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Pictured Above: Sophomore forward  Greg Senat grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds tonight while adding eight points (photo by Timothy D. Sofranko)

New Britain, CT – Junior forward Brandon Peel nailed a three-point jumper after receiving a long inbounds pass from Faronte Drakeford, narrowly beating the final buzzer, to lift Central Connecticut to a wild 53-50 Northeast Conference (NEC) victory over Wagner tonight at Detrick Gymnasium in a game that was televised live on MSG2+.

While the 6-7 Peel entered the game averaging 9.3 points and 8.8 rebounds, he had only taken five previous three-pointers on the season, making two.

In dropping their second buzzer-beater of the season, having lost an 82-81 overtime decision at Maine in similar fashion back on December 2, the Seahawks fall to 4-4 in conference play and 6-13 overall. The Blue Devils, meanwhile, notch their first NEC win of the season and snap an 11-game losing streak in the process, in moving to 1-7 in league play and 3-18 overall.

On the possession prior to CCSU's game-winner, Wagner hit a clutch shot of its own as senior guard Marcus Burton (Charlotte, NC/David W. Butler), the conference's leading scorer entering the game at 17.9 per game, nailed a long three-pointer after corralling an offensive rebound, that tied the game at 50-50, a shot that would seemingly send the game into overtime.



The scoreboard originally showed 0.1 seconds remaining following Burton's game-tying trey but after the officials reviewed the replay, 1.0 seconds was put on the clock. And that was just enough time for Peel to snatch a one-handed baseball pass delivered from the opposite baseline, turn, and splash home the game-winner over the outstretched arms of 6-6 junior forward Stedman Allen (Bronx. NY/ Eagle Academy (Labette CC).

The 6-0 Burton finished with a game-high 19 points on the evening and has now scored 953 career points, leaving him just 47points away from becoming the 42^nd player in Wagner history to reach the 1,000-point mark. Wagner received a yeoman's effort from burly 6-8, 240-pound power forward Greg Senat (Elmont, NY/Elmont) who tallied eight points while pulling down a career-high 15 rebounds.

Freshman guard Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) also finished with eight points for the Seahawks, while yet another freshman guard, JoJo Cooper (Wilmington, DE/Concord) added six points and a game-high five assists.

For CCSU, Peel, a bouncy 6-7 junior forward from Forestville, MD, hit for a double-double, recording team highs with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Guard Matt Mobley, who entered the game as third--leading scorer in the NEC at 17.0 points per game, finished with 12 on 5-of-11 shooting while Khalen Cumberlander provided a spark off the bench with 11 points 4-of-8 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, in 23 minutes of play.

For the contest, Wagner shot 31.3 percent from the floor and was held to just 19.0 percent from beyond the arc (4-of-21), while out-rebounding CCSU 46-37 and holding a 19-9 edge in second-chance points. The Seahawks' defense held the Blue Devils to 37.7 percent shooting and 30.0 percent (6-of-20) from three-point range.

The teams traded baskets at the outset of this one before Wagner went on a 7-0 burst during a 37-second span in taking a 13-8 lead. Central Connecticut responded with a 6-0 run of its own to take a 14-13 lead at the 10:58 mark following a Peel mid-range jumper. After Mobley hit a three from the top of the key to increase the lead to 22-17, the Seahawks turned to their veteran guard Burton, who drilled a left-wing three point erto cut the deficit to two, 22-20, at the 7:44 mark as the Seahawks went on to lead by a 34-30 count at halftime.

Burton scored 14 in the opening stanza on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting while, on the other end, the Seahawks held CCSU  to 38.5 percent fot the half  while shooting 42.0% of their own. The Green & White held a 19-18 lead on the boards while dominating the inside scoring, 20-6, in the first 20 minutes.

Both teams struggled offensively in the second half of play as they went six minutes without converting a field goal until Cumberlander was able go backdoor on a feed from Kevin Seymour to trim the deficit to three, 40-37, with 7:49 left. After Burton and Senat worked their way through the lane on successive tough, gritty layups, Central began its comeback, with Mobley scoring four of the next six points for CCSU, to cut the deficit to 44-43 with 4:18 showing on the clock. After Allen sank a pair of free throws to give the Seahawks a 46-43 lead, the Blue Devils responded with a crucial 6-0 spurt run that saw them regain the lead at 49-46 with 1:30 left.

At the 1:03 mark, Cooper was fouled on a drive ot the basket and made 1-of-2, making it a 49-47 game. Mobley then turned the ball over on CCSU's next possession, giving the ball back to Wagner with 48 seconds left. Cooper then drove hard to the basket before missing a left-handed layup. Senat appeared to gain hold of the offensive rebound as the Wagner bench tried to call a timeout, but the sophomore forward was whistled for traveling, giving possession back to CCSU with 18 seconds remaining.

At the 12-second mark, Mobley was fouled and went 1-of-2 from the line to increase the Blue Devils' lead to 50-47. The Seahawks worked the ball quickly into the front court and called timeout with eight seconds left. A straight-a-way three-point try by Henson bounded off the back of the rim with four seconds left. Burton was able to grab the rebound and launch a 25-footer which hit the bottom of the net, tying the game 50-50 and setting up Peel's last-second heroics.

Wagner is next in action on Thursday, January 29 when the Seahawks host Sacred Heart in the season's first meeting with the Pioneers in a 7:00 p.m. tip at the Spiro Spors Center. The Wagner-SHU clash is the first of two straight home games as the Green & White host these same CCSU Blue Devils on Saturday, January 31 at 4:00 p.m.

Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@wagnerathletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department and use the hashtag #WagnerHoops for information on the men's basketball program and head coach Bashir Mason (@BashirMason) for news on the third-year head coach.