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Staten Island, NY - Wagner (2-3) scored the final eight points of the game en route to posting a thrilling 48-42 overtime victory over Princeton (2-4) at the Spiro Sports Center. Trailing 38-31 with 8:00 to play, the Seahawks outscored the Tigers 17-4 the rest of the way in winning their third-straight home opener..

Senior Jonathon Williams (Richmond, CA / Kennedy / City College of San Francisco) turned in another outstanding performance, leading the Green & White in scoring (20) and rebounding (9) for the fifth-straight game to start the season.

Princeton appeared to be in complete control after Brendan Connolly's layup at the eight-minute mark extended the Tiger lead to 38-31. However, from that point on it would be all Seahawks thanks to a stifling defensive effort by the Green & White. With 5:50 remaining, freshman Eric Fanning (Trenton, NJ / Perkiomen (PA)) canned a pair of free throws that were a direct result of a Josh Thompson (Sr., Bridgeton, NJ / St. Augustine Prep) steal. On the ensuing possession, junior Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ / Science Park / Southern Mississippi) swiped the ball from T.J. Bray, before taking the ball in for a layup to cut the deficit to 38-35 with 4:53 remaining.

After Princeton briefly answered with a pair of free throws, Fanning drained a 25-foot three pointer off a pass from junior Orlando Parker (Orlando, FL / Orlando Christian Prep), trimming the lead to 40-38 with 3:26 to play. On the following possession, Ortiz corralled a defensive rebound to make it a one-possession game for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. Then, following a timeout Williams converted this off-balance layup to tie the game at 40-40 with just 2:17 to play.

Both teams had their chances to win the game over the next two-plus minutes as the Tigers missed on a pair from the line with 57 seconds remaining. On the other end, Wagner misfired three layups over the final 34 seconds of the game, including two in the final seconds, as the game would need five more minutes to be decided.

The visitors missed on their final five shots of regulation while turning the ball over four times against the Seahawks' stifling full court press.

Princeton struck first in the extra session with a T.J. Brey layup at the 3:22 mark of overtime. From that point on it was all Wagner as Parker tied the game with this nifty up-and-under layup, before giving the Seahawks their first lead of the night at 43-42 with a free throw. The Tigers had their chances to rally, but missed their final six shots of the evening as the Green & White pulled out the 48-42 come-from-behind win.

In the extra session, Parker scored five of Wagner's eight points en route to finishing the game with seven points, five rebounds, two steals and a block over 21 big minutes off the bench. The Seahawks also continued the defensive intensity into extra time, forcing Princeton into just 1-for-9 shooting from the floor. All told, over the final 13 minutes of the game, the Tigers were outscored 17-4 while going just 1-for-14 from the floor with five turnovers.

Things looked bleak in the first half for Wagner as Princeton scored the first nine points of the game, before Williams stopped the bleeding with a layup. The Seahawks would cut the deficit to five points on four occasions, before going into the break down 23-14.

After halftime, the Tigers extended their lead back out to a game-high matching 11 at 27-16 with 18:14 remaining and appeared poised to blow the game open. However, Wagner responded with a layup from Williams, before sophomore Marcus Burton (Charlotte, NC / David W. Butler) followed suit with this layup to trim it to 27-20 at the 17:10 mark. From that point, the Seahawks would keep the deficit in single digits, before making their aforementioned late-game run starting at the eight-minute mark..

For the game, the Green & White converted on just 36.4 percent (16-for-44) from the floor, including 12.5 percent (1-for-8) from long range, and 71.4 percent (15-for-21) from the line. The Tigers, meanwhile, were forced into just 29.8 percent (17-for-57) from the field, including a chilly 14.3 percent (2-for-14), and 46.2 percent (6-for-13) from the line.

Additionally, Wagner limited the Princeton frontcourt of Will Barrett, Brendan Connolly and Ian Hummer into 19 points, on just 28.1 percent (9-of-32) shooting. The trio came in averaging 34.0 points, on 51.7 percent (62-for-120) shooting.

Photography by Dave Saffran

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Notes:
* Wagner will conclude its grueling four-game, eight-day stretch at Temple on Saturday, December 1 at 2:00 pm.

* The last time the Seahawks played an Atlantic 10 (A-10) institution was on December 17, 2005, when the Green & White posted a 63-61 win at Rhode Island.

* Wagner improves to 26-11, all-time, in home openers at the Division I level.

* The Seahawks are averaging 43.0 points per game in their two wins and 63.0 points per game in their three losses.

* Wagner now won three-straight games against the Ivy League and will look to make it four when Penn invades the Spiro Sports Center on December 30.

* Williams was an efficient 7-of-11 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the line ... He is now averaging a team-best 18.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 60.0 percent (33-for-55) from the floor and 84.6 percent (22-for-26) from the line.

* Over his last two games, Williams is averaging 23.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while converting on 17-for-21 (.810) from the floor and 12-for-13 (.923) from the line.

* Ortiz had seven rebounds while sophomore Mario Moody (East Orange, NJ / East Orange Campus) notched five points, five rebounds and three blocks.

* Fanning knocked down the lone Seahawk three pointer of the night and finished up with five points and three rebounds.

* Thompson also had a solid game off the bench, registering a team-best three assists and three steals over a season-high 33 minutes.

* Wagner has now held two teams under 30 percent shooting this season and are limiting the opposition to just 38.5 percent (110-for-286) shooting, including 24.7 percent (20-for-81) from long range. Both totals lead the Northeast Conference (NEC).

* The Seahawks also won the rebounding battle (39-38) for the fourth time this year.