Staten Island, NY – The Wagner men's basketball team's historic 14-game win streak came to an end on Saturday, as the Seahawks fell 80-65 to Merrimack in overtime at the Spiro Sports Center.
Tied at 58-58 after regulation, the Warriors outscored the Seahawks 22-7 in the overtime period to earn the victory. With the loss, Wagner falls to 17-3 overall and suffers its first loss in Northeast Conference (NEC) play while remaining in first place with a 13-1 mark in conference play.
Graduate student
Will Martinez led Wagner with 22 points, while classmate
Alex Morales contributed 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Leading 25-24 at the half, Merrimack extended its lead to double digits with 14:29 to play on a three by Mykel Derring to give the Warriors a 40-28 advantage.
The Seahawks fought their way back into the game and took a 44-42 lead on a pair of Martinez free throws that capped off a 14-2 Wagner run with 8:52 to play.
Another clutch basket by Martinez gave Wagner a 58-54 lead with 1:43 to play, but the Warriors tied the game with 49 seconds to play to force overtime.
In the extra period, the Warriors converted on all seven of their shots from the field to earn the victory, while hitting 27-48 (56.3%) of shots throughout the contest.
Wagner held a 40-29 advantage on the glass but was limited to 23-65 (35.4%) shooting on the afternoon.
Merrimack was led by Jordan Minor's 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Ziggy Reid added 19 points on the day.
Next up, the Seahawks will travel to Sacred Heart on Thursday, February 17, with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 pm.
