Rob Garrison has been immersed in the Niagara-Canisius rivalry practically his whole life.

He grew up down the Robert Moses Expressway, in the heart of Niagara Falls, and remembers

watching guards like Dewitt Doss and Alvin Cruz put their imprint on the series.

Until just before tipoff Friday night it hadn't dawned on Garrison that, barring a

postseason meeting, this would be his last chance to make a significant contribution to a

Niagara victory over its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rival. Not until Athletic Director

Ed McLaughlin reminded Garrison on his way onto the floor did the senior guard, a transfer

from UConn, realize that this was his final Niagara-Canisius game.

Garrison took the cue. He scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half. He finished with

two steals and a team-high five assists. And he'll have fond memories of his final go-round

against the Golden Griffins as the Purple Eagles avenged last week's overtime loss at the

Koessler Center with a 66-54 victory before a sellout crowd of 2,400 at the Gallagher Center.

It was a vital victory for Niagara as it seeks to avoid the extreme hardship of a potential

four games in four days in next month's MAAC Tournament. The bottom four teams in the

conference play an extra game, and Marist, Manhattan and Loyola look like they'll be relegated

to the play-ins. The fourth team figures to be either Rider, Niagara or Canisius, all 6-7 in

conference after Friday results that included a Rider home loss to Loyola.

"I don't like to use the expression, at least publicly, "must win,' but it was certainly

very important that we took care of business here," said Niagara coach Joe Mihalich. "We love

February. It's always been good to us. Here it is February and we're starting to get that

feeling back."

Garrison, a 6-foot-2 guard set the tone as the Purple Eagles won consecutive games for the

first time since Dec. 13 and 22 and improved to 21-5 in February since 2007. He drove for

Niagara's second basket of the night. He scored 10 straight Niagara points in one stretch, a

blitz that included a drive, a conventional three-point play and a jumper from beyond the arc.

"Rob's play in the first half was great. That was Rob Garrison," said Niagara guard Tyrone

Lewis. "That's the Rob that we love. He showed up and he played hard. It's funny. After he

scored a couple buckets he came to me and said, "I'm in the show now. I'm here.' "

"The bottom line is I just wanted to contribute," Garrison said. "I didn't think I

contributed enough in the first Canisius game. This game I wanted to come out and give as much

as I can to my team."

While Garrison damaged the Griffs in the first half, point guard Anthony Nelson took

control after intermission, scoring 10 of his 17. Niagara had particular success —

whether it was Garrison or Nelson — working against Frank Turner, Canisius' 5-foot-10

point guard.

"Yes, we were trying to take advantage of that mismatch, but even more than that we needed

to get the ball inside a little bit," Mihalich said.

Canisius struggled on the offensive end in the second half, committing 12 of its 21

turnovers. The Griffs also were victimized by 10 Niagara steals. Worn down, they shot just 33

percent after intermission.

"Lost opportunity," said Canisius coach Tom Parrotta. "I thought we didn't play our best

game, obviously. We were able to battle back from a deficit and get the lead, and then somehow

and some way we continued to turn the ball over and they capitalized on it."

Turner (10 points) was key to an 11-0 Canisius run that opened a 45-44 advantage with 11:34

remaining. Niagara rebounded with an 11-2 run that included four points by Nelson and another

Garrison drive.