Niagara coach Jada Pierce had a lot to celebrate on Friday. First, it was her birthday then, her Niagara Purple Eagles scored a 91-86 victory over Le Moyne at the Gallagher Center in the first round of the WNIT.

Possessions: 94- Niagara averages 81 possessions per game, Le Moyne 67. In the category of pace, a 70 possession pace is considered ‘NASCAR’ speed. Let’s just say hitting 90 in a 40 minute contest would be considered ‘warp’ speed. Niagara, obviously, had the upper hand in dictating the tempo.

Offensive efficiency: Niagara 96, Le Moyne 93

Four Factors:

eFG Pct: Le Moyne 49, Niagara 43

FT Rate: Le Moyne 48, Niagara 45

OREB Pct: Le Moyne 34, Niagara 32

TO Rate: Niagara 18, Le Moyne 25

Leading scorers:

Niagara- Angel Parker 23 points

Le Moyne- Sierra Linnin, Sydney Lusher 22 points

Records: Niagara 21-13, Le Moyne 18-15

The Difference. Niagara raced out to a 12-0 lead. Le Moyne, though, was not about to go away. The Dolphins closed to within one at the end of the first period and the game with seven ties and 10 lead changes, remained close. The well documented pressure defense of the Purple Eagles was a significant factor. The first half closed with the hosts ahead 34-32 . By that point Niagara had forced 17 Dolphin turnovers translating into 19 points. On the evening, Le Moyne had 26 miscues resulting in 29 Niagara points. The Purple Eagles sealed the deal in the final ten minutes. Experience and leadership were crucial as both graduate guard Angel and junior guard Aaliyah Parker scored nine points over that stretch. Niagara also was clutch, shooting 19 of 21 from the charity stripe in the final period.

Notes: Niagara visits Vermont on Monday in the second round of the WNIT.

This was the first postseason tournament victory in Niagara’s NCAA Division I era.

It was also the first time the Purple Eagles hosted a postseason tournament game in their NCAA history.

Balance was a factor as Niagara had four players in double figures: Beside Angel Parker (23), Aaliyah Parker had 19 while Destiny Strother and Amelia Strong had 17 each.

Destiny Strother also celebrated her birthday as did coach Pierce.

Angel Parker appeared in her 125th career game at Niagara, a program record.

Le Moyne capped off an excellent year in their maiden campaign on the Division I level. Picked for second to last in the Northeast Conference preseason poll, Mary Grimes’ Dolphins finished second at 14-2. They advanced to the NEC championship game before losing to Sacred Heart. Individually, Lytoya Baker, a fifth year guard from Rochester, NY, was chosen NEC Co-Player of the Year. In this contest, Baker had a solid 15 point, 10 rebound double-double.