New Britain, CT – The Wagner men's basketball team saw its historic 10-game winning streak come to a close on Friday afternoon, as the Seahawks fell 83-78 at Central Connecticut to split the series against the Blue Devils.
The Seahawks, who clinched a spot in this year's Northeast Conference (NEC) tournament last night, now sit at 11-5 in NEC action, while the Blue Devils' season ends with a 5-13 mark in league play.
Senior
Alex Morales set a new career-high with 29 points on the day, which came on 12-20 shooting, while also grabbing nine rebounds. Senior
Elijah Ford finished with 13 points and nine boards, while freshman
DeLonnie Hunt scored 11 points and dished out five assists. Senior
Will Martinez contributed 10 points, as four Seahawks finished in double figures.
Contrary to last night's wire-to-wire Wagner win, today's game featured 12 ties and nine lead changes. Wagner once again dominated around the basket, outscoring the Blue Devils 54-24 in the paint while outrebounding CCSU 36-33.
In the first half, a 10-2 Wagner run, capped by a
Ja'Mier Fletcher layup, gave the visitors a 30-22 lead with 8:52 to play. The Blue Devils answered, cutting the deficit to 41-40 at the half.
In a tight, physical second half, a 6-0 CCSU run gave the Blue Devils a 66-60 lead with 6:34 to play. Three minutes later, a basket by Morales, a three by senior
Nigel Jackson, and a driving layup by Hunt provided the answer for the Seahawks in tying the game at 69-69 with 3:27 to play.
Hunt tied the game once more at 71-71 with 1:22 to play, but CCSU's Ian Krishnan's three on the ensuing possession gave the Blue Devils a 74-71 advantage. Morales brought Wagner to within one at 74-73 with 43 seconds to play, but that's as close as the Green and White would get, as the Blue Devils converted all of their free throws to earn the victory.
Wagner will close out the regular season with two games against Merrimack at the Spiro Sports Center on March 2-3. The NEC Tournament semifinal will take place on March 6.
