Niagara

Daryl Green had 20 points, nine assists and five rebounds as Niagara defeated visiting UMES, 81-71, yesterday in men's basketball.The Purple Eagles (6-2) used a 16-4 run for a 41-38 lead at halftime. The Hawks trailed 52-49 with 12: 53 left before Green scored seven straight.Demetrius Reese had a game-high 24 points for UMES (3-5).WomenJames Madison 83, Coppin State 73: Mandy White scored 20 to lead the Dukes (4-4) over the visiting Eagles (4-7).James Madison led by as many as 21, but Coppin pulled within 47-34 at halftime and tied the game at 68 on Liesha Mitchell's jumper with 4: 08 left but did not score again until 17 seconds remained.

Niagara's starting guards put on a show worthy of superlatives at Evergreen yesterday, figuring in more than 80 percent of the Purple Eagles' points in a 103-86 demolition of Loyola.One of those guards, Alvin Young, entered Reitz Arena with 640 points and a 24.6 scoring average, Division I's best and, by two-tenths of a point, second-best scoring figures, respectively.He scored 33 yesterday -- 26 in the second half, much more icing than essential.More damaging early was Young's backcourt partner, Jeremiah Johnson, who scored 26, 14 in the more competitive first half, when the visitors grabbed the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game's lead at 24-22 after a TV timeout with 11: 22 remaining and were never threatened again.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The good news for Jason Rowe, Loyola's talented point guard, is that he has come home to help launch the Greyhounds' bid for a spot in the NCAA tournament.The bad news is that he has never been on a team that has won at the site of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament and is coming off one of his poorest performances of the season."There will be a section full of family and friends watching," said Rowe, a Buffalo native. "It's a great feeling to do something special in your hometown.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- This was a tough one to take.Bent backward but unbowed, Loyola's men looked opportunity in the face yesterday in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament, but couldn't capitalize.The Greyhounds rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final 14 minutes and had a chance to tie second-seeded Niagara and force overtime, but the clock expired on them as they dropped a heart-wrenching, 78-77 decision at Marine Midland Arena.Niagara (17-11) moved into today's noon semifinal against St. Peter's, while an enigmatic Loyola team returned home with a season record of 13-15.

Orion Power Holdings, a joint venture of the Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. and investment powerhouse Goldman Sachs & Co., completed its $425 million purchase of 71 hydroelectric generating plants yesterday.All of the plants are in upstate New York and were owned by Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. of Syracuse, N.Y. The plants generate enough megawatt hours of electricity to serve 200,000 homes.Lori Scheiner, a spokeswoman for Orion, said the acquisition is part of the company's strategy of "building a portfolio of nonnuclear electric-generating stations throughout the United States."

There were no happy endings last night for Mike Powell and the Loyola College basketball team.Powell put on one of the best shows of his storied career at Loyola, but he and the Greyhounds still came up short against Niagara University, 77-66, in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game before the largest crowd of the season, 2,203, at Reitz Arena.Powell, a 6-foot-3 senior, was playing his final home game and gave the fans their money's worth with 31 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two assists -- and one thunderous dunk early in the game.

Orion Power Holdings, a joint venture of BGE and a New York investment firm, announced yesterday that it is purchasing 72 hydroelectric generating plants in Syracuse, N.Y., for $425 million.In March, Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. and Goldman, Sachs & Co. formed Orion in order to buy power plants in response to deregulation and quickly changing competition.The deal announced yesterday is the first major purchase by Orion, and involves 72 plants from Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.Lori Scheiner, an Orion spokeswoman, said the plants are well-maintained and the purchase "was a good opportunity for Orion to develop its portfolio of assets."

Site: Pepsi Arena, Albany, N.Y.MenToday's first round(7) Manhattan (10-16, 7-11) vs. (10) St. Peter's (8-18, 4-14), 10 a.m.(8) Marist (10-16, 7-11) vs. (9) Fairfield (12-14, 7-11), 4: 45 p.m.Tomorrow's quarterfinals(5) Loyola (11-15, 9-9) vs. (4) Niagara (14-12, 10-8), noon(1) Iona (24-5, 15-3) vs. Marist-Fairfield winner, 2 p.m.(2) Rider (18-8, 12-6) vs. Manhattan-St. Peter's winner, 7 p.m.(3) Siena (15-11, 10-8) vs. (6) Canisius (13-13, 9-9), 9 p.m.Sunday's semifinalsLoyola-Niagara winner vs. Iona-Marist/Fairfield winner, 6 p.m.Siena-Canisius winner vs. Rider-Manhattan/St.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- With 17 minutes remaining in regulation, the Loyola men's team appeared to be in serious trouble in the quarterfinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament yesterday.Center Roderick Platt -- the key man to counter Niagara's inside game -- was on the bench with four fouls, senior Mike Powell was not his usual self because of a sprained knee and the Purple Eagles were frothing at the idea of meeting little opposition around the basket for the next 10 minutes.But perseverance proved a great ally for the Greyhounds, who fought back to beat Niagara, 85-80, in overtime and advanced to tonight's semifinals against top-seeded Iona.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Maryland women's basketball team shook off an initial 10-0 run from No. 5 North Carolina and pulled within two midway through the second half before falling, 73-63, last night at Carmichael Auditorium.With only eight players available, the Terps (15-6, 6-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) gamely battled back from a 14-point, first-half deficit to put a scare into the conference-leading Tar Heels (20-1, 11-0)."I was very proud that the team stuck with it and played hard.

