Staten Island, NY – Senior
Alex Morales' game-winning jumper with three seconds to play gave the Wagner College men's basketball team a 76-74 win over LIU to split the two-game series against the Sharks on Friday night at the Spiro Sports Center.
Creating his own shot, Morales drove to the free throw line with less than five seconds to play, stepped back and hit the clutch shot to give the Seahawks the lead. A last-second shot by the Sharks missed, giving Wagner the victory.
"That was our moment of growth right there. That's what we've been looking for, for a long time, so I'm just a proud coach," head coach
Bashir Mason commented after the game.
The game-winner crowned a stellar night for Morales, who finished with 10 points and a career-high 14 assists, the most assists by a Northeast Conference (NEC) player this season and third-most among all Division I players in a single game so far this year.
"You can see it all over him that he's now accepted the challenge of being a veteran, the leader of this team," Mason added. "He was totally committed to whatever it took to win the game and rightfully so, with that type of mindset, the ball came his way in the biggest moment of the game and went in. Not only is this going to help him be a good basketball player, but this is going to propel Alex in life."
In a well-rounded offensive performance, senior
Will Martinez led five Seahawks in double figures with a game-high 19 points, while fellow senior
Nigel Jackson poured in 17 points, including five three-pointers. Freshman
DeLonnie Hunt contributed 15 points, while Morales and sophomore
Ja'Mier Fletcher finished with 10 points apiece.
The Sharks took a 39-37 lead into the half after a tightly contested first period and extended the lead to 10 points with 16:28 to play in the game, forcing Mason to call a timeout on the sideline.
Following the timeout, the Seahawks turned the tide and cut into the deficit. Wagner tied the game at 59-59 on a Martinez free throw with 9:39 to play and took a 64-61 lead on a Jackson three with 7:02 to play, marking the first Seahawk lead of the second half.
Trailing by two with under a minute to play, Morales found Fletcher under the basket for an easy dunk to tie the game at 74-74 with 52 seconds to play. On the ensuing LIU possession, an alert defensive play led to a steal by Hunt, before Morales sent the Seahawks home victorious.
The Sharks held a 28-26 advantage on the glass, while the Seahawks outscored LIU 24-13 in points from turnovers.
With the win, Wagner moves to 2-5 on the season and 2-4 in NEC play, while the Sharks fall to 4-2 this year.
Next up, the Seahawks are scheduled to travel to Mount St. Mary's on January 26-27.
