Pictured Above: Sophomore Guard Corey Henson dribbling the ball up the court (Dave Saffran)

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Maine|Wagner Game Highlights
Postgame Press Conference (Head Coach Bashir Mason & sophomore guard Corey Henson)
Joey Wahler Speaks With Head Coach Bashir Mason After Today's Win Against Maine
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Wagner College rallies past Maine 87-73 in home opener at Spiro Center (Cormac Gordon, Staten Island Advance)

 

Staten Island, NY – In its first home game of the 2015-16 season, the Wagner men's basketball team treated the hometown faithful to an 87-73 victory over the University of Maine Black Bears on Saturday afternoon at the Spiro Sports Center.
 
Wagner (1-2) sophomore guard Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) continued his torrid stretch, pouring in a career-high 24 points, with 17 of those coming in the second half of play. The Upper Marlboro, MD native also dished out a career-high seven assists while going a perfect 11-of-11 from the charity stripe in his 34 minutes of action.
 
In addition to Henson, two other Seahawks ended the game in double figures as redshirt senior guard Dwaun Anderson (Suttons Bay, MI/Suttons Bay [Michigan State]) added a career-high 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting while pulling down seven rebounds in 22 minutes of action.  Junior guard Michael Carey (Nassau, Bahamas/Lamar Consolidated [San Jacinto College]) also contributed a career high, with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field, to go along with seven rebounds off the bench.
 
Maine (0-3) was paced by a pair of freshmen as Issac Vann recorded a game-high 28 points (8-of-12 FG; 9-of-12 FT) as well as grabbing a game-best 11 rebounds while classmate Lavar Harewood added 14 in a reserve role. 
 
The Seahawks set the tempo early in the game as both redshirt senior forward Mike Aaman (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan [University of Rhode Island]) and graduate transfer forward Henry Brooks (New Orleans, LA/Miller Grove [University of Pennsylvania]) each had four points in the first four minutes of the contest.  Maine responded with a 7-2 burst over the next 2:32 as the Green & White lead was trimmed down to just three, 10-7. 
 
Over the next six and half minutes, Wagner's defense held the Black Bears at bay, holding the visitors to just 2-of-7 shooting, during a 16-8 run, punctuated by a well-orchestrated, two on one breakaway between Henson and Anderson. This sequence was capped by an empathic Anderson two-handed flush which gave Wagner a 26-15 lead with 8:18 remaining before halftime.


 
The final eight minutes of the half belonged to Maine, as the Black Bears were able to claw their way back into the contest, closing out the stanza by outscoring the Green & White, 26-18, on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, while converting 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. The Seahawks, who were held to just 4-of-15 shooting during this period, were 8-of-8 from the line which helped them enter the locker room with a 44-41 lead. 
 
The second half of play saw back-and-forth, tenacious action with both squads trading buckets. Maine tied the score at 54 after Kevin Little sank both free-throw attempts at the 14:46 mark before taking their first and only lead of the game. The go-ahead points came when Maine' senior forward, Till Gloger, secured the rebound off a missed three-pointer by sophomore forward Japhet Kadji (Douala, Cameroon/Gulliver Prep [IMG Academy (FL)]), using his 6-8 frame to muscle in a layup off as the Black Bears took a slim 56-54 lead with 14:16 left in the contest.
 
The Seahawks responded with an 11-0 run, kick-started when the 6-3 Henson was able to find space in the lane, drawing a foul while converting on the layup, to tie the game back at 56. Henson then completed the three-point opportunity as Wagner reclaimed the lead, 57-56, with 13:57 left in regulation.
 
Over a three-minute span, the Seahawk defense again stepped up, holding Maine to just one shot attempt and two turnovers, while Wagner was able to capitalize on 4-of-9, shooting, highlighted by three-pointers from Henson and Kadji, to increase the lead to 11 at 67-56.
 
Wagner then put the game out of reach behind a 20-to-7 run as the Seahawks extended the lead to 22, 87-65, before Maine ended the game by scoring eight straight points in narrowing the final deficit to 14.
 
For the game, the Seahawks shot 45.9 percent from the field, while connecting on 38.1 from long-range,and converting on 71.9 percent from the charity stripe. Wagner, which more than held in the rebounding department in opening season games at St. John's and Seton Hall, outmuscled the Black Bears, 44-32, on the glass. 
 
Wagner will look to even its season mark at 2-2  next Saturday, November 28, when the Seahawks welcome the College of Staten Island to the Spiro Sports Center. Next Saturday's contest marks the first time since November 23, 1999 that these two Staten Island-based schools will be playing one other.

Tip-off is set for 4:00 pm and the game will be streamed live on NEC Front Row (www.necfrontrow.com) with Joey Wahler on the call from courtside.
 
Notes:

• Fourth-year head coach Bashir Mason is now 4-0 in home openers.
• This afternoon's win marks the first win against an America East school since the 2013-14 season when the Seahawks claimed a 68-61 home victory over the University of Vermont.
• With today's 24 point performance, sophomore guard Corey Henson is now averaging 19.0 per game through the first three games of the season. 
• Henson's perfect day at the free-throw was the first since teammate Mike Aaman and former teammate, Marcus Burton ('15), each made 12 free-throws, coincidentally in the same game against Fairleigh Dickinson back on February 14, 2015. 
• The 87 total points is the first time the Seahawks have reached the 80-point mark since last season, against Fairleigh Dickinson on February 14, 2015, when they won, 83-79, in overtime. 

Follow Wagner Athletics on Facebook (facebook.com/WagnerAthletics), Twitter (@wagnerathletics), Instagram (@wagnerathletics) and YouTube (@WagnerSeahawks) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department. Follow Wagner MBasketball on Twitter (@Wagner_MBB) for the latest news and updates on the 2015-16 Wagner Men's Basketball team and head coach Bashir Mason (@BashirMason) for news on the fourth-year head coach.