Pictured Above.
Elijah Davis goes up for two of his team-high 17 points
Box Score
Fairfield, CT – Senior
Elijah Davis scored 17 points off the bench to lead four players in double figures and redshirt seniors
Romone Saunders and
AJ Sumbry each came through with double-doubles in leading the Wagner men's basketball team to a gritty 79-73 win over Fairfield at Webster Bank Arena on Saturday.
In notching their second straight win, the Seahawks even their season record at 2-2 while the Stags, who compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) fall to 1-3.
Fairfield led by as many as five points early in the second half, but Wagner stayed close and Davis scored a go-ahead jumper in the lane at the 14:48 mark to spark a 13-4 Seahawk run which staked the Seahawks to 56-47 lead at the midway mark.
Wagner eventually built its lead to 14 points, with 5:25 to go on a Liggeons three-point jumper off an assist from Saunders, before the Stags rallied, eventually, closing the gap to 74-70 on Neftali Alvarez's layup with 17 seconds left. The Seahawks were able to get the ball into the hands of the experienced players they wanted to, and Wagner made five free throws from there to seal it, going 5-of-6 from the line in the waning seconds, led by Saunders' perfect 4-of-4 accuracy from the line.
While Davis' 17 points came on 8-of-17 shooting, equally as important this hard-fought win were the 16 points and 12 rebounds from fellow guard Saunders, along with a 15-point, 14-rebound effort by Sumbry, Wagner's 6-8 inside force. For Sumbry, the 15 points were one shy of his career high (16 at UM Lowell, 11/10) while the 14 rebounds marked a career high. Senior guard
Devin Liggeons was the fourth Seahawk in double figures with 11.
Wagner's 49-26 rebounding advantage led to a huge edge in points in the paint (50-30) and second-chance points (15-0), all statistical areas that reflect toughness and tenacity, traits that have become the norm under seventh-year and two-time Northeast Conference (NEC) Coach of the Year
Bashir Mason.
"Great win for my young group," said Mason in the post-game press conference. "We preach defending, rebounding and playing with unbelievable toughness were in a situation before at UMass Lowell (78-74 overtime loss on November 10) where we led by double figures and we let it slip away. My guys went up and gutted out a good win against a really good team."
In passing this important, early-season road test, Wagner overcame a 27-point outing by Fairfield guard Landon Taliaferro while Alvarez added 15.
Fairfield had its way early by scoring the first seven points of the game before the Seahawks responded with a 9-0 run to grab a quick lead at 9-7 with 12 minutes remaining in the half. After Fairfield rattled off eight straight to go back on top, 15-9, the Stags would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the first half although the Seahawks managed to tie the game on three different occasions. Taliaferro's three pointer broke the final tie of the half and put Fairfield back in front at 34-31 with 1:23 left, a shot that would help propel the Stags to a 36-34 lead at the intermission.
Led by Davis, the Seahawks' received an important lift from their bench, outscoring the Stags' reserves by a whopping 37-9 count, as the Green & White also received production from junior guard
Jeff Coulanges (8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists), junior forward
Chance Anderson (6 points, 5 rebounds, and freshman guard
Jonathan Norfleet (season-high 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists).
Today's win marked the Seahawks' second straight over the Stags as Wagner came away with a 78-76 win last season (12/1) on Grymes Hill. Fairfield leads the overall series 5-2.
All told, this high-intensity affair featured seven ties and five lead changes.
Wagner returns to Staten Island to host NJIT at the Spiro Sports Center on Tuesday, November, 20. Tip-off between the Seahawks and the Highlanders is set for 7:00 p.m.
NOTES:
More on Sumbry. Saunders Double-Doubles
For Sumbry, this marked his second double-double of the season (16 points, 10 rebounds at UMass Lowell) and sixth of his career. For Saunders, today's double-double marked his first of the season and fourth of his career.
Saunders Over 900-Point Mark
With his 16-point outing vs. Fairfield,
Romone Saunders is up to 910 career points, and within 90 of becoming Wagner's 45th all-time 1,000-point scorer.
Win Despite Being Shorthanded
The Seahawks were able to secure this road win without the services of sophomore guard
Nigel Jackson and
Chase Freeman, each of whom is on the mend after suffering recent ankle injuries.
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