Brooklyn, NY – Junior guard Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD / DeMatha Catholic) tossed in 17 points while redshirt senior forward Mike Aaman (Hazlet, NJ / Raritan / Rhode Island) and freshman guard Connor Ferrell (Conyers, GA / Rockdale County / DME Sports Academy) added 13 and 10 points, respectively, but it was not enough as the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds posted a 76-69 win over the Seahawks at the Steinberg Wellness Center tonight.

With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 7-10 on the season, 3-4 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) while the Blackbirds improve to 13-7 overall, and 6-1 in conference play and extends its win streak to six games in the process. 

Jashaun Agosto led all scorers with 19 points for the Blackbirds while Jerome Frink and Iverson Fleming tossed in 15 and 10 points, respectively, as the balanced Blackbirds had five players score nine or more points in the game.

Wagner found itself in an early hole as the Seahawks misfired on their first four shots of the opening which helped the Blackbirds build an 8-0 lead. After responding with five straight points, a deep top of the key three-pointer from Henson followed by a Sumbry tip-in, LIU answered back with five straight, a three from Frias and a layup from Clark, that the Blackbirds a 13-5 advantage. Sophomore guard Devin Liggeons (Philadelphia, PA / Imhotep Charter) stopped the LIU momentum with a layup before Clark sank two from the line to build the lead back to eight at 15-7. 

Over the next 6:46 of the first half, the LIU outscored the Seahawks by a 15-10 advantage, which was a part of 12-5 run that expanded the lead to 30-17 with just 4:39 left in the first half as Frias hit his second three-pointer of the stanza. The Seahawks cut the deficit to seven, thanks in large part to an 8-2 run of its own before the Blackbirds concluded the half scoring eight of the final 15 points to take the 40-32 halftime lead.  Henson led the way for the Seahawks with 10 points.

When play resumed for the second half, both teams traded baskets, with the visitors trimming the lead to just a two, 50-48, after the burly 6-8 Aaman was able to bank a left-handed baby hook shot off the window at the 14:01 mark. The Seahawks shot 6-of-7 from the field during the near six-minute stretch with Henson proving to be the catalyst, scoring five of the 13 points. LIU answered back by outscoring Wagner 12-8 over the next six minutes in taking a 62-56 advantage after Raiquan Clark completed the traditional three-point play. 

The Green & White was determined to make it a contest, using an 11-5 spurt to tie the game at 67 with 2:41 left in regulation as Aaman was able to muscle in two. The Seahawks' comeback attempt was halted as the Blackbirds closed the game out on a 9-2 run to hang on for the seven-point win. 

LIU Brooklyn held a 50 percent (24-of-48) to 40 percent (24-of-46) edge in shooting. In a battle between the top two rebounding teams in the NEC, the numbers were nearly dead even as the Blackbirds held a slight 34-33 advantage on the glass. The Seahawks had an excellent night at the free throw line, hitting 81 percent (17-of-21) from the charity stripe but struggled all night from the perimeter, connecting on just 25 percent (4-of-16) of their shots from beyond the arc.

The Green & White conclude their two-game road trip in Fairfield, CT on Saturday when they meet the Sacred Heart University Pioneers for the second time this season in a 3:30 p.m. tip. Wagner defeated the Pioneers, 75-64, back on January 7 at the Spiro Sports Center. Henson went for a season-high 24 points that day while senior guard Michael Carey (Nassau, Bahamas / Lamar Consolidated / San Jacinto ) scored all of his 21 points in the second half to lead four players in double figures. 

NOTE: With his 17 points tonight, Henson is now up to 951 career points, just 49 away from becoming the 43rd member of the Seahawk 1,000-point club. Wagner's last 1,000-point scorer was guard Marcus Burton ['14].