The Niagara Purple Eagles opened up their conference play at the Gallagher Center against the Monmouth Hawks on a cold winter night in Western New York.

Despite having the support from their home crowd, the Purple Eagles couldn’t catch a rhythm and fell short by a double digit margin to the Hawks.

For the visiting team, senior G George Papas led the way with 14 points in 33 minutes of play. Along with Papas, Shavar Reynolds and Marcus McClary were also in the double digits.

The solid defensive effort from Monmouth was what ultimately gave them their sixth consecutive win this season.

Cintron's effort

On the home side, Niagara had only two players in double digits. However, senior C Jordan Cintron and his energy kept the Purple Eagles in the game until the last minute of play.

Cintron, who is having a breakout season with Niagara, recorded seven points and four rebounds in 32 minutes of play. The 23 year-old also had a team-high of two steals.

“Jordan (Cintron) is a guy who brings great energy,” Coach Greg Paulus told VAVEL USA. “He makes those winning plays like steals and getting charges and it fuels the team. It is certainly something that he does really well.''

Niagara's upperclassman Marcus Hammond led the Purple Eagles with 11 points. He went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line and had one block.

The Purple Eagles will now host the Fairfield Stags on Sunday, December 5 at the Gallagher Center. 

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