Staten Island, NY - Despite having three players score in double-figures, the Wagner men's basketball team dropped an 81-71 decision to Monmouth at the Spiro Sports Center on Tuesday evening.  With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 2-5 on the season while the Hawks improve to 7-2. 

Senior guard Michael Carey (Nassau, Bahamas/Lamar Consolidated [San Jacinto College]) recorded his 17th career double-double in the game, leading all Seahawk scorers with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Carey finished the evening shooting 50.0 percent from the floor (5-of-10) while converting 3-of-5 from the free-throw line in his 36 minutes of action. Junior guard Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) along with freshman guard Blake Francis (Herndon, VA/Westfield) each poured in 11 points on the evening, with the neophyte Francis hitting 3-of-6 from the outside.

Monmouth's Justin Robinson led all players with a game-best 33 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, 6-of-8 from long range and 11-of-14 from the free-throw line. Micah Seaborn added 16 points in 32 minutes of action. 

The visiting Hawks opened the scoring with a jumper before the Green & White erupted on a near five-minute, 15-4 run, to take a 15-6 lead. Wagner converted on 6-of-7 from the field while holding Monmouth to just one made basket, a Collin Stewart jumper. Wagner's run was halted by a Je'lon Hornbeak three-pointer with 13:45 remaining in the frame.

Both teams traded three-pointers over a minute stretch that saw the Seahawk lead trim down to four, 34-30, as Seaborn was able to bury the chance from Austin Tilghman. Monmouth capitalized on this hot shooting, sparking a 14-9 run of its own in taking its first lead since the Brady jumper to start the contest,as Diago Quinn hit two from the line, giving Monmouth a 38-37 lead.  

The Seahawks scored five of the final seven points in the half, as they held on to a 42-40 halftime advantage. Wagner shot a blistering 57.1 percent from the field (16-of-28) while converting on 41.7 percent from the outside and held Monmouth to just 36.0 percent shooting in the opening stanza. Wagner scored 18 of its 40 points in the paint and held a 17-14 lead on the boards.

Monmouth came out of the intermission on fire, converting on 7-of-13 over the first 9:40 of the second half in using a 20-8 run that saw the visitors hold a 60-50 lead with 10:28 left in the ballgame. The Hawks held the home team to just 4-of-12 during their run while causing five Seahawk turnovers. The Seahawks tried to answer back, cutting the deficit to just four, 63-59, as redshirt senior forward Mike Aaman (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan [University of Rhode Island]) made a pair from the line. 

Monmouth fired back with a 12-6 spurt over the next 3:43 to increase the lead back to ten, 75-65 before Francis dialed up his third three-pointer of the night, this one coming right in front of the Seahawks bench. The visitors closed out the game making six straight freebies en route to the 81-71 victory. For the contest, Wagner finished shooting 44.6 percent from the field despite outrebounding Monmouth, 34-27. 

Wagner will hit the road this weekend as the Seahawks travel to Baltimore, MD to square off against Morgan State on Saturday, December 10 at 1:00 p.m.