BOX SCORE / PHOTO GALLERY 
WAGNER CELEBRATION VIDEO

Staten Island, NY - Freshman guard Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ / Avon Old Farms) capped a memorable first game for both he and head coach Dan Hurley with a three pointer that put Wagner in front for good at 59-58 with just 42 seconds remaining as the Seahawks closed out the game on a 7-0 run en route to a 63-58 win over the Leopards in the season-opener for both teams in front of an electric crowd of 1,857 at the Spiro Sports Center. 

Lafayette erased deficits of 16 and seven to tie the game in the second half only to see Wagner push the lead back out to at least seven points on each occasion. The Leopards finally broke through with a late 10-0 run in taking their first lead since the 17-minute mark of the first half when Jared Mintz hit a pair of free throws, giving the visitors a 58-56 lead with just 58 seconds remaining. The ever-resilent Seahawks answered on the next possession as Rivers hit a three pointer from near the top of the key, giving the Green & White an insurmountable 59-58 lead.

Redshirt sophomore Josh Thompson (Richland, NJ / St. Augustine Prep) then stole the ball on the ensuing possession  and junior Tyler Murray (Toronto, Ontario / Eastern Commerce) followed with a pair of free throws, extending the lead out to 61-58 with 22 seconds remaining. Lafayette appeared to answer but Jim Mower was called for traveling before hitting what would have been a game-tying three pointer with just 10 seconds to play. Junior Chris Martin (Sicklerville, NJ / Apex Academies) put the game out of reach with a pair of free throws while giving Wagner a thrilling 63-58 victory.

For the Seahawks, the win snaps a two-game losing streak to the Leopards as the Green & White notched its first season-opening victory since November 9, 2007, a 74-70 nailbiter over Lafayette in Easton, PA. The teams have now tipped the season in each of the last five years, with the Leopards holding the 3-2 edge.

Wagner was paced by the three-guard attack of Murray, Rivers and Martin. Murray notched 18 points, handed out a game-high six assists and grabbed five rebounds while turning the ball over just twice in a game-high 39 minutes of action. Rivers matched Murray with a team-best 18 points, on 7-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while pulling down a team-best six rebounds in 36 minutes. Martin capped the double-figure scorers with 16 points, on 4-of-5 shooting from long range, while knocking down all four free throws, including the game-icing shots.

Jared Mintz led the way for Lafayette, scoring 14 of his game-high 21 points in the second half while shooting 6-for-12 from the floor and a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line with seven rebounds. In four career games against the Seahawks, the 6'9" forward averaged 14.0 ppg while shooting  58.1 percent (18-31) from the floor and a perfect 100.0 percent (19-19) from the charity stripe.

Down 14 at intermission, the Leopards came out of the locker room on a mission. Lafayette quickly made up the deficit with a half-opening 16-2 run, capped by a Mintz three-point play that tied the game up at 36-36 with 12:01 to go in the game. Murray quickly answered with a pair of free throws and a three pointer, extending the lead out to five at 41-36 with 11:02 to play. Rivers capped the 7-0 Wagner run with a jumper at the 10:02 mark.

In continuing with the game of runs theme, the Leopards immediately responded with seven-straight points from Mintz, tying the game again at 43 apiece with 7:10 to go. Murray again answered with a jumper, kick-starting an 8-0 run, capped by a pair of Martin three pointers that were just 36 seconds apart, making it 51-43 Wagner with just 5:55 to play.

Lafayette then scored five-straight points, cutting it the deficit to three before having the Seahawks respond with five-straight points of their own. After Orlando Parker (Fr., Orlando, FL / Orlando Christian Prep) hit a driving lay-up to extend the lead back out to eight at 56-48 at the 4:04 mark, the Leopards made their last counterattack, ripping off 10-straight points over the next 3:06 to take their first lead of the second half. The lead would last for just 16 seconds before Rivers hit the game-winning triple while sparking a 7-0 run to gave Hurley his first collegiate victory.

Wagner shot just 38.5 percent (20-52) for the game, but was a blistering 50.0 percent (11-22) from beyond the arc, and 92.3 percent (12-13) from the charity stripe.  Lafayette was not much better overall, shooting 38.3 percent (18-47), and was just 1-for-8 (12.5 percent) from long range. The Leopards managed to stay in the game by connecting on 84.0 percent (21-25) from the charity stripe  while owning a 34-12 advantage in points in the paint. 

After starting the second half by making just 3-of-16 (18.8 %) from the floor, the Seahawks closed the game on fire in hitting 6-of-7 (85.7 %), including 4-of-5 (80.0 %) from beyond the arc, over the final 7:38.

The Dan Hurley era began at approximately 7:38 pm as the Seahawks controlled the opening tip in the first half. After Mintz made a pair of free throws, Rivers hit a triple to make it 3-2 before Ryan Willen scored on a lay-up. Wagner then erupted for 11-straight points, highlighted by three pointers from Murray, Rivers and Martin, while taking a 14-4 lead with just over 13 minutes remaining. Lafayette would cut the deficit to eight points on four seperate occasions before the Green & White ripped off an 8-2 run just before halftime, in taking its largest lead of the game at 34-18 with 1:10 until halftime on a Ryan Schrotenboer (R-So., Fort Myers, FL / Bishop Veret) jumper.

In the opening stanza Wagner limited Lafayette to just five made field goals and 21.7 percent shooting (5-23) as the Leopards missed all five three-point attempts. Wagner, meanwhile, connected on six three pointers and 60.0 percent (6-10) shooting from beyond the arc in taking a 34-20 lead at intermission.

Wagner is back in action on Monday, November 15 when the Seahawks will look to knock off Lehigh, who beat Lafayette in the Patriot League Championship a year ago. Opening tip at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, PA is set for 7:00 pm.



NOTES: Murray led the team in scoring (18 points) and assists (6) ... Rivers' 18 points is the most be a Seahawks freshman in his first game since Ryan Conrad notched 20 a year ago at Lafayette ... The Leopards fall to 5-2, all-time, against Wagner ... Wagner's win was the first against a Patriot League team since besting Bucknell 83-79 on November 29, 2008 ... Hurley is the first coach to win his debut with the Green & White since Dereck Whittenberg bested the College of Staten Island 95-55 on November 23, 1999 ... His Seahawk unit then went out and defeated Lehigh on the road by a 71-68 score ... The triumvirate of Martin, Danny Mundweiler (So., Overland Park, KS / Olathe East) and Murray combined to make 12-of-13 (92.3 %) from the free throw line ... The threesome shot 75.0 percent (99-132) a year ago ... Each team pulled down 32 rebounds, including five offensive caroms ... The game was the first collegiate win for Dan Hurley since he helped Rutgers to a 75-57 win over Seton Hall on February 21, 2001 when he was an assistant coach for the Scarlet Knights ... It was also the first collegiate victory for Bobby Hurley since he led Duke to a 105-70 win over Southern Illinois on March 18, 1993 in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament ... The announced crowd of 1,857 was the highest attendance in the Spiro Sports Center since February 7, 2009 when Wagner drew 1,921 in a 75-58 win over Saint Francis (PA) ... The Green & White will now leave Staten Island and embark on a seven-game road trip ... The Seahawks next play at home against Saint Peter's on Saturday, December 11 ... Freshman guard Evan Pierce (Pittsburgh, PA / Mount Lebanon) has decided to leave the team, but will remain in school on Grymes Hill.