Niagara hits 15 3s, beats Canisius 105-89

Jan 28, 2018, 02:41 am

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- James Towns had 31 points and Kahlil Dukes scored 28, and Niagara hit a season-high 14 3-pointers to beat Canisius 105-89 on Saturday night and knock the Griffins from first place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Matt Scott scored 23 and grabbed 11 rebounds and Marvin Prochet added 12 points for the Purple Eagles (14-9, 7-3), who shot 57.7 percent from 3 in winning the annual "Battle of the Bridge" against their cross-town rivals.

Canisius led 15-14 on Isaiah Reese's layup, but Scott hit a 3, Dukes hit back-to-back 3s, and Niagara led 29-19 on Greg Kuakumensah's dunk. Dukes hit another pair of 3s and the Purple Eagles finished on a 13-3 run to lead 44-25 at halftime after hitting eight 3s.

Niagara hit four 3s in the first four-plus minutes of the second half and led by as many as 22 points. The last time Niagara scored 100 or more in regulation was in a 107-100 loss to Northwestern State on Nov. 30, 2013.

Jermaine Crumpton scored 31 points on 10-of-18 shooting and Takal Molson added 18 points. Reese had 14 with 10 rebounds, and Jonathan Sanks had 10 points for the Griffins (13-9, 7-2), now in second place behind Rider (15-7, 8-2).