Staff reports
Niagara University men’s basketball coach Joe Mihalich admits senior Demetrius Williamson can sometimes get overlooked.
With returning all-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference first-teamers Tyrone Lewis and Bilal Benn often dominating the headlines, the 6-foot-6 forward with deep range isn’t always the first option.
But Williamson helped dig the Purple Eagles out of a skid on Sunday, finishing with 20 points and eight rebounds as Niagara ran out to an early lead and held on to beat Loyola, 86-77.
“He’s an unsung hero for us,” Mihalich said of Williamson, who was held without a point in Friday’s overtime loss to Canisius, but had a combined 40 points in the team’s two previous starts. “He’s the fifth guy. But he hits some big shots for us. And (Sunday), this was in a nice flow. He did it naturally. He had a couple offensive rebounds and got some stickbacks. When he does that, you know we’re doing what we want to do.”
Niagara (12-12 overall, 5-7 MAAC) got out to a 41-28 halftime edge and did so with solid outside shooting. On the night, Niagara hit 47 percent of all its shots, and 46 percent from behind the 3-point stripe. Sophomore Austin Cooley led the way from outside, connecting on three his four deep shots.
For the game, Niagara was 31-for-42 from the line (73.8 percent), with Benn going 8-for-10.
Mihalich said it’s the closest his team has resembled the Purple Eagles’ bunch that won six of its first nine games. Coming into Sunday’s contest, Niagara had lost six of its last seven.
“We moved the ball well, we shot the ball well,” Mihalich said. “In the Canisius game, which was a great basketball game, we had a couple stretches where we got that old feeling back. We did more of that tonight.
“And we only had one day to prepare after an emotional loss on Friday night. I’m just so happy for the guys right now.”
Benn added 17 points and nine rebounds in his best performance in nearly a month. Anthony Nelson added 15 points and six rebounds for the Purple Eagles while Rob Garrison had 10 points. Lewis had just nine points, but added five rebounds and didn’t turn the ball over.
For Loyola (10-12, 3-9), Brett Harvey had 18 points and Brian Rudolph added 15.
Now, Niagara has until Friday for a rematch against Canisius, and Mihalich expects his team to focused on the task at hand.
“It’s a great thing that we play them again so soon,” the coach said. “It’s funny because when I first saw the schedule and realized we got to play Canisius twice in eight days, I wasn’t thrilled with it. Now, the way things have played out. It’s perfect for us.
“January’s over. It was a tough painful, agonizing month. But now it’s February and you can always get excited about February.”
