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Philadelphia, PA – After a dramatic overtime victory at Temple, the Wagner College men's basketball team returns to Philadelphia for a road contest at La Salle on Saturday, with tip-off set for 3:00 pm.
Last Time Out
The Seahawks trailed 57-42 with 7:38 to play, but fought back to force overtime before earning a 76-73 overtime win over Temple in the season-opener for both teams.
With 35 seconds to play, junior
Rahmir Moore's jumper made it 69-66, before a clutch three by
Jahbril Price-Noel with three seconds to play forced overtime at 69-69.
In the extra period, sophomore
Rob Taylor II and Moore gave Wagner the early advantage and the Seahawks never looked back, outscoring the Owls 7-4 to earn the victory.
Copeland's First Win
Monday night's victory over Temple marked the first victory for head coach
Donald Copeland.
"They just battled…battled, scratched and stayed in it," Copeland said. "We talked about what the second half was going to be and they fought through. I'm proud of them. I'm proud of them."
November Statement Victories
Wagner's win over Temple marked the second straight year with an early statement victory on the road. Last season, the Seahawks upset Atlantic 10 member VCU 58-54 in their second game of the season. In 2016, Wagner earned a 67-58 win over UConn in the Green and White's season-opener.
Improbable Comeback
Erasing a double-digit deficit on the road proved to be an improbable comeback for the Seahawks. In the NEC Overtime blog, NEC contributor Ryan Peters talked about the numbers behind the Green and White's victory. "While the pregame odds were set at 7.0% for Wagner, they were even longer deep into the second half on Monday night. Temple held a 99.5% chance of victory when leading 57-42 with just under eight minutes remaining in the contest. It's incredibly early in the 2022-23 season, but that makes Wagner the most improbable win thus far according to KenPom."
Price Noel's Clutch Night
Graduate student
Jahbril Price-Noel came up huge for the Seahawks in the victory over Temple. All three of Price-Noel's field goals came from long range in the final 3:21 of the second half, with two more points coming from the free throw line in overtime.
Returners Step Up
In the victory over Temple, Wagner's returners contributed in big fashion. Junior
DeLonnie Hunt led the Seahawks with 19 points, while sophomore
Zaire Williams tied a career-high with 16 points along with Price-Noel's 11 points. Additionally, sophomore
Rob Taylor II was second on the team with seven rebounds.
Newcomers Have An Impact
In his first action as a Seahawk, junior
Rahmir Moore contributed 13 points, while newcomer
Brandon Brown led Wagner with 11 rebounds, as Wagner's newcomers played a major impact in securing the victory over Temple.
Scouting The Explorers
La Salle fell 81-68 at Villanova on Monday to start the season in the debut of head coach Fran Dunphy. Last season, La Salle finished with an 11-19 overall record and 5-13 mark in Atlantic 10 play.
The Schedule
Next up, the Seahawks will host Neumann for Wagner's home opener on Monday at 7:00 pm.
