Fans of the Niagara University men's basketball team have received a surprisingly special present this holiday season. They have a winning team entering the New Year.
It's happened before, but that winning holiday feeling at Monteagle Ridge has been absent since the 1999-2000 season.
The usually slow-starting Purple Eagles secured that gift last week by beating St. Bonaventure, 107-98 in overtime, for the first time in 12 tries. It was Niagara's first win over the Bonnies since Jan. 19, 1992, and its first win at the John "Taps" Gallagher Center over the former Brown Indians since Jan. 12, 1963, when the arena's namesake coached the program.
Saturday's 79-62 win over Yale gives Niagara six wins in its first seven games, the school's best start since opening 11-1 in 1992-93. Want some better news?
The Purple Eagles haven't come close to playing their best game.
Niagara still needs more consistent play from its reserves and has had a few too many lazy moments on defense, something that irks coach Joe Mihalich and his players. The Purple Eagles compensate for that with an offense that averages more than 90 points, with all five starters scoring in double figures. The Purple Eagles, who have two of the best big men in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in junior Juan Mendez and senior James Reaves, do have a tendency to get too enamored with the three-point shot, but they have been able to score key baskets when it matters because they have the best inside-outside game in the conference. They also have a key ingredient that's essential for all winning teams -- attitude.
We're not talking about the 'tude you receive after giving your young son clothes instead of the G.I. Joe with the Kung Fu Grip for Christmas. We're talking about the calm, confident attitude that a team exudes when it expects to play beyond its conference tournament.
The Purple Eagles displayed that trait earlier this month in rallying from an 18-point, second-half deficit to beat rival Canisius College 109-106 in overtime at HSBC Arena. They showed that spirit again in their historic triumph over the Bonnies.
Most teams would have been rattled after blowing a 21-point second-half lead to an opponent they're supposed to beat. The Eagles, who blew that lead and fell behind thrice in the final 5:20 to a Bona program that has owned them in a rivalry that dates back to the Woodrow Wilson administration, were the model of calm. They made the key stops and scored the crucial baskets to pull out the win. Senior swingman Tremmell Darden willed the Eagles to victory by scoring 15 of his 35 points after they fell behind 73-71. He also proved to be the defensive ace, holding Bona star Marques Green, who scored a quiet 43 points on 14-of-30 shooting, in check late in the second half and overtime.
Niagara's attitude will be put to the test early in the New Year with games against St. John's (Jan. 3 at Madison Square Garden) and defending MAAC champion Manhattan (Jan. 9 at home).
But for now, the Purple Eagles give their fans joy and the hope they have a chance of making the NCAA Tournament after 34 years of futility.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | December 23 2003 |