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Pictured Above: Freshman guard Corey Henson tossed in career-best 16 points against Lafayette. [Photo by T.J. Root]

Easton, PA - Four members of Wagner's highly-touted freshmen class hit for double figures but, playing without leading scorer Marcus Burton who was sidelined by a foot injury sustained at Maine on Tuesday, the Seahawks fell to a big, strong and experienced Lafayette College squad, 97-84, at Kirby Sports Center.

In dropping their second straight, the Seahawks fall to 2-5 on the season while the Leopards move to 5-2 overall and 3-0 vs. Northeast Conference teams this season, having already defeated Robert Morris and Fairleigh Dickinson

Freshmen guard Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) netted 16 points in 35 minutes of play to lead the way for the Green & White, as the 6-3 combo guard also dished out four assists and recorded four steals in the contest. Classmate Romone Saunders (Temple Hills, MD/Mt. Zion Prep), another promising 6-3 first-year guard, scored a career-high 14 points in his first collegiate start while also recording four steals. Rugged 6-1 guard JoJo Cooper (Wilmington, DE/Concord), the reigning NEC Rookie of the Week, posted 13 points and dished out a team-best five assists in 28 minutes. The fourth Wagner frosh to hit for double figures was 5-10 sharp-shooter Aaren Edmead (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park, who contributed 12 points off the bench, all from beyond-the-arc.

Lafayette's inside-outside combination of 6-9 senior power forward Dan Trist  and 6-3 senior guard Joey Ptasinski, each eclipsed the 20-point plateuau, with Trist hitting for a game-high 26 on an efficient 11-of-16 shooting effort from the field in 23 minutes of play. Ptasinski, meanwhile, connected for 21 of his 23 points, by sinking 7-of-10 three-pointers in 29 minutes of play. A third senior in 6-8 Seth Hinrichs was the third Leopard in double-figures, finishing with 17 points, while grabbing a team-best six caroms.

The Seahawks and Leopards traded buckets at the outset, as this contest was tied on four occasions in the opening five minutes. With the score knotted at 15-15 following a Henson three-point jumper from the right wing, Lafayette embarked on a 14-6 run to increase their lead to 29-22 at the 9:36 mark.

The Seahawks were able to chip into the lead with a 4-0 burst, capped by a top-of-the-key jumper by 6-6 junior forward Stedman Allen (Bronx, NY/Eagle Academy (Labette CC-KS), cutting the lead to three, 29-26. Once again, the Leopards found their rhythm, erupting on an 11-0 run, capped by a Ptasinski three-pointer, that increased the Leopards' lead to 41-26.

Lafayette held a slim 15-13 edge over the final four minutes of the high-scoring first half in taking a 56-43 lead into intermissions. The half ended on a high note for the Seahawks as the fifth member of Wagner's promising freshman class, 6-7 forward Japhet Kadjii (Douala, Cameroon/Gulliver Prep-FL/IMG Academy-FL) beat the first-half horn with a nothing-but-net trifecta

For the half, the Leopards shot a blistering 70.4 percentage, while converting on 8-of-11 from three-point range while holding Wagner to just 5-of-14 from beyond-the-arc and 17-of-39 overall.

Lafayette opened the second half on an 8-0 run that gave the home team its larges at 64-43 before Henson swooped into the lane and convert an under-handed layup.  The Seahawks resiliently cut the deficit down to 13 after was able to muscle his way in for two from the low block. 

Lafayette then got the hot hand again, outscoring the Seahawks 15-8 over a five-minute stretch, that built the lead back up to 20, 91-71, with 4:21 remaining. After a Nathaniel Musters turnover, Saunders capped off his career afternoon with a long three-pointer at the 3:27 mark.

Wagner, which recorded its third 80-point performance of the season, shot 41.3 percent from the floor and 43.3 percent from long range (13-of-30). A continuing positive theme for the Seahawks is their production from the bench, as Wagner outscored Lafayette, 33-17 in bench points, marking the seventh straight game in which theWagner reserves have held the scoring advantage.  

Lafayette, shot 63.5 percent from the field for the game, while converting on 56.5 percent from downtown (13-of-23).
Both teams finished with 35 total rebounds in the contest, with the Seahawks owning a commanding 22-11 edge on the offensive boards, a category in which Wagner entered the game ranked No. 2 in the NEC with a 14.0 offensive rebounds per-game average.

The Seahawks will conclude their three-game road trip with a visit to South Burlington, VT, as they take on the University of Vermont Catamounts on Sunday, December 14, with tip-off set for 1:00 p.m.

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 head coach Bashir Mason (@BashirMason) for news on the third-year head coach.