Staten Island, NY – Down to just seven players on the night, the Wagner College men's basketball team overcame an 11-point first half deficit to earn a gritty 68-56 victory over Central Connecticut on Friday night at the Spiro Sports Center.
With the win, the Seahawks improve to 7-19 overall and 4-11 in Northeast Conference play. Still two games out of a playoff spot with three games remaining, Wagner trails Fairleigh Dickinson, Mount St. Mary's, St. Francis Brooklyn, and Bryant, who are all tied ahead of the Green and White at 6-9 in NEC play. With the loss, CCSU falls to 3-13 in NEC play and has been eliminated from playoff contention.
The Seahawks were powered by junior
Elijah Ford's 18 points, while junior
Alex Morales added 17 and sophomore
Tyrone Nesby IV chipped in 15.
In front of a rowdy crowd at the Spiro Sports Center that included a group of former Seahawks from the 2016 and 2018 regular season championship teams, the Seahawks fell behind early, trailing 31-20 with 3:25 to play in the first period and 35-29 at halftime.
After a layup by Morales and consecutive baskets by Ford made it a one-possession game three minutes into the second half, a layup by junior
Will Martinez gave the Green and White their first lead of the half at 41-40 with 14:47 to play.
Wagner then took control of the contest, as consecutive threes by Nesby, a basket by Morales and a layup by junior
Chase Freeman capped an 11-0 run to make it 51-42 with 11:11 to play.
A four-point play by Morales one minute later extended the lead to double digits and the Seahawks never looked back, earning consecutive victories for the first time this season.
Wagner's intensity showed on the stat sheet, as the Seahawks outrebounded the Blue Devils 33-29 and outscored them 38-16 in the paint. Offensively, Wagner shot 49.1% (27-55) on the night while holding CCSU to 19-47 (40.4) from the field.
Following tonight's key victory, the Seahawks will be back in action on Sunday, as they travel to St. Francis Brooklyn for another pivotal contest, with tip-off scheduled for 4:00 pm.
