AMHERST, N.Y. (AP) -- Tremmell Darden had 26 points and Juan Mendez added 20 points and 16 rebounds, helping Niagara rally for an 87-83 win over Troy State in the opening round of the NIT on Wednesday night.
Niagara, which trailed by 17 points, advanced to the first round and will play at Nebraska on Friday.
Greg Davis had 18 points and Rob Lewin added 16 points and 10 rebounds for Troy State (24-7), making its first NIT appearance.
The Purple Eagles (22-9), who lost to Manhattan in the MAAC championship game last week, started slowly and was down by 17 midway through the first half.
After pulling even at 64 with 9:37 remaining in the game, Niagara fell behind by eight, but took the lead after a 17-7 run. That was capped by Alvin Cruz's 3-pointer with 1:25 to go, making the score 83-81.
Cruz added 14 points, all in the second half, and James Reaves had 12 points for Niagara.
Kendrick Johnson had 14 points and Ryan Heck and Jerome Stamper each had 11 points for Troy State.