Box Score (XML) | Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF)

Post-Game Interview - Senior Guard Marcus Burton (with Joey Wahler)

Post-Game Recap (Cormac Gordon; (Staten Island Advance)

Saint Francis U vs. Wagner (Highlights)
 
Staten Island, NY – Senior guard Marcus Burton (Charlotte, NC.David W. Butler) continued his torrid scoring streak with a game-high 23 points while freshman guard Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) tossed in a career-high 18 points as the Wagner men's basketball earned a hard-fought 63-58 Northeast Conference (NEC) victory over Saint Francis U tonight at the Spiro Sports Center.
 
In notching their first two-game winning streak of the season, the Seahawks improve to 4-3 in the NEC and 6-12 overall while the Red Flash are now also 4-3 in league play while falling to 10-8 on the season. Tonight's contest, which featured nine ties and eight lead changes, was close throughout as neither team led by more than seven points at any point. The victory avenges an 85-68 Seahawk loss in Loretto, PA in the NEC opener for both teams back on January 3.

For Burton, he recorded his 43^rd career double-figure scoring game while posting his eighth career 20-point performance, sixth on the season, while playing in his 100^th career game and garnering his 25^th career start. The Charlotte, NC native finished 7-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. in 35 minutes of action. Now up to 934 career points scored, the fourth-year guard needs just 66 points to become the 42^nd member of the Seahawk 1,000-point club.

Henson, who tallied 13 of his 18 points in the first half, shot an efficient 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 to start, en route to finishing the contest 7-of-12 and tying his career-high of four made three-pointers (on six attempts). Junior forward Stedman Allen (Bronx, NY/Labette) and sophomore forward Greg Senat (Elmont, NY/Elmont) combined for12 points 10 rebounds with Allen grabbing a team-leading six caroms.

Ollie Jackson was the lone Red Flash in double-figures as he finished the contest with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, while Ben Millaud-Meunier, Earl Brown, and Ronnie Drinnon each tallied nine points with Drinnon corralling a team-best five rebounds in defeat.   

The Seahawaks opened the contest on a 7-3 run with Henson leading the charge by scoring five of the first seven points. After a pair of made free throws from Allen, Saint Francis U erupted on a 12-3 run of its own to take a 15-12 lead, thanks to 5-of-9 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Henson stopped the Red Flash run with back-to-back threes in a span of 40 seconds that gave the Green & White an 18-15 lead with nine minutes to go before halftime. 

After both teams went cold during a three-minute span, Drinnon was able to muscle in for a layup to bring the Red Flash within one at 18-17. The Seahawks closed the stanza by outscoring SFU 8-7, to take a 26-24 halftime. Henson finished the opening period shooting an efficient 5-of-8 while connecting on 3-of-5 from beyond the arc in 17 first-half minutes. 

Wagner opened the the second half on a 12-7 run on 5-of-9 shooting, sparked by 10 quick points from Burton, which increased the Seahawk lead to a gane-high seven, at 38-31. Saint Francis U then rallied, going on a 16-7 run of its own to take a 47-45 lead with 9:41 reaming in the contest, thanks in large part to converting 7-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. 

After Allen made a pair of free throw for the Seahawks to tie the game at 47-47, Millaud-Meunier answered back with a four-point play, sinking a corner three and ensuing free throw, that gave SFU a 51-47 lead. After Earl Brown's old-fashioned three-point play to put the red Flash up 54-53 with 4:04 left, the Seahawks took control, concluding the contest on a 10-4 run in recording their third home NEC triumph of the season,

Wagner finished the game shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three-point range, while converting on 86.7 percent from the free-throw line, which was the Seahawks' second-highest conversion rate this season (.880 vs. LIU Brooklyn – January 10, 2015).

The Red Flash,  who came into the contest as the top three-point shooting team in the conference at 37.3 percent, was held to 29.2% from beyond the arc while being out-rebounded by 10, 34-24. SFU dominated the paint, outscoring the Seahawks 32-22 and converting 22 points off the bench. 

The Green & White are next in action on Saturday, January 24 when the Seahawks travel to New Britain, CT to meet the Central Connecticut Blue Devils in a 7:00 p.m. tip in a game that will be televised live on MSG 2+. 
 
Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@wagnerathletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department and on the men's basketball program and head coach Bashir Mason (@BashirMason) for news on the third-year head coach.