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Senior Night (Marcus Burton & Hugo Naurais)

Staten Island Advance Recap

Bryant vs. Wagner Highlights (2/19/15)

Senior Night Gallery
 
Staten Island, NY – Despite junior forward Mike Aaman (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan (Rhode Island)) posting his second straight "double-double," recording a team and  career-high 22 points while pulling down 15 rebounds, the Wagner men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 66-65 decision to Bryant in the Seahawks' regular season hme finale tonight at the Spiro Sports Center.

With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 9-17 and 7-8 in conference play while the Bulldogs even their record at 13-13 while improving to 10-7 in league action.

During a pre-game ceremony, seniors Hugo Naurais (Nimes, France/Elan Chalon) and Marcus Burton (Charlotte, NC/David W. Butler) were honored on Senior Night as each was playing in the final regular season home contests of their career.

The rugged, 6-8 Aaman shot an efficient 10-of-15 (66.7%) from the field in 31 minutes of action.  Following a 20-point, career-high 23-rebound effort in Saturday's 83-79 win over Fairleigh Dickinson, Aaman is averaging 21.0 points and 19.0 rebounds in his last two games. Over the course of his last five games, the Garden State native is averaging 13.6 points and 13.2 rebounds.

Burton produced his 14th straight, his 51st career double-figure scoring effort as the 6-0 shooting guard tallied 14 points in 33 minutes of play.  Tonight's performance increases Burton's career point total to 1,092, which puts him in sole possession fn 33rd place on the all-time Wagner Scoring  List. Burton eclipsed Arnold Obey'(68), who finished with 1,081 points, and John DiMaggio'(65), who wrapped up his career with 1,088 points. Next up for Burton is Greg Clay, who sits in 32nd place with 1,099 points, and Tony Rice, who is 31st with 1,101 points.

Bryant's Dyami Starks led the way for the Bulldogs, pouring in a game-high 28 points while being held to just 7-of-22 from the field and converting 12-of-13 from the charity stripe in 37 minutes of action.  Dan Garvin was the other Bulldog to score in double-figures as he finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.  oe O'Shea came within a single point of a double-double, finishing with nine points and 10 caroms, while dishing out a team-leading five helpers in the victory.

The opening 12 minutes of the contest proved to be a stalemate as both teams were tied for the then third time in the contest at 22 after O'Shea connected on a pair from the charity stripe at the 7:31 mark. After Bosko Kostur put the visitors up two, the Seahawks a 13-to-2 run over the final 6:57 to take a 35-26 halftime lead as the Seahawks defense held the Bulldogs to 0-of-7 shooting and 0-of-5 from beyond the arc.

Wagner took its largest lead of the contest, 51-38, at the 12:23 mark of the second half following a 16-9 run that saw the home team go 7-of-14 from the field with Aaman proving to be the catalyst with six points during this stretch. The Bulldogs responded with a 15-2 run to tie the game at 53 -53 with 6:02 remainingas Starks completed a pair from the line. The Bulldogs held Wagner to just 1-of-8 shooting while they connected on 5-of-9 with Starks and Kostur tallying a combined 13 of the 15 points.

The contest remained close until Starks lined up a three-pointer off the O'Shea feed that gave the visitors a slim 60-57 edge with 3:56 left in the game.  On the ensuing Seahawk possession, Aaman muscled in a difficult layup after Henson was able to locate5 him on the low-block that cut the lead to one.  JoJo Cooper (Wilmington, DE/Concord) made the front-end of a two-shot foul that knotted the contest at 55-55.

Starks once again took control of the game, scoring the contests' final six of eleven points that game essentially sealed the contest but not before the Seahawks made it interesting, as freshman guard Romone Saunders (Temple Hills, MD/Mt. Zion Prep) was able to deflect the ball and find Burton was able to spot it and launch a last-second heave that hit the right side of the backboard.

Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, going a combined 6-of-36 from long range. Wagner dominated the paint as they outscored the Bulldogs, 40-28, dow -low while converting 17 second-chance opportunities and seeing their bench produce a +11 advantage (13-to-2)

The Seahawks will play their final three regular season contests on the road, starting on Saturday, February 21st as they make the trip across the Verrazano Bridge to tangle with LIU Brooklyn.  Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 pm.

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.