Rob Garrison, who netted a game and career-high 23 points on 9-of-13 from the field. In all, four different players finished in double figures for the Purple Eagles. Not included in that mix was junior Tyrone Lewis, the MAAC's leading scorer, who was held scoreless in the first half and limited to nine points on the night. Junior Bilal Benn made up the difference with 12 points and a game-high 11 boards for his fourth double-double.

The storied Little 3 rivalry opened as most thought it would ... fast and physical. Both teams came out aggressive, but were unable to convert on several layups and close jumpers as the opening media timeout yielded a 6-2 Bona lead.

Following a dunk by Nicholson that bumped it to a six-point Bona advantage, Niagara reeled-off a game-changing 22-7 run that absorbed nearly eight minutes. During the Purple Eagles spurt, the Bonnies shot just 2-of-8 field and committed three turnovers to fall behind, 24-15, with 7:55 remaining.

A layup by junior Maurice Thomas broke the Bona scoring drought for a brief moment as Niagara responded, again, with an 11-0 run. The strength of the Purple Eagles' second big run came at the free throw line as they knocked down all six attempts.

St. Bonaventure was able to stop the Purple Eagles from adding to their lead before the break as the visitors took a 40-25 lead into the locker room. The 15-point halftime deficit was the Brown and White's largest of the season.

The Niagara lead reached its peak just over five minutes into the final frame, as a 13-4 run made it a 59-34 game with 14:40 remaining.

The Purple Eagle advantage hung around 20 through the opening 10 minutes until St. Bonaventure rattled-off seven consecutive points to cut the deficit to 67-54. The 7-0 run was the largest of the game for the Bonnies.

The would be as close as the Brown and White would come, though, as Niagara pushed the lead back to 20 late in the half to seal its ninth win of the season. Niagara out-rebounded St. Bonaventure by a slight 39-36 edge. Both teams worked hard on the offensive glass, as the Bonnies grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to the Purple Eagles' 16. Niagara turned those rebounds into points, scoring 21 second chance tallies.

For the game, Niagara shot 48 percent (31-64) from the field, while the Brown and White's 43 percent (28-65) clip was aided by an 18-of-34 performance in the second half.

Junior Ray Blackburn was the only other Bonnie in double figures with 14 points. Thomas put up eight points and six rebounds despite played a foul-plagued 16 minutes. Junior Jonathan Hall had an off night on the offensive end with six points, but also chipped in with seven boards, four assists, two steals and two blocks.

St. Bonaventure will have a week off to enjoy the Christmas break. The Brown and White will return to action on the road when they travel to Lewisburg, Pa. for a non-conference tilt against Bucknell on Tuesday, Dec. 30. Tip time at Sojka Pavilion is slated for 7 p.m.