Brooklyn, NY – The Wagner College men's basketball team took the lead with 6:24 minutes remaining as part of a 22-5 second half run, but it wasn't enough, as LIU hung on for a 74-66 victory on Thursday night.
With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 5-12 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play and have been eliminated from postseason contention with one game remaining in the regular season, while the Sharks improve to 9-8 in conference play.
Sophomore
Tyrone Nesby IV led three Seahawks in double figures with 15 points, while junior
Alex Morales contributed 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Junior
Will Martinez added 12 points off the bench.
Trailing by double digits in the first half, a Nesby jumper and four straight points by junior
Chase Freeman pulled the Seahawks within striking distance at 32-23 with under two minutes to play.
The Sharks took a 34-25 advantage into the halftime locker room and led by as much as 17 with 13:52 to play in the second half.
Six straight Morales points and a three by graduate student
Curtis Cobb III made it a 51-41 game with 12:02 to play, giving the Seahawks the momentum.
Another Cobb triple three minutes later pulled Wagner within one at 52-51, while a dunk by Nesby capped the run and gave Wagner its first lead of the half at 56-54.
A layup by graduate student
Patrick Szpir extended the lead to 60-57 with 4:24 to play, but the Sharks answered and regained the lead. A triple by Jermaine Jackson Jr. with 40 seconds to play made it 70-64 in favor of LIU, as the Sharks hung on for the victory.
Tonight's contest featured five ties and seven lead changes, as LIU held a 43-27 advantage on the glass.
Wagner will close out the 2020 season with a 2 pm matchup against Bryant on Saturday afternoon.
