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Easton, PA - Sophomore guard Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ / Avon Old Farms (CT)) paced four double-figure scorers for Wagner with 19 points, including hitting six straight free throws in the game's final 1:12, in leading Wagner to a 76-70 wire-to-wire win over Lafayette at the Kirby Sports Center. With the win, the Seahawks improve to 3-1 while the Leopards fall to 2-2.

Wagner came up clutch in earning its second-straight win over Lafayette by draining 9-of-10 from the line in the game's final 1:29 after starting out just 10-for-18.

For the second-straight year, Rivers stepped up in the game's waning moments to put away the Leopards. Last year as a freshman, he hit the eventual winning three pointer en route to 18 points before notching 10 of his 19 points in the second stanza to go along with three rebounds and three assists over 34 minutes of action tonight.

The victory also caps a grueling stretch that saw the Seahawks play four games in eight days to start the season. The road doesn't get any easier for Wagner as the Green & White heads to Penn on Tuesday, November 22 to face a Quaker squad that bested Robert Morris 66-60 earlier in the evening.

Rivers opened the game's scoring with a three pointer before Rob Delaney quickly answered with a triple of his own. Senior Tyler Murray (Toronto, Ontario / Eastern Commerce) continued the three-point pattern with a triple on the next Wagner possession.Sophomore Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ / Science Park / Southern Mississippi) then stole the ball and converted an old-fashioned three-point play on the other end, sparking a game-changing 10-0 run. Rivers then split a pair from the line before Murray sank his second three pointer in under a minute, while opening up a 13-3 lead at the 17:22 mark of the first.

Lafayette would not go away though and managed to hang around and cut the deficit to two at 19-17 with 10:34 to play. The Leopards would have three chances to take the lead but misfired on two shot attempts before turning the ball over on their third opportunity while foreshadowing what would be the overriding theme of the night for the hosts.

Senior Chris Martin (Sicklerville, NJ / Apex Academies) then made it a two-possession game at 22-17 with 9:03 to play with his only three pointer of the night. Lafayette got the deficit back down to three at 25-22 with 6:03 to play before the Seahawks ripped off their second 10-0 run of the half. Sophomore Naofall Folahan (Cotonou, Republic of Benin / Wilbraham and Monson Academy (MA)) hit a layup off a pass from Ortiz before Rivers sank a triple off a Jonathon Williams (Richmond, CA / Kennedy / City College of San Francisco) pass. Folahan then hit a jumper off a nifty give from junior Josh Thompson (Richland, NJ / St. Augustine Prep). After Thompson split a pair from the line, a Williams layup made it a 35-22 game with 3:12 to play in the half. Lafayette would rally to cut it to 39-31 at the half thanks to a 16-point performance from Ryan Willen in the opening stanza. Willen was 4-of-5 from the floor while the rest of his teammates managed to go just 5-for-17.

Wagner, meanwhile, was more than a one-man team as eight different players scored as the Seahawks assumed command thanks to a balanced offensive attack and a 15-5 advantage in points off turnovers as the Green & White forced 11 turnovers while committing just four miscues of their own. Lafayette managed to stay in the game thanks to winning the battle of the boards (18-14) and limiting the Wagner shooters to just 2-of-9 from beyond the arc after the Seahawks hit three of their first four. The Green & White also shot a chilly 54.5 percent (5-11) from the line, despite making good on 50 percent (14-28) from the floor.

In the second half, the Leopards made it a game thanks to converting on 50.percent (7-14) from long range while Wagner shot a chilly 28.6 percent (2-7). With the Seahawks still holding the eight-point lead they had at intermission with 14:47 to go in the game, Lafayette's Jim Mower hit a jumper before Seth Hinrichs knocked down a three to make it a single-possession game at 50-47 with 12:44 to play. Murray pushed the lead back out to six with a three point before Hinrichs hit a triple and Mower a pair from the line in trimming the deficit to one at 53-52 with 11:05 to go.

Sophomore Orlando Parker (Orlando, FL / Orlando Christian Prep) answered with a hook shot on the other end but Nick Petkovich came back with a layup on the ensuing Leopard possession. Lafayette then had three chances to tie or take the lead but turned the ball over before missing a three point attempt and a free throw. Rivers finally broke through with a jumper in the paint to raise the Green & White lead back to three at 57-54 with 7:51 to play.

The Leopards again got it to one only to see Williams answer with his only three pointer of the night. From that point on the game was never in doubt as the lead never went below five after Rivers hit a jumper at the 6:52 mark, making it a six-point game as Wagner would go on to post a 76-70 victory.

The Seahawks hit on 47.2 percent (25-53) from the floor, including 35.0 percent (7-20) from beyond the arc and 67.0 percent (19-28) from the line. The Leopards shot 44.7 percent (21-47), including 37.0 percent (10-27) from long range and 81.8 percent (18-22) from the line but were done in by 20 turnovers that led to a 20-10 advantage on points off turnovers. The Green & White also outscored Lafayette 30-20 in the paint thanks to the talented guard trio of Murray, Ortiz and Rivers, who combined for 41 points and seven assists while opening up the offense for the frontcourt.

Joining Rivers in double-figures was Murray (12 points), Folahan and Ortiz (10 points). The threesome also all grabbed a team-best five rebounds and were matched by Williams, who also ripped down five missed shots. 

Willen led Lafayette with game-highs in points (20) and rebounds while Mower (19 points, 6 rebounds), Hinrichs (12 points) and Delaney (10 points, 6 assists) all had solid games.

NOTES:
* Wagner improves to 3-5, all-time, against Lafayette with its second-straight win over the Leopards.

* The Seahawks are also now 3-1 for the first time since the 2008-2009 season.

* The Green & White have not trailed in each of the last two games.

* Wagner shot 50.0 percent in the first half and has now converted at least 50 percent in a half in three of its four games with #4 UConn (11/14) being the lone exception.

* The Seahawks were 11-of-14 (.786) from the line over the game's final five minutes and just 8-for-14 (.571) in the first 35 minutes.

* Lafayette was pressured into 20 turnovers by the Green & White, marking the second time this season that Wagner has forced at least 20 in a game. On the year, the Seahawks have an impressive +6.8 turnover margin.

* This is the third game this season that nine different Wagner players have scored and the third in which 11 players saw action.

* Freshman Mario Moody (East Orange, NJ / East Orange Campus) dressed for the first time in his collegiate career after being sidelined due to an injury, but did not play.

* The Seahawks improve to 30-24, all-time, against the Patriot League, and will host Lehigh on Saturday, December 10. Last year, the Green & White went 2-1 against the eight-team league and was the only team to win on eventual champion Bucknell's home court all season.

* Head Coach Dan Hurley was featured in a pair of articles this week by Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports and Mike Vorkunov of the Star Ledger. Click HERE to read Goodman's article and HERE to peruse Vorkunov's.