Recap: Canisius vs. Niagara

Buffalo, NY (Sports Network) - Marvin Jordan knocked down a game-winning 3- pointer in the closing seconds to lift the Niagara Purple Eagles to a 66-65 decision over the Canisius Golden Griffins in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference battle at the Koessler Center.

Jordan provided a huge spark off the bench for Niagara (13-8, 9-1 MAAC) with a team-high 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field. Antoine Mason chipped in 14 points while Juan'ya Green contributed nine points, eight assists, and five steals. The victory was the sixth in a row and kept the Purple Eagles in sole possession of first place in the MAAC standings.

For Canisius (13-8, 6-4), Chris Manhertz provided a double-double of a career- high 17 points and 15 rebounds to lead the way. Isaac Sosa scored 14 points and Harold Washington chipped in 12. Billy Baron went 4-of-14 from the floor en route to nine points, which he accompanied with six assists.

Both sides struggled in the opening half. Niagara connected on just 35.7 percent of its field goal tries in the opening 20 minutes, while the Golden Griffins connected on 36.3 percent of their shots from the floor, including 7- of-20 from 3-point range, to take a 32-25 lead into the intermission.

The Purple Eagles improved to shoot 45.2 percent from the floor after the break which helped it overcome a 10-point deficit in the second half. The game was knotted up at 63 with under a minute remaining. Baron stripped Ameen Tanksley and put in a layup to give Canisius a late two-point lead, but his clutch play set the stage for Jordan's late game heroics.

Canisius held a 42-37 edge in the rebounding battle, but it was outscored, 12-5, at the free throw line.