Staten Island, NY – Five straight points by junior
Alex Morales gave the Wagner men's basketball team a 59-57 advantage with 3:47 to play, but an ensuing 8-0 run by St. Francis Brooklyn helped the Terriers to a 69-64 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Spiro Sports Center.
With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 4-12 on the year and 1-4 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play, while St. Francis Brooklyn improves to 8-9 overall and 2-3 in league play.
Morales, who scored the last seven Wagner points, led the Seahawks with 25 points and eight rebounds, while graduate student
Curtis Cobb III contributed 17 points. Junior
Nigel Jackson was the third Seahawk in double figures with 15 points.
A classic NEC battle, the contest featured 15 lead changes and 10 ties overall, with the Seahawks holding the lead for just over 16 minutes.
After the Seahawks took an early 8-4 lead on a Cobb jumper, both teams went back and forth, resulting in a 29-29 tie at halftime following a deep three by Morales at the buzzer.
The Terriers opened the second half on a 7-0 run and led by as much as nine points with 12:26 to play.
The Seahawks stormed back with a 10-0 run that featured consecutive threes by Jackson and Cobb and claimed the lead on a basket by Morales that made it 50-49 with 9:05 to play. Neither team was able to establish a two-possession lead for the next eight minutes, before the Terriers pulled away and hung on for the victory.
The Seahawks held the visitors to 40.7% shooting from the field and outrebounded the Terriers 38-30 on the night, but St. Francis Brooklyn held a 29-7 advantage in points from turnovers and 26-18 advantage in points in the paint to earn the win.
Prior to today's contest, Wagner held a ceremony honoring Bob Schnurr '74 for 50 years of service to the Wagner athletic department.
Next up, the Seahawks will take on LIU on Monday in a 4 pm tip-off on Martin Luther King Day.
