The Purple Eagles’ men’s basketball team kicked their season off Monday night with a thrilling 80-72 victory over the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. The clash of Big 4 rivals reeled in crowds by the dozens to witness the showdown.
After a shaky first few minutes of the game the team found their rhythm, and fed off the energy from the Niagara faithful to help push them to victory. After the Bonnies appearance in the NCAA tournament last year, which included an upset win over UCLA, the purple eagles knew this would be no easy task.
However through a collective team effort, the Eagles pulled away with a win many people didn’t think was attainable. A collective team effort was the key to their success.
Leading the way for the Eagles offense was senior forward Marvin Prochet, a third-year captain, with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Junior point guard James Towns, a first-year starter put up 18 points, while sophomore guard Keleaf Tate, who started 14 games as a freshman last year contributed a career-high 17 points along with 3 assists. Senior forward Dominic Robb shined on the defensive side, with 8 blocked shots.\
The Purple Eagles’ next two games are on the road as they take on Loyola University Chicago on Wednesday Nov. 14 and the University of Wyoming on Friday Nov. 16. The team’s next home game is Friday Nov. 23 when the face Grambling State. For more information, visit purpleeagles.com.
Niagara Wire 