Failures down stretch bring Eagles to Earth
JOHN HICKEY/Buffalo News
Niagara's James Reaves looms while Siena's Michael Haddix makes his move.
LEWISTON - Niagara coach Joe Mihalich was almost apologetic for not giving an answer full of deep insight, but none was needed.
Why did the Purple Eagles fail down the stretch of Tuesday's 78-73 loss to Siena in the Gallagher Center? Mihalich cut straight to the chase.
"It sounds overly simplistic to say it but at the end of the game at crucial times, you have to make some plays," Mihalich said. "They made them, we didn't."
The Purple Eagles were outscored, 9-2, in the game's final two minutes as Siena (10-4, 4-1) pulled into a second-place tie with Manhattan in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. A crowd of 1,218 saw the Purple Eagles (6-8, 2-3) fall into a sixth-place tie with Marist.
Niagara had a 71-69 lead before Siena senior Prosper Karangwa fired a wicked crosscourt pass to sophomore Tommy Mitchell to set up an open three-pointer from the left corner. That put Siena ahead for good, 72-71, with 1:40 to play.
On Niagara's next possession, the Purple Eagles went inside to 6-foot-7 sophomore Juan Mendez, who poured in 17 of his 21 points in the second half. But Siena forward Justin Miller, the former Southwestern Central star, blocked Mendez's shot and the Saints eventually got possession.
"I was a little shocked but it happens," Mendez said. "I tried to go up as strong as I can and get an easy shot but he (Miller) just got to it."
Karangwa hit two free throws with 38 seconds left to make it 74-71. Niagara's David Brooks canned a layup with 27 seconds left but Siena freshman Michael Haddix cooly hit two free throws with 25.5 ticks on the clock to put the Saints up, 76-73.
Niagara worked the clock to 7.3 seconds before calling a timeout. When play resumed, guard Rhossi Carron had an open three-pointer that rattled in and out.
Niagara's James Reaves corraled the rebound and called timeout with 1.1 seconds left - but NU had none left and was charged with a technical foul. Karangwa hit two free throws to put the game away.
"If you want to be a team that's going to compete for a championship, you have to find ways to win games like this on the road," said Siena coach Rob Lanier, the Buffalo native who led the Saints to the NCAA Tournament last season as a rookie head coach.
It was an especially tough defeat for Niagara, which lost to Siena in last year's MAAC Tournament championship game. With Mendez controlling the paint despite being in foul trouble, the Purple Eagles looked like they were going to pull off a big comeback.
Mendez got his fourth foul with 12:43 left and NU leading, 51-49. When he returned four minutes later, Siena had a 64-56 lead. Niagara immediately went to work with Mendez and Tremmell Darden (17 points) combining for all the points in a 13-2 burst that put the Purple Eagles in front, 69-66, with 4:54 left.
But Karangwa drilled a trey with 2:48 to go to tie the score at 69-69. Mendez put NU back ahead with a jumper 18 seconds later but it was Niagara's last lead.
Mendez had eight rebounds, with all five of his offensive boards coming in the second half. He leads NU in both scoring (18 points) and rebounds (8.9).
"When the ball goes up there and it's a miss, I'm just thinking to go and get it," Mendez said.
"We're past being surprised at how good a player Juan is," Mihalich said. "We've come to expect it. Everybody knows what a good player he is. . . . He played like a man possessed there for a while."
While Mendez was Niagara's go-to guy, the Purple Eagles had no answer for the 6-6 Karangwa, who collected 22 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Karangwa had 31 points in last year's NCAA Tournament victory against Alcorn State.
"He kept his composure," Mihalich said. "He played like a senior, a leader and an all-league player."
"He led us tonight," Lanier said. "He just wasn't going to let us lose."
Miller also played a key role for Siena. The junior finished with six points, six rebounds (five offensive) and three assists.
The Purple Eagles host St. Peter's Thursday night while Siena stays in town to play Canisius Thursday in the Koessler Center.
