DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - (NU) The Niagara men's basketball team (3-1) used a lock-down defense to earn its third-straight victory of the season on Saturday, 63-46 over Central Florida (3-1) at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Purple Eagles forced 23 turnovers and held the Golden Knights to 31.6 percent shooting from the floor.
"I am very proud of our team," Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich said. "We just beat a very good team (Saturday) and our team defense was the key."
Niagara's aggressive team defense set the tone from the opening tip. UCF was held off the scoreboard for the first four minutes of action and only connected on one field goal in the final five minutes of the first half.
All 13 of senior Demetrius Williamson's (Chicago, Ill.) points came in the second half. He shot 5-of-8 from the floor after intermission, including three triples.
Kashief Edwards (Philadelphia, Pa.) put together his third consecutive strong game in the win. The sophomore big man totaled eight points, seven rebounds and blocked four shots for the second-straight game. He has 11 blocked shots in the three Niagara victories this season.
Junior Anthony Nelson (Plainfield, N.J.) tallied 11 points and five assists from the point guard slot. Senior Bilal Benn (Philadelphia, Pa.) has held to 10 points, six rebounds and three steals after playing just nine minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. Classmate Rob Garrison (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) added eight points, three assists and a pair of steals.
Sophomore Austin Cooley (Silver Spring, Md.) connected on a pair of 3-pointers for the third-straight game. Freshmen Scooter Gillette (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Eric Williams (Hope, B.C.) combined for seven points and four rebounds. The rookie big men went 7-for-8 from the free-throw line.
The Purple Eagles look to extend their winning streak on the final day for the three-day tournament on Sunday when they take on Austin Peay at 6 p.m.
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