Fairfield, CT – Behind 45 combined points by graduate students
Will Martinez and
Alex Morales, the Wagner College men's basketball team earned a 76-67 road win over Sacred Heart on Thursday night.
With the win, Wagner remains in first place in the Northeast Conference (NEC) standings with a 14-1 mark in conference play while improving to 18-3 overall.
Martinez poured in a career-high 25 points, while Morales contributed 20 points in the win. The duo combined with redshirt-senior
Raekwon Rogers for a team-high seven rebounds apiece.
Leading 62-60 with under four minutes to play, buckets by Martinez and Morales as well as a three by senior
Jahbril Price Noel powered a 7-2 Wagner run that gave the Seahawks a 69-62 lead with 1:25 to play, which proved to be the deciding sequence of the game.
Wagner trailed 37-33 at the half, but took the lead five minutes into the second half following five consecutive points by junior
Ja'Mier Fletcher and a basket by Martinez that made it 44-43 with 15:32 to play.
From there, both teams went back and forth, as the Seahawks and Pioneers combined for 18 lead changes and 10 ties on the night, until Wagner's late push sealed the game for the Green and White.
Wagner held a 37-35 edge on the glass, while using a 35-6 advantage in bench points, 12 steals, and 17 points from turnovers to earn the victory.
As a team, Wagner converted on 29-68 (42.6%) of field goals, while the Pioneers shot 26-53 (49.1%) from the field.
Next up, the Seahawks will host Central Connecticut on Saturday, with tip-off scheduled for 1:00 pm. Prior to the game, Wagner will honor
Nigel Jackson,
Raekwon Rogers,
Elijah Ford,
Alex Morales, and
Will Martinez in a pregame ceremony.
