Photo by Derek Alvez / Staten Island Advance
Staten Island, NY – The Wagner College men's basketball team's hopes of a Northeast Conference (NEC) championship came to an end on Saturday afternoon, as the Seahawks dropped a tightly contested 66-60 decision to Mount St. Mary's in the NEC semifinal game.
Four Seahawks scored in double figures, led by senior
Will Martinez's 17 points. Fellow senior
Elijah Ford chipped in 15 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds, while freshman
DeLonnie Hunt and senior
Alex Morales contributed 10 points apiece.
After Martinez gave the Seahawks a 57-56 lead on a pair of free throws with 1:45 to play, the senior came up with an alert defensive play, stealing the ball from his opponent and calling timeout.
Wagner was unable to convert on consecutive offensive possessions, giving the Mountaineers the chance to take a 58-57 lead on a fast break layup with 32 seconds to play.
The Mountaineers stayed calm at the free throw line late and put the game away with six free throws to earn the 66-60 victory.
The game featured seven lead changes and five ties. The Mount held a 38-32 advantage on the glass, while outscoring Wagner 36-28 in the paint.
Trailing 35-31 at the half, the Seahawks took their first lead of the second half on a bucket by Martinez with 17:16 to play to make it 37-35.
The Mountaineers answered, taking a 50-41 lead with 10:13 to play. An 8-0 Wagner run, powered by two Martinez threes and a Ford layup closed the gap to 50-49 with 8:09 to play.
Following four straight points by the Mountaineers, a Hunt three cut the deficit to two points at 52-54 with 5:47 to play, while another basket by Martinez and a free throw by Ford set the Seahawks up in striking distance with 2:32 to play trailing 56-55, but it wasn't enough, as the Mount pulled out the victory.
With the win, the Mountaineers advance to Tuesday's NEC championship game, where they will take on Bryant.
