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Dave Saffran

Men's Basketball

Long Island Rallies Past Wagner 83-79 In Overtime

Junior Chris Martin forced overtime with his fourth three pointer
BOX SCORE

Staten Island, NY - Long Island closed out the game on a 9-4 en route to an 83-79 overtime victory over Wagner in Northeast Conference (NEC) action at the Spiro Sports Center. Junior Chris Martin (Sicklerville, NJ / Apex Academies) forced overtime with just 3.3 seconds remaining in regulation with his fourth three pointer of the second half.


With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 13-13 and 9-6 in the NEC while the Blackbirds improve to 21-5 and 13-2 in the league. Wagner will have little time to fret over the loss as the Green & White host St. Francis (NY) on Saturday at Noon before a regionally televised audience on MSG. Prior to the game the Seahawks will honor the program's senior class with the ceremony slated to begin at 11:41 am.


In a game that featured 13 ties and 11 lead changes, LIU took the largest lead of the game at 64-57 with 5:30 to play in regulation following David Hicks' fast-break jumper while forcing Wagner head coach Dan Hurley into a timeout. Junior Tyler Murray (Toronto, Ontario / Eastern Commerce) responded on the ensuing play with an old-fashioned three-point play, hitting a driving lay-up before draining the free throw. The teams would then go over two minutes without scoring before Martin drilled a three pointer off a nifty feed from freshman Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ / Avon Old Farms (CT)) following a Murray steal, cutting the deficit to 64-63 with 3:09 to go.

Hicks answered with a three pointer on the next possession before freshman Naofall Folahan (Benin Republic (West Africa) / Wilbraham and Monson Academy) split a pair at the line, slicing the lead to 67-64 with 2:20 to play. The Blackbirds had a chance to add to the lead but missed two free throws. Then following a LIU miss on the subsequent possession, Rivers grabbed the rebound and raced the length of the court for a fast break lay up while again getting the Seahawks to within one at 67-66 with 1:23 to go.

After a Blackbird missed shot, Folahan grabbed the rebound and was fouled on the play. The first-year pivot calmly sank both free throws, giving the Green & White the lead at 68-67 with just 55 seconds to play. Jamal Olasewere answered with a pair of his own from the line, reclaiming the lead for LIU at 69-68 with 35 seconds to play. Following just the second Seahawk turnover of the second half, Hicks converted two free throws from the line in pushing the lead out to 71-68 with 20 seconds to go.

Rivers missed the ensuing three-point attempt only to have Murray corrall the rebound and find a wide-open Martin flush left at the top of the key and the junior point guard found nothing but nylon in tying the game up at 71-71 with just over three seconds to play. C.J. Garner base-line jumper was no good at the buzzer as the game, forcing extra time.

Folahan won the opening tap in overtime and gave Wagner the lead at 73-71 with a lay-up off a pass from sophomore Josh Thompson (Richland, NJ / St. Augustine Prep). Hicks split a pair at the other end drawing to within one at 73-72 with 4:05 to play. Folahan added to the lead with a powerful dunk off a pass from Martin, extending the lead out to 75-72 with 3:12 to play.



Unfortunately, from that point it was all LIU.

The Blackbirds tied the game up at 75-75 on a Hicks three pointer at the 1:46 mark of OT. After Murray missed a lay-up, Garner found Kyle Johnson on the baseline for a lay-up, giving LIU the two-point lead with 1:00 to play. Martin then turned the ball over and Boyd sank two free throws with 24 seconds on the clock - extending the visitor's advantage to four. Martin answered on the opposite end with a jumper but the Blackbirds converted four-straight free throws en route to the 83-79 victory.

Wagner placed five players in double-figures for the third time this season while converting a season-best 32 field goals (67 attempts) on a season-best 25 assists en route to 47.8 percent shooting. The Seahawks shot just 32.0 percent (8-25) from beyond the arc and 63.6 percent (7-11) from the line.

Rivers paced the Green & White in scoring for the eighth time this year with 18 points and a team-best matching six rebounds and five assists over a career-best matching 42 minutes of action.Martin scored all 16 of his points after halftime while going 4-of-7 from long range with a team-best matching six rebounds and six assists. Folahan recorded double-figures for the fifth time this season with 15 points, on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor and 5-of-8 from the line. Murray added 12 points with recording a team-best matching six rebounds and six assists while freshman Orlando Parker (Orlando, FL / Orlando Christian Prep) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 12 points, on 6-of-10 shooting, with five rebounds and three blocks.

LIU which shot 41.5 percent (22-53) for the game was paced by Hicks, who scored a game-high 21 points while his backcourt mate Kyle Johnson added 17. Boyd added 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds while Olasewere rounded out the double-figure scorers with 12 points despite playing just 17 minutes. Jason Brickman came off the bench to record a game-high 10 assists, against no turnovers.

Wagner, which was outscored 27-12 in second chance points in the first meeting, won that category tonight by a 16-4 margin. The Seahawks matched the Blackbirds with 10 offensive rebounds apiece but lost the overall battle by a 38-32 count.

In the opening half, the Green & White shot a blistering 52.0 percent from the floor and were led by the freshmen trio of Folahan, Parker and Rivers, who scored 22 of the 28 Wagner points, one 10-of-13 shooting. LIU assumed the 30-28 lead at the break thanks to a converting 9-of-15 from the charity stripe while the Seahawks didn't attempt a single free throw. Wagner led by as many as six points on four occasions but allowed the Blackbirds to take the halftime lead thanks to a 10-2 half-ending run over the last 5:31.

NOTES: Wagner committed just four turnovers after halftime ... Junior Clayfell Harris (London, England / Bridgton Academy (ME)) scored a season-best matching four points - including this nifty tip-in - while Thompson notched a career-high six assists off the bench ... All-Time Leading Scorer Terrance Bailey will be honored at the third media timeout of the first half in Saturday's game for his inclusion in the inaugural NEC Hall of Fame class ... Click HERE to read the NEC's blog on Bailey ... 1,000 point scorer and 2009 Wagner graduate Joey Mundweiler was in attendance at the game ... The overtime loss was the first this season by a Seahawk squad.
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