Pictured Above: Elijah Ford (photo courtesy of Bryant Athletics)
Smithfield, RI – Trailing by 15 points with 14 minutes to play, the Wagner men's basketball team stormed back to tie the game in the final minute, but could not get past Bryant, as the Bulldogs earned an 81-75 win at the Chace Athletic Center on Thursday afternoon.
With the loss, Wagner falls to 0-3 on the year and 0-2 in NEC play, while Bryant sweeps the season series against the Seahawks and moves to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play.
Senior
Elijah Ford led all scorers with a career-high 29 points after scoring 23 points in the first game against the Bulldogs on Wednesday. Fellow senior
Alex Morales contributed a season-high 17 points and was tied with Ford for the team lead in rebounds with eight. Freshman
Elijah Allen was the third Seahawk in double figures with 11 points.
After a crucial three-pointer by sophomore
Jordan Mason made it a 70-66 game in favor of the Bulldogs with 3:20 to play, Ford scored the next seven Wagner points, tying the game at 73-73 on a traditional three-point play with 57 seconds remaining.
A three-pointer by Michael Green III and a pair of free throws gave Bryant a 78-73 lead with 19 seconds to play, as the Bulldogs earned their second straight victory in as many days. Green and Peter Kiss led the hosts with 20 points apiece on the afternoon.
For the second straight day, the Seahawks held an edge on the glass, as they outrebounded the Bulldogs 40-33 while holding a 42-24 advantage in points in the paint.
In a back-and-forth first half, a four-point play by Allen gave Wagner a 19-17lead midway through the period and a pair of Ford free throws extended the lead to 24-20 with 8:29 to play, but the Bulldogs answered and took a 43-40 lead into the half.
In the second half, Bryant quickly extended its lead and led by as much as 58-43 with 14 minutes to play before seven straight points by Morales and Ford ignited the Wagner comeback.
Next up, the Seahawks are scheduled to play their home opener on Monday, as Wagner welcomes Sacred Heart to the Spiro Sports Center at 7:00 pm.
