Staten Island, NY – The Wagner men's basketball team was able to stage a thrilling comeback, edging the Morgan State University Bears, 62-61 on Wednesday evening from the Spiro Sports Center.
Trailing by four, 61-57 with 2:34 remaining in regulation, Wagner clawed its way back into the game as redshirt senior guard
Dwaun Anderson (Suttons Bay, MI/Suttons Bay [Michigan State]) converted on two free-throws to close the gap to two, 61-59, with 1:38.
Junior guard
Michael Carey (Nassau, Bahamas/Lamar Consolidated [San Jacinto College]) tied the game at 61 after sophomore guard
Aaren Edmead (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) was able to drive into the lane, forcing two Morgan State defenders to collapse and guard him, leaving Carey wide-open on the left block for the easy deuce.
On the ensuing Morgan State possession, the Bears were able to cross the timeline but found themselves in trouble. After crossing the timeline, Morgan State's Donte Pretlow couldn't find any space in front of his bench, thanks to the aggressive defense exhibited by Edmead.
When Pretlow was able to break free thanks to a screen from Phillip Carr, Pretlow kicked the pass to teammate Clive Vaughan, who drove down the line but the ball was deflected by Carey, and the scramble was on for the loose ball, which went out-of-bounds after Carey made a diving attempt to save the ball.
With the clock flashing 28.9 and the shot clock at four seconds, Carr received the inbounds pass and heaved up a desperation three-pointer from the top of the key as his shot hit the back iron and was pulled down by Saunders, who handed it off to fellow classmate
JoJo Cooper (Wilmington, DE/Concord), who immediately called the Seahawks' final timeout with 17.2 ticks left on the clock.
On the Seahawks final possession, sophomore
Romone Saunders (Temple Hills, MD/Potomac [Mt.Zion Prep]) inbounded the ball to Henson in the backcourt. The Upper Marlboro, MD native dribbled right and spotted Saunders on the right wing. Saunders couldn't find Anderson down in the right block, but was able to drive after seeing a Morgan State defender slip, as the Temple Hills, MD was able to take it down to the baseline and draw the foul.
After a lengthy break, Saunders calmly stepped to the free-throw line and swished the first attempt, which gave the Seahawks the 62-61 advantage. His second attempt hit the front iron as the ball was tipped around before Vaughan finally corralled it and heaved a last-second three that was off-the-mark, giving the Seahawks their third straight victory.
The Green & White held their largest lead of the game, 17-11, after embarking on a 15-8 run over a 6:21 stretch, which saw the home team connect on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from long range, thanks to Henson's early six points. Morgan State answered back with a 10-3 run of their own, regaining a slim 21-20 lead thanks to a baseline jumper from Vaughan. The Seahawks saw themselves trailing at the break, 24-23, after scoring five of the final eight points in the frame.
Wagner opened the second half on a 6-0 run, taking a 27-24 lead after graduate forward
Henry Brooks (New Orleans, LA/Miller Grove [University of Pennsylvania]) grabbed the rebound and was able to muscle in for on a crafty, reverse layup.
From that point, Morgan State controlled the tempo of the contest, outscoring the Seahawks, 15-3, over the next 5:05, to take its largest lead of the game, 39-30, with 13:06 in the contest after converting on 6-of-9 from the field and holding the Green & White to just one made field goal, a three-pointer for Henson.
Wagner responded on a 21-13 run that saw the Bears' lead trim down to one, 52-51, after Saunders hit his only three-pointer of the game, a corner trifecta off the pass from Anderson. The Bears' responded back, regaining a 61-57 lead with 2:34 left that set the stage for Saunders dramatic game-winner
Two Seahawks finished in double figures, led by Henson's game-high 17 points, on 6-of-10 shooting, which included four three-pointers. Anderson added 13 points and seven rebounds, the fifth straight contest in which the left-handed guard notched double-figures. Carey and Saunders each chipped in nine points, with Carey grabbing a career-best 10 rebounds.
Morgan State had three in double figures, as Carr matched Henson's game-high 17 points, on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and added a team-leading eight caroms. Vaughan and Kyle Thomas each had 12 points on a combined 9-of-21 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from long range.
For the contest, Wagner shot 38.2 percent from the field (21-of-55) while connecting on 35.0 percent from downtown (7-of-20). Morgan State was held to 37.7 percent shooting from the field (23-of-61) while hitting 50.0 from deep (8-of-16) and only going to the charity stripe nine times, hitting seven. The Seahawks outmuscled the Bears on the boards, 40-33, marking the third straight in which the Green & White have held the advantage in the rebounding department.
Wagner will close out its season-high four game home stand on Sunday, December 6, as they welcome Patriot League member, American University to Staten Island. Tip-off from the Spiro Sports Center is set for 2:00 p.m. as Joey Wahler has the call courtside.
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. 
