BOX SCORE

Staten Island, NY – Freshman forward Josh Thompson (Richland, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) scored a career-high 23 points to lead four players in double figures as Wagner ended its season on a winning note, topping Saint Francis (PA) 81-76. 

Wagner built a 24-point lead at 64-40 with 14:43 left in the game and then survived a furious late rally by the Red Flash in holding on for the victory. 

The win, which broke a seven-game losing streak, gives the Seahawks a final record of 5-26 overall, 3-15 in the Northeast Conference. Saint Francis (PA) falls to 11-18 on the season, 9-9 in league play. 

Wagner came out of the gate blazing hot from the field in racing out to a commanding 26-7 lead with 10:50 remaining in the first half en route to seizing a 53-34 halftime lead. The 53 points are the most scored by Wagner in a first half this season and the Seahawks' 63 percent shooting (17-of-27) was the highest Wagner has shot in a single half this season. 

Thompson tallied 19 points during the torrid first-half surge and was 2-of-2 from beyond the arc as Wagner shot a blistering 80 percent (8-of-10) from three-point range in the opening stanza.
Wagner picked up where it left off in the first half by opening the second half with an 11-6 spurt that gave the Seahawks that 64-40 lead. The 24-point lead represented the largest lead of the season by Wagner as the Seahawks' previous biggest lead of the season was 13 vs. Jackson State (12/22) and Fairleigh Dickinson (2/11). 

Wagner appeared to have the game well in hand on several occasions but the pesky Red Flash would not go away. A free throw by junior center Clifton Spiller (Pleasantville, NJ/Holy Spirit) gave Wagner a 20-point cushion at 73-53 with 7:48 to go. 

With 2:31 left to play, Thompson broke loose on a fast break dunk which gave Wagner a 76-65 lead with 2:31 left but the Red Flash kept scrapping and clawing back. Cedric Latimer and Devin Sweetney keyed the Red Flash comeback as Saint Francis (PA) outscored Wagner 33-13 during a 14:03 span to draw as close as three points at 77-74 with 20 seconds to play. Sophomore guard Chris Martin (Sicklerville, NJ/Apex Academies) then sank two clutch free throws with 13 seconds to go to put Wagner up 79-74. Sweetney responded with a dunk that made it 79-76 with 10 seconds left. Martin was fouled again with three seconds to play and he sealed the win by again making two free throws as Wagner held on for the victory. 

Martin finished with 21 points on the evening while sophomore guard Tyler Murray (Toronto, Ontario/Eastern Commerce) and senior center Michael Orock (Hoboken, NJ/Hoboken) scored 12 and 10 points, respectively for the Seahawks. 

The game served as a perfect senior send-off for Orock and forward Doug Elwell (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell), who were honored before the game in a Senior Night ceremony. In his last game in a Seahawk uniform, Elwell turned in a solid game, scoring seven points, dishing out six assists and coming up with four steals. 

Latimer paced the Red Flash with 21 points while Sweetney and Will Felder chipped in with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Wagner shot an even 50 percent from the field (24-of-48) while limiting the Red Flash to 39 percent shooting from the field. 

NOTES - Wagner set season highs in assists (20), free throws made(23) and three-point percentage (.625). The 81 points are the second-highest output by Wagner this season as the Seahawks scored 91 points in a 102-91 loss to Columbia (12/8).