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Staten Island, NY - Sophomore Mario Moody (East Orange, NJ / East Orange Campus) notched third career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds while junior Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ / Science Park / Southern Mississippi) added a game-high 22 points to lead Wagner to a decisive 68-55 win over Fairleigh Dickinson at the Spiro Sports Center.

Moody scored the game's first six points of the game, including four on a pair of ferocious dunks, while giving the Seahawks a lead they would not relinquish en route to improving to 8-5 and 2-0 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) with their their third-straight win. Meanwhile, the Knights had their two-game winning streak snapped in falling to 6-8 and 1-1 in the league

After Moody's intial flurry, Mustafaa Jones finally got Fairleigh Dickinson on the board with a jumper, only to see the Green & White answer with a 14-5 run that extended the lead out to 20-7 with 9:25 to play until halftime. In the big spurt, six different Wagner players scored, capped by a three pointer from junior Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ / Avon Old Farms (CT)). The Seahawks would push the lead out to a half-high 15 on two occasions, before heading into intermission with a 31-19 advantage.

In the first period, the Green & White shot 46.2 percent (12-for-26) from the floor, including 50.0 percent (3-for-6) from long range, en route to eclipsing the 30-point barrier for the first time this season before halftime. Moody (10 points, 9 rebounds) and Ortiz (10 points, 4 assists) led the charge as Wagner also posted a 14-8 advantage in points in the paint that was fueled by four dunks and three layups.

After halftime, the Knights managed to hang around and cut the deficit to nine at 42-33 with 12:14 remaining on a Lonnie Robinson layup. After a timeout, the Seahawks answered with another Moody dunk, this one off an offensive rebound. Sparked by Moody's third dunk of the game, the Green & White ripped off a 10-2 run to extend its lead out to a game-high 17 at 52-35 with 7:44 to play.

Fairleigh Dickinson would continue to fight and managed to trim the deficit to 10 points with 56 seconds remaining, but would be unable to further dent the lead as Wagner secured the 68-55 victory.

The Seahawks shot a 46.0 percent (23-for-50), while limiting the Knights to just 29.3 percent (17-for-58) shooting, while recording a 12-0 advantage in fastbreak points. Wagner also dominated the glass, outrebounding FDU by a 45-32 margin.

Ortiz, who finished one point shy of his career-high of 23 set in the win at Penn last week, also added five assists, against just one turnover, in 30 minutes of action while Moody recorded his first double-double with a season-best 13 points with 12 rebounds. Rivers added eight points and junior Orlando Parker (Orlando, FL / Orlando Christian Prep) six points and a season-best 11 rebounds, rounding out the top performers for the Seahawks.

Kinu Rochford paced FDU with 16 points and 16 rebounds while Lonnie Robinson added 15 points.

Wagner returns to action with a game at two-time defending NEC Champion LIU Brooklyn on Thursday, January 10 at 7:00 pm.

NOTES:
* Wagner, which notched a season-high 68 points in regulations, improved to a perfect 6-0 when limiting teams to less than 60 points this year and is 15-0 over the last two seasons.

* The Seahawks have won four-straight and eight-of-10 against the Knights since the 2006-2007 season.

* Today marks the 30th anniversary of Wagner's landmark 84-77 win over Duke.

* The Seahawks improved to a perfect 5-0 at home and are 17-3 at the Spiro Sports Center since last year.

* Wagner is also now 7-0 when leading with five minutes to play this season and 32-1 over the last two seasons.

* Tonight's victory was the Seahawks' second wire-to-wire win (North Carolina Central) this year.

* The Green & White is 5-0 this season when limiting the opposition to less than 35 percent shooting.

* Wagner is also 6-0 this year when outshooting than the opposition and 25-3 since the start of last season.

* Ortiz has notched double-figures in scoring in each of his last three games and is averaging 18.3 points per game during that time while shooting 55.2 percent (16-for-29) from the floor.

* Since entering the starting line-up three games ago, Moody is averaging 10.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Additionally, during that time eight of his 10 field goals have been dunks.

* The Seahawks had their eighth different starting line-up of the season, as Rivers made his first start since November 18 at No. 8 Syracuse.

* Rivers' eight points give him 906 for his career and leave him just 94 away from becoming just the 40th member of the Green & White 1,000-point club.

* Wagner has now won 10-straight games against schools from New Jersey and is 9-1 in January over the last two years.

Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@wagnerathletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department, @WagnerHoops for news and updates on the men's basketball program and @bashirmason to follow the Seahawks' first-year head coach.

Photography by Joe Epstein