Feb. 22, 2006

Box Score

Hackensack, NJ - Wagner defeated first place Fairleigh Dickinson 72-66 tonight at the Rothman Center to stay alive for the final Northeast Conference playoff spot. The Seahawks won their second straight game to up their record to 12-13 overall and 5-11 in the NEC. After 11 straight wins, FDU lost for the second straight game falling to 17-10 overall and 13-4 in the league.

High School teammates Durell Vinson (Vineland, NJ / St. Augustine's Prep) and Mark Porter (Atlantic City, NJ / St. Augustine's Prep) combined for 36 points to lead Wagner which shot 49.2 percent for the game.

In the first half Wagner started out sluggish as they trailed 14-5 five minutes into the contest after making just one of their first seven shots. Junior Matt Vitale (Brooklyn, NY / St. Edmonds Prep) then help awaken the Seahawks with a three form the left corner to set off a 23-4 run by Wagner.

The defense held the Knights to 2-13 from the field during the nine minute stanza which left the Seahawks with a 28-18 lead at the 6:30 mark. Vitale added another three, while freshman Llewchean Radford (Newport News, VA / Heritage) also scored six in the run. Wagner would twice lead by 11 later in the half before going into the locker room up 36-27.

The Knights came out strong in the second half scoring the first six points as part of a 16-7 run that tied the game at 43-43 with 14:43 left. The game would then experience four ties and two lead changes in the next six minutes before Vitale nailed a three the put Wagner on top for good at 8:22.

Wagner held a seven point advantage (66-59) with 2:49 remaining, but a three by Gordon Klaiber followed by a FDU steal and a pair of Chad Timberlake free throws cut the lead back to just two points less than a minute later. Vinson then put the nail in the coffin with an offensive put back following a driving Porter lay-up. Vinson was fouled on the play and his ensuing free throw gave Wagner a five point advantage with just under two minutes on the clock.

After a couple of long three-point misses from the Knights, Porter made 3-4 from the line down the stretch to seal the win.

Vinson totaled a game high 19 points, followed by 17 from Porter. Vitale made 4-6 from three for 12 points as the Seahawks shot 8-15 (.533) from beyond the arc, their highest total in the NEC this season. Despite being out scored 39-36 in the second half, Wagner hit 63.6 percent (14-22) from the field in the second half and out rebounded the hosts 43-28 for the game.

Klaiber had 18 points and nine rebounds to top four double digit scorers for FDU. Andrea Crosariol added 14 points while Timber lake finished with 13 and Michael Peeples with 11. The Knights shot just 34.4 percent (11-32) in the first half, but ended at 42.2 percent for the game which included 3-19 from three.

Wagner will host LIU on Friday at 7:00 pm in a Fox Sports-NY TV broadcast. It is the final home game of the year for the Seahawks as DeEarnest McLemore (Cary, NC / Cary) will be honored in a Senior Day ceremony before the game.

~ wagnerathletics.com ~