Recap: Niagara vs. Canisius

Springfield, MA (Sports Network) - Juan'ya Green led five players in double figures by scoring 20 points to lead the seventh-seeded Niagara Purple Eagles to an 80-70 victory over the 10th-seeded Canisius Golden Griffins in the opening round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament at MassMutual Center.

Joseph Thomas had 15 points, Ameen Tanksley scored 14 points and brought down 10 rebounds, Malcolm Lemmons added 12 points and Antoine Mason chipped in 10 for Niagara (14-18) which will face No. 2 seed Loyola-Maryland in tomorrow's second round.

Harold Washington led Canisius (5-25) with a game-high 24 points while Gaby Belardo added 18 and Alshwan Hymes put in 16.

Despite shooting only 39.3 percent from the floor in the first period, Niagara led 33-26 at the end of the first half by holding Canisius to only eight field goals to open the game.

The Golden Griffins heated up to 63.0 percent in the second half but the Purple Eagles turned in a 16-for-21 effort from the free throw line to hold on for the win.

Niagara held a 36-29 advantage on the boards and turned 16 Canisius turnovers into 18 points.