Mason's 19 propels Niagara over Hartford 75-59

NIAGARA, N.Y. (AP) — Antoine Mason scored 19 points and Ameen Tanksley tallied 16 points and 12 boards as Niagara beat Hartford 75-59 Wednesday night.

Malcolm Lemmons, who made all three of his 3-point attempts, chipped in 11 points for Niagara.

Niagara took its first lead, 12-11, at the 9:23 mark of the first half but Mark Nwakamma hit a layup to put Hartford (5-5) back up by one. The Purple Eagles, however, outscored the Hawks 25-7 over the final 9 minutes of the half to take a 37-20 advantage into the break.

Niagara (4-6) extended its lead to 21, 51-30, behind a 3-pointer from Lemmons. Lemmons' third trey of the night gave the Purple Eagles a 59-36 lead with 11:26 left to play.

The Purple Eagles shot 50 percent (27 of 54) from the field — including 7 of 14 from deep.

Nwakamma was Hartford's lone player in double-figures with 14 points.