Towns' 26 sparks Niagara late, downs Quinnipiac 95-76

Feb 9, 2018, 03:29 am

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. -- James Towns came off the Niagara bench to score 26 points and spark the Purple Eagles to a 95-76 romp past Quinnipiac on Thursday night and into a tie with Iona for third place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Association.

Iona entered play Thursday with a one-game lead on Niagara for third, but the Gaels were swamped by Monmouth, 72-50.

Niagara (16-10, 9-4) led by two at halftime, 44-42 and Quinnipiac tied the game at 56-56 with 11:38 left on Isaiah Washington's 3-pointer, but Towns scored 15 points over the final 9:17 to help close out the win.

Towns finished 8 of 12 from the field, including 3 of 3 from beyond the three-point arc. Keleaf Tate added another 15 points off the Niagara bench, which contributed 43 of the team's 95 points. Starters Kevin Larkin and Kahlil Dukes each scored 12 points and Matt Scott scored 11.

Cameron Young led Quinnipiac (9-16, 6-7) with 22 points. Washington added 18 and Chaise Daniels 12.