Staten Island, NY – Senior
Elijah Ford and freshman
DeLonnie Hunt scored six consecutive points in the final three minutes to lead the Wagner College men's basketball team to its ninth consecutive victory, as the Seahawks earned a 70-68 comeback win over Saint Francis U at the Spiro Sports Center on Sunday afternoon.
After Hunt tied the game at 66-66 with 2:26 to play, Ford gave Wagner the lead on a driving layup with 1:28 to play, giving him a career-high 31 points on the day. On the ensuing possession, Hunt stole the ball and took it to the basket, giving the Seahawks a four-point lead with 55 seconds to play. Saint Francis U cut the deficit to 70-68, but the Red Flash's last-second attempt to win the game fell short, as Wagner earned its ninth straight win.
With the win, Wagner improves to 10-4 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play and continues to sit in first place in the league standings, while Saint Francis U falls to 5-12 in NEC action. Today's win also ties the 2013-14 Seahawks for the longest winning streak under head coach
Bashir Mason.
Ford finished the day shooting 13-19 from the field for the first 30-point game of his career and also led the team with seven rebounds, while Hunt was second on the team with 15 points. Senior
Will Martinez was the third Seahawk in double figures with 10 points.
Following yesterday's wire-to-wire victory, this afternoon's game featured 14 ties and five lead changes.
After senior
Alex Morales gave Wagner a 20-13 lead with 8:43 to play in the first half, the Red Flash used a 9-0 run to take a 38-32 lead at the half.
The Seahawks fought their way back midway through the second half, as Ford took over the game offensively, scoring 21 of his 31 points in the second period.
A pair of Hunt free throws capped a 10-0 Wagner run and gave Wagner its first lead of the second half at 53-52 with 12:18 to play.
From there, the game remained within one possession until Hunt's layup in the final minute of the contest, as both teams continued to trade baskets.
Three of Hunt's four field goals on the day came in the final 6:08 minutes of the game, as the back-to-back NEC Rookie of the Week continued to make his case for the league's annual Rookie of the Year award.
As a team, Wagner converted on 27-54 (50%) of field goals on the day and held a 40-30 advantage in points in the paint, while the Red Flash held a 26-24 edge on the glass.
Next up, the Seahawks are scheduled to travel to Central Connecticut on February 25-26.
