Dec. 22, 2007

Final Stats

Los Angeles, CA - Senior guard Mark Porter (Atlantic City, NJ/ St. Augustine Prep) scored 26 points, including a game-tying three-point shot and two game-saving blocked shots as Wagner earned an 82-79 road victory over Loyola Marymount in improving to 8-3 on the season.

With Wagner trailing 69-66, Porter drilled a contested three-point jumper with 16.2 seconds from the top of the key to tie the game at 69-69. On the ensuing possession, Porter then blocked a potential game-winning jumper by guard Corey Counts with one second left to play to force overtime.

Wagner went on a 5-0 run to begin overtime on an NBA-length three-point jumper from Joey Mundweiler (Olathe, KS/ Olathe East) followed by a driving layup by Porter. Mundweiler was a catalyst for the Seahawks all game, finishing with 20 points, highlighted by a 5-7 shooting night from three-point range.

The Lions led 31-30 at halftime, with Mundweiler leading Wagner with nine first half points, but the second half was played at a much higher tempo, which is more to Wagner's liking.

In garnering the victory, Wagner was forced to overcome major foul trouble as senior forward James Ulrich (Mt. Laurel, NJ/ Camden Catholic), who was just starting to get into an offensive flow, fouled out with 5:16 left to play. Senior center Durell Vinson (Vineland, NJ/ St. Augustine Prep) picked up his third personal foul with 14:20 left to play. Then, after hitting a runner in the lane, picked up his fourth personal with 11:08 left to play in the game and Wagner leading 49-43. He stayed on the bench until the 2:55 mark when he re-entered the game with the Seahawks up 65-62. Vinson finished with nine points and 11 rebounds while Ulrich had seven points and three rebounds in just 16 minutes of action.

Junior swingman Jamal Smith, who was just 1-11 shooting in regulation, hit two big buckets in overtime and finished with 10 points. Sophomore center Michael Orock (Hobokon, NJ/ Hoboken) coming off a career-high 15-point, seven-rebound effort, turned in some solid minutes in the second half, finishing with two points and two rebounds in 14 minutes.

The Seahawks played tight defense in the opening half, limiting Loyola Marymount to 9-26 shooting which is 35% while winning the rebounding margin 19-16.

This hotly-contested affair featured 10 ties and five lead changes.

Wagner travels to Kansas State on Saturday, Dec. 29.