Feb. 5, 2004
Box Score
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. - Tremmell Darden (Las Vegas) scored a game-high 21 points to power the Niagara University men's basketball team (14-6, 8-3) to an 87-51 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference victory over Marist (5-15, 3-8) in front of 1,303 fans at the Gallagher Center Thursday evening.
Darden, a senior, was 6 of 10 from the field and 7 of 7 from the foul line. He was one of five Purple Eagles to score in double figures as fellow starters Alvin Cruz (Rio Pedras, Puerto Rico) and David Brooks (Philadelphia) each netted 15 points and Juan Mendez (Montreal, Quebec) had 14 points. Freshman Lorenzo Miles (Washington, D.C.) came off the bench for a career-high 13 points. Senior James Reaves (Rochester, N.Y./Edison Tech) grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and Cruz dished out a game-high eight assists.
Niagara built a quick eight-point lead, 14-6, when the Purple Eagles sank three three-pointers in the first 5:21 of the game. The Purple Eagles used an 11-2 run, including eight points from the free-throw line, to take a 16-point lead, 38-22, into halftime.
Niagara broke the game open at the start of the second period when it went on a 10-0 run to lead 48-22 at 16:31. The Purple Eagles never let the lead get within 20 the remainder of the game as it shot 58.6 percent (17 of 29) and limited Marist to 27.8 percent (10-36) in the final 20 minutes.
The Purple Eagles tied their season high with 12 three-pointers and shot 50 percent from three-point range for just the second time this year.
Marist was led by Kerry Parks and Will McClurkin who each had 10 points.