1 Mr. Roboto: Sure, Kobe is known by just one name, but Chris Paul (left) has a cooler nickname, CP3, even if it does sound sort of like a robot (Hornets at Lakers, 10:30 p.m., ESPN). 2 Still perfect: No. 1 Lake Clifton tries to keep its undefeated boys basketball season going with a game at No. 11 Patterson (5:15 p.m.). 3 Old school: Illinois State vs. Niagara (7 p.m., ESPN2) must mean Doug Collins vs. Calvin Murphy. 4 Pick-'em-ups: When they run qualifying in NASCAR's truck series (4:30 p.m., Speed)

Brett Harvey scored a game-high 27 points but couldn't prevent Loyola's fourth consecutive defeat, a 91-75 loss to Niagara at Reitz Arena yesterday. Jamal Barney and Marquis Sullivan (Archbishop Spalding) added 13 points each for the Greyhounds (2-7, 0-2 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). Loyola, which allowed a season high in points, never recovered from a 3-for-11 start from the field. Niagara (6-1, 1-0) sprinted to a 23-9 lead. The Greyhounds got within 65-57 on Harvey's two free throws with 10:21 left before a 12-5 Niagara run capped by Demetrius Williamson's three-pointer with 4:50 remaining.

Gerald Brown and Niagara's Charron Fisher picked up where they left off five days earlier, engaging in another high-scoring shootout. Again, Fisher and the Purple Eagles got the best of the Greyhounds, winning, 92-87, before an announced 1,825 at Reitz Arena. Fisher, the nation's leading scorer who had 31 points the last time these two teams met, topped that with a career-high 45 points on 15-for-27 shooting from the field. "Loyola is a team I like to play against," said Fisher, a forward who scored 25 points in the first half as the Purple Eagles built a 55-43 halftime lead.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Loyola College was no match for a streaking Niagara team that knows its way around the postseason, as the Greyhounds were bounced out in the semifinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament last night, 89-79. It was the most points allowed in regulation this season by Loyola, which trailed by 10 at the half, closed within seven midway through the second, but lagged again and fell behind by 19 with six minutes left. "Their experience went to the NCAAs two years ago," Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos said.

Niagara came to Reitz Arena festooned in purple road uniforms, obviously the proper color for this monumental weekend in Baltimore. But after a pulsating Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game with Loyola, the Purple Eagles left the city feeling mighty blue. Loyola's leading scorer, Gerald Brown (Douglass) made a three-pointer with 18.8 seconds left in overtime to decide a topsy-turvy, 96-95 game that didn't officially end until the final seconds when Niagara's Clif Brown missed a near-layup.

In the first half of Loyola's game against Niagara last night, Greyhounds guard Andre Collins hardly looked like he should be mentioned in the same sentence as Gonzaga's Adam Morrison. But Collins, whose 26.9-point average entering the game trailed only Morrison nationally, put on a blistering scoring display early in the second half to carry the Greyhounds to an 82-70 win before 2,512 at Reitz Arena. Collins finished with 28 points, and Michael Tuck added a career-high 22 points and 11 rebounds for Loyola (8-3, 2-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Having a projected NBA lottery pick to go to at the end of a close game is an advantage for Utah, but Texas-El Paso did everything it could to keep Andrew Bogut from getting the ball. The Miners were going to force someone else to beat them in an NCAA first-round game at the McKale Center. Unfortunately for UTEP, someone else did. Marc Jackson's jump shot broke a tie with 39.5 seconds remaining and propelled Utah to a 60-54 victory. Jackson's 18-footer broke a 54-54 tie as Bogut watched while surrounded by defenders.

Last season it took Loyola College 19 games before it registered its first win. This season, it took the Greyhounds six. After five tough losses, including two at home by a combined six points, the Greyhounds put together a solid group effort last night and defeated visiting Niagara, 97-89, before a small yet exuberant crowd of 1,746 at Reitz Arena. The win not only is the first of the season for Loyola, but it also is the first win for the Greyhounds in the Jimmy Patsos era. The former Maryland assistant coach under Gary Williams has transformed a program that didn't score more than 71 points in a game all last season into a program that has already eclipsed the 80-point mark three times.

Sophomore Katie Scherle scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Loyola used a 19-3 run over the final nine minutes to defeat visiting Niagara, 60-49, yesterday at Reitz Arena. The Greyhounds (8-7, 4-2 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) led by as many as 11 in the first half. But Niagara (9-6, 3-3) chipped away at the beginning of the second half and took a 46-41 lead with 9:07 remaining before the Greyhounds reassumed control down the stretch. Drexel 50, Towson 49: Despite the return of leading scorer Kacy O'Brien, the host Tigers (8-6, 0-5 Colonial Athletic Association)

Loyola's efforts late in the first half last night, when it took a healthy cut into a 13-point deficit against Niagara, could be identified as giving its fans false hope. Right now, there's no other kind of hope for those observing the Greyhounds, who quickly fell further behind in the second half of a 79-55 loss to the Purple Eagles in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game. It was the 12th straight loss to Niagara (10-4, 4-1) and 28th consecutive defeat overall for Loyola (0-15, 0-6)