LEWISTON — Niagara had a chance to win the game.
They had all the momentum, a flustered Siena team and a raucous gym behind them.
They appeared on their way to battling back from a 14-point deficit with still plenty of time to complete the comeback.
But that hill was one that proved too large to climb.
It was one that sent the Purple Eagles to their fourth consecutive loss. This time, Niagara fell 82-79 to Siena, Friday, at Niagara’s Gallagher Center.
“I was really proud of our resilience, the fight, the competitive spirit,” Niagara head coach Greg Paulus said. “I thought that we strung together some stops in a row and we shared the ball. I mean, 21 assists … it’s happened several times this year for us. And for us, when you’re able to get some stops and get out on the open floor, that’s helpful to you, cut away at leads.”
The Saints’ Christian Jones hit a three with 6:25 to go in the game, which gave his team a 69-55 lead before the Purple Eagles’ Landon Williams responded with a triple of his own to bring it closer at 69-58. After the Williams 3-pointer, Purple Eagles head coach Greg Paulus called a timeout.
That stoppage proved to work for his team, who went on a quick 5-0 run to bring the deficit to 69-63, sending the Saints to the bench with a timeout of their own. After their stoppage, the Saints hit a three-pointer to go up by nine. That proved to be the dagger as they held on for a three-point win.
One of the most impactful parts of this game was the fact that the Purple Eagles’ Josiah Sabino dealt with foul trouble throughout. Despite that, Sabino finished with 19 points on 7-for-8 shooting, 4-for-5 from three and 1-for-2 from the free throw line. Sabino fouled out with 1:06 to go in the game and his team was down 76-67.
“It’s part of the game. Different guys are maybe out or different guys may get in foul trouble,” Paulus said. “I thought JoJo was a big part of both sides of the ball. When he was out, other guys stepped up and so for us, it’s next person up mentality. That’s why we talk about preparation because you never know when your opportunity is going to be.”
The Purple Eagles were also without their leading scorer, Justin Page, who is dealing with an upper-body injury and is officially listed as day-to-day. Despite the absence, Paulus was happy with the way the rest of his team played in Page’s absence.
After a first half in which the Purple Eagles only turned it over three times and gave up four points off those giveaways, the hosts put the ball on the floor more in the second stanza. The Purple Eagles turned it over seven times and gave up nine points off those giveaways in the second half.
“I think for us, it was ten assists, three turnovers in the first half. So in the second half, we have 11 assists and seven turnovers,” Paulus said. “…They hurt us with that in game one and sometimes a quick shot is just like a turnover. I thought we did a good job trying to keep them out of made baskets, but then in the second half, they were able to get some run outs and some opportunities.”
The story of the first half was all about the free throw line and the three-point line. In the opening 20 minutes, the Purple Eagles shot 58.3% from three and 62.5% from the free throw line. The Saints shot 1-for-8 from three and 11-for-13 from the free throw line.
The Saints’ time at the free-throw line translated into a 42-40 halftime lead.
“We were one of the league leaders, even last year getting downhill,” Siena head coach Gerry McNamara said. “Gavin Dotty’s going to put pressure on the paint. … I thought Zay Henderson gave us great minutes in the first half where he came in and got to the free throw line, I think five or six times, four at least. … So he’s a big physical body as well.”
After this loss, the Purple Eagles do not have very much time to dwell with Marist coming to town at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1.