BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — The Niagara men's basketball season has come to an end in Atlantic City after the Purple Eagles, the no. 5 seed in the MAAC Tournament, fell to no. 9 Iona 70-64 in Friday's semifinal game. With the loss, Niagara finishes the season with a 9-11 record.
After Niagara jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead, Iona finally woke up, going on an 11-0 run and never trailing for the remainder of the game. Down by 18 at the half, the Purple Eagles slowly climbed their way back and with less than three minutes to go, made it just a three-point game. They had a chance to close that gap even more, down by four, with :14 to go, but Niagara turned the ball over and couldn't capitalize.
Raheem Solomon came off the bench and led the Purple Eagles with 21 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Kobi Nwandu added 16 points in the loss.
The Canisius men and Niagara women were both eliminated from the MAAC Tournament earlier this week.
