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Staten Island, NY - Wagner shot a season-high 61.4 percent (35-for-57) from the floor, including 69.0 percent in the opening half, en route to posting a convincing 101-82 victory over Central Connecticut in Northeast Conference (NEC) action at the Spiro Sports Center.

The Green & White closed out the first half by converting on 11-of-12 from the floor, including nine-straight at one point, before opening the second with a 15-2 run en route to cracking the century mark for the first time since besting Sacred Heart 100-92 in a double-overtime thriller exactly five years ago to the date. With the victory, the Seahawks improve to 14-10 and 8-5 in the NEC while the Blue Devils fall to 10-13 and 6-6 in the league.

Sophomore Marcus Burton (Charlotte, NC / David W. Butler) paced five double-digit scorers for Wagner with a career-high 23 points and seven assists while Kyle Vinales led CCSU with a Spiro Sports Center record 42 points. Vinales, who also went over the 1,000-point mark for his career, bettered the previous gym-high of 38 set by Saint Francis University's Darshan Luckey on February 3, 2003.

The opening half was an up-and-down affair that featured six lead changes, five ties and a combined 95 points while feeling more like a track meet then a basketball game. Additionally, the teams shot a combined 58.6 percent (34-for-58) from the field, including 68.8 percent (11-for-16) from long range.

Burton broke open what was a one possession-game at 44-41 with eight of the final 10 points of the first half, giving Wagner a 52-43 lead at halftime.

After Terrell Allen opened the second half with a jumper, the Seahawks ripped off 15-straight points in building an insurmountable 67-45 lead with 15:20 remaining. Five different players scored in the game-changing spurt, which was capped by a Mario Moody (So., East Orange, NJ / East Orange Campus) layup.

All told, Wagner outscored Central Connecticut by a 23-4 count over a span of just 5:54 that coverted the end of the first and the beginning of the second half.

The Seahawk lead would not dip below 15 points for the rest of the game, but the Blue Devils were able to put pressure on Green & White thanks to the personal effort of Vinales. The Michigan native scored 31 of the 39 CCSU points after halftime, but it was not enough as Wagner posted its finest offensive performance of the year while avenging a prior 73-66 setback on January 17 in New Britain.

Joining Burton in double-figures were junior Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ / Avon Old Farms (CT)), Ortiz, senior Jonathon Williams (Richmond, CA / Kennedy / City College of San Francisco) and junior Orlando Parker (Orlando, FL / Orlando Christian Prep). Rivers added 15 points with a career-best matching seven rebounds while Ortiz notched 14 points and seven assists. Williams and Parker led the frontcourt with 12 and 10, respectively.

Narrowly missing double-digits was junior Naofall Folahan (Cotonou, Republic of Benin / Wilbraham & Monson Academy (MA)) and freshman Dwaun Anderson (Suttons Bay, MI / Suttons Bay / Michigan State). Folahan had eight points with a game-high nine rebounds while Anderson finished with a career-high matching eight points, highlighted by this ferocious first-half dunk.

Vinales made good on 12-of-24 from the field, including 8-of-13 from deep, and 10-of-13 from the line en route to his aforementioned 42 points. Joining Vinales in double-figures was Terrell Allen (14) and Matt Hunter (11).

Wagner shot at least 60 percent from the floor for the first time since an 83-74 victory over Yale on December 6, 2008, while its 61.4 percent figure was the best since making good on 64.7 percent in an 89-70 victory over Saint Francis University on January 15, 2005. The Seahawks also converted 60.0 percent (9-for-15) from long range and 84.6 percent (22-for-26) from the line while winning the rebounding battle by a 40-31 margin.

Thanks to Burton's 23 points and seven assists the Wagner reserves also scored a season-high 44 points while the Seahawks handed out a season-high 23 assists.

Wagner will host first-place Bryant on Saturday, February 16 at 4:00 pm.

NOTES:
* Head Coach Bashir Mason notched his 14th win of the year, while setting a school-record for most victories by a first-year Wagner coach since the school's ascension to Division I (D-I) in the fall of 1976.

* Rivers' 15 points give him 1,063 for his career while moving him past Nigel Wyatte and into a tie with Lamont Street for 34th place on the all-time Seahawk scoring list.

* Wagner has outshot the opposition in each of its last seven games and converted on nine of its first 10 three point attempts.

* The Seahawk reserves scored 44 points, on 15-of-23 shooting, with 20 of the team's 40 rebounds.

* Ortiz has now notched at least seven assists six times this season.

* Wagner is 8-2 at home this season, 20-5 over the last two years and have an all-time record of 119-66 (.643) in the Spiro Sports Center since its renovation in 1999.

* The Seahawks have now won seven of their last 10 meetings between the teams at home and are 11-5, all-time against the Blue Devils in Staten Island (D-1 era).

* Every one of the nine Green & White players that scored shot at least 50.0 percent from the floor.

* The last time Wagner scored at least 100 points in a non-overtime game was in an 105-86 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore on December 15, 2007.

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 Dave Saffran