Niagara University shot 49.1 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from behind the 3-point line to help propel the visiting Purple Eagles to a 75-56 win over Canisius College Thursday night in front of a sold-out Koessler Athletic Cetner. The win was Niagara's third straight, and improved the team to 9-11 overall and 4-4 in league play, while the Golden Griffins slipped to 4-14 overall and 1-7 in MAAC action.

Niagara redshirt freshman Antoine Mason scored a game-high 22 points in the win, while sophomore Marvin Jordan came off the bench to post 16 points, with 15 of those coming from long range after he went 5-for-10 from behind the arc. For Canisius, junior guard Alshwan Hymes had a team-high 20 points, while sophomore forward Chris Manhertz was credited with his third double-double of the season after he posted 13 points to go with a game-high 15 rebounds. Junior guard Gaby Belardo accounted for 13 points and five assists for the Griffs, who ended the night shooting 31 percent from the floor, 23.8 percent from 3-point land and 78.9 percent from the free-throw line.

Canisius came out of the gate on fire, as the Blue and Gold jumped to a 12-4 lead 3:13 into the contest, with Belardo accounting for 10 of the team's first 12 points. Niagara answered the Griffs' run with one of its own, and the Purple Eagles out scored Canisius by a 16-3 clip over a span of 4:41, highlighted by three-straight 3-pointers by Jordan that made the score 20-15 in favor of Niagara with 11:39 left before the intermission. Niagara pushed its lead to as many as 16 in the first half, but the Blue and Gold whittled that lead down to 10 points with six straight before halftime, sending the teams into the locker room at the half with Niagara holding a 37-27 advantage.

In the second half, Niagara held a 16-point cushion with 11:17 left in the ball game before Canisius made a run to get back into the contest. Five-straight points by Hymes and a pair of free-throws by Manhertz made the score 53-44 in favor of the Purple Eagles with 9:02 left to play, but Niagara pushed its hold back to 12 points at 58-46 with 7:07 left on the clock after Jordan drained a trey from the right corner. Canisius countered with a 7-0 run over the next 56 seconds to get within five at 58-53 with 5:45 left on the clock thanks to four points from junior Harold Washington and a traditional 3-point play by Manhertz. But once again, Niagara answered the bell, and outscored Canisius 6-0 in the game's next 1:56 to make the score 64-53 with 3:37 left in regulation time.

"Defensively, their zone got our guys standing around and we labored to score points because of that," Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. "We needed to be more aggressive with the ball and drive into the lane, which we did midway through the second half and that helped us get their lead down to five. We just made too many mistakes and we were really never able to get over that hump."

Niagara freshman Ameen Tanksley scored 11 points and was credited with four steals on the night for the Purple Eagles, who snapped a two-game losing streak to Canisius in the Koessler Athletic Center with the victory. Canisius freshman Josiah Heath recorded eight rebounds in the losing effort for Canisius, which ended the night with a 36-34 advantage on the glass.

Canisius will return to action Sunday, Jan. 22, when the team plays at Rider. Tipoff in Lawrenceville, N.J., is set for 3 p.m.