Hackensack, NJ – Five Seahawks scored in double figures and three players finished with 20 or more points, as the Wagner men's basketball team earned its fifth straight victory with a 95-86 win at Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday night at the Rothman Center.
With the victory, the Seahawks earn the series sweep over the Knights while moving to 6-5 on the season and third place in the Northeast Conference with a 6-4 mark in NEC play, while FDU falls to 6-6 in conference action.
After trailing 45-42 at the half, the Seahawks outscored the Knights 53-41 in the second period to earn the victory.
Morales was once again the leading scorer for the Seahawks with 23 points, as the reigning NEC Player of the Week picked up his fifth 20-point game in the last seven games. Fellow senior
Elijah Ford, who now leads the conference with 19.6 points per game, poured in 22 points, while senior
Will Martinez contributed 21 points off the bench.
Sophomore
Ja'Mier Fletcher finished with a double-double, grabbing 13 rebounds and scoring 12 points, while reigning NEC Rookie of the Week
DeLonnie Hunt finished with 13 points.
As a team, the Seahawks outrebounded the Knights 29-18, including 12 offensive boards that contributed to 17 second chance points.
After a close first half, which featured nine lead changes and three ties, the Seahawk offense took over in the second half, shooting 18-30 (60%) in the second period.
Four straight points by Morales gave the Seahawks their first lead of the second half at 51-50 with 16:40 to play. Consecutive threes by Hunt and Morales, which came just 19 seconds apart, pushed the lead to double digits at 74-62 with 7:08 to play.
A layup by Ford two minutes later capped a 9-0 run and gave the Seahawks a 77-62 lead with 5:48.
The Knights fought back, but a Ford dunk with 48 seconds to play put the exclamation point on the victory, as the Green and White maintained their lead to earn the win.
Next up, the Seahawks are scheduled to travel to Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday and Wednesday (February 16-17), with tip-off set for 7pm and 4 pm, respectively.
