As of now, you probably know that the NCAA has canceled all winter postseason tournaments and spring sports championships due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. It has been a very crazy day in that regard, and it has kept this sports writer busy with his full-time job at the Waterbury Republican-American.
That being said, I wanted to share a great moment from the first round of Tuesday’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament. It involves Niagara University sophomore and former Sacred Heart High School standout Raheem Solomon.
The sixth-seeded Purple Eagles were playing the No. 11 Marist College Red Foxes in Atlantic City, N.J., and the game was tied, 54-54, as the waning seconds of regulation ticked off the clock. Marcus Hammond drove into the lane and jumped into the air. He spotted Solomon on the left and dished to his teammate, who banked in a close shot with 3.8 seconds left for a 56-54 lead. Marist missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and Niagara hung on for the 56-54 victory.
The Purple Eagles were scheduled to play the third-seeded Rider University Broncs tonight at 7, but the MAAC released a statement this afternoon that the rest of the tournament was canceled. It was a tough season overall for Niagara (12-20, 9-11 MAAC), but Solomon gave the Purple Eagles a piece of positive momentum to bring into the 2020-2021 season.
Photo courtesy of Niagara University athletics.
