Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF)

Loretto, PA –  Despite having three players finish in double-figures, the Wagner men's basketball team couldn't overcome a balanced effort put forth by Saint Francis U as the Red Flash defeated the Seahawks, 73-65 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at DeGol Arena. 

Redshirt senior forward Mike Aaman (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan [University of Rhode Island]) scored 14 of his team-leading 16 points in the second half while shooting a perfect 8-of-8 from the field in his 13 minutes of action.  Sophomore guard Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) and junior guard Michael Carey (Nassau, Bahamas/Lamar Consolidated [San Jacinto College]) tallied 12 and 11 points, respectively for Wagner, who falls to 7-5 on the year and 0-1 in league play.

Saint Francis U (5-7; 1-0 NEC) had five players in double-digits, led by Greg Brown's game-high 19 points which came on 7-of-14 shooting and a 5-for-7 performance from the free-throw line.  Basil Thompson added 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting in his 27 minutes of play, while Ronnie Drinnon and Isaiah Blackmon each had 12 points. Ben Millaud-Meunier was the fifth Red Flash to finish in double-digits with 10 in 35 minutes of play.

The Red Flash led by a 31-25 count following a defensive-minded first half. Wagner held a slim 6-4 lead early in the contest, thanks to a pair of buckets from graduate forward Henry Brooks (New Orleans, LA/Miller Grove [University of Pennsylvania) before SFU tied it on a Drinnon jumper from the baseline. Brooks finished with eight points and seven rebounds.

After sophomore forward Japhet Kadji (Douala, Cameroon/Gulliver Prep [IMG Academy]) evened the game at 15-15, Saint Francis U embarked on a 14-5 run over the next 6:37 in seizing a 29-20 lead, as the run was capped off by a Millaud-Meunier three-pointer. The Green & White were held to just 1-of-9 shooting during this stretch while the Red Flash converted on 5-of-5 from the field. Henson stopped the Saint Francis run with a long-distance three-pointer from the top of the key. For the opening half, Wagner was held to 32.1 percent shooting from the field (9-of-28) while holding an 18-16 advantage on the boards.  Saint Francis U shot 50.0 percent from the floor (12-of-24) in the opening 20 minutes.

The Seahawks opened the second half with a 5-2 spurt, the highlight of which came when redshirt senior guard Dwaun Anderson (Suttons Bay, MI/Suttons Bay [Michigan State]) was able to flush home an alley-oop pass from Carey in transition. SFU extended its lead to eight, 48-40, after Blackmon completed a three-point play. The tenacious Seahawks clawed their way back into the contest, outscoring the Red Flash 7-to-1 over a two-minute period that cut the lead to just one, 48-47, with 9:53 left in the game, a spurt that was capped by a layup by Carey, who was the beneficiary of an Anderson pass. 

This would be the closest that Wagner would get, however, as Saint Francis U erupted on a 16-8 run over the next six minutes to push the lead to 11, 64-53. The Green & White scored 12 of the game's final 21 points, but the the Red Flash were able to hang on for the win.

Wagner shot 38.1 percent from the field and was held to just 19.0 percent from beyond the arc while outmuscling the Red Flash, 39-35, on the boards. Saint Francis U finished the game shooting 50.0 percent (26-of-52), despite being held to 30.0 percent from three-point range (3-of-10).  Forty of SFU's 73 points came from inside the paint while 16 points were converted off 14 Seahawk turnovers.

The Green & White continue their two-game Western Pennsylvania swing at Robert Morris on Monday, January 4 in a 7:30 p.m. tip that will follow the 5:00 pm contest between the Seahawk and Colonial women's teams.

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.