NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – Vincent Eze and Wassef Methnani each scored 16 points but it was not enough to cool down Niagara University as the Purple Eagles posted a 75-66 win over the Stags in both teams' Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opener. The home team 54 percent from the floor overall and 45 percent from behind the three-point arc to keep Fairfield at arm's length for most of the night.

                Fairfield fought back time after time in this game but Niagara seemed to find a way to bunch points together to keep the Stags from completing any comeback bid.  The Stags held an early lead at 3-2 before the Purple Eagles reeled off seven straight points to pull ahead 9-3. Fairfield's inside game brought it back into contention behind the efforts of Eze and Methnani. Methnani's basket brought the score to 21-19 and Eze's free throws tied the game at 21-21 with 6:37 left in the half.

                Niagara rallied behind some sizzling shooting and scored nine straight points to take its biggest lead of the half at 30-21 as the run took less than three minutes to turn the momentum toward the home squad. Fairfield did its to stave off Niagara in the closing minutes but the home team found its range late and was able to take 34-28 lead into the locker room.

                The Purple Eagles shot a blistering 54 percent from the floor overall which was much of the reason that the team found a way to disrupt any Fairfield runs in the opening 20 minutes. That trend continued through the second half as well. Each time the Stags tried to rally from a deficit, Niagara found a way to put together a quick run that sent Fairfield back to catch up.

                A perfect example could be found early in the second half when Fairfield trailed 38-34 after an Eze basket. Niagara turned the tide with back-to-back three pointers that quickly brought the lead to double digits at 44-34 just 90 seconds later.

                The Stags showed resiliency once again and brought that double-digit deficit back down to two points, 49-47, after Methnani's put back basket at the 11:25 mark. Niagara scored the eight of the next 10 points which pushed the lead back to eight points with nine minutes remaining in the second half. The lead would reach as many as 15 points with four minutes remaining, before the Stags managed to bring it back down to under 10 by game's end.

                "You have to give credit to Niagara for making shots tonight," Head Coach Jay Young said. "Our goal was to contain their guards but we did not do a good job of that tonight. Their guards hurt us in the first half but it was their front court in the second half. We are not going to win any games when we give up 53 percent from the field and 45 percent from three point range. Tonight is a direct result of those percentages."

                The Stags will take a day to prepare for their next game which is slated for Sunday afternoon against Canisius College. The two teams will tip off at 2 pm.