Staten Island, NY - The Wagner College men's basketball team fell to longtime-Northeast Conference (NEC) rival LIU on Thursday night at the Spiro Sports Center by a score of 60-47.

With the loss, the Seahawks drop to 12-11 on the 2024-25 campaign with a 4-6 mark in conference play. LIU climbs to 11-15 with a 7-4 record in NEC action.

Wagner and LIU played a tight first half against one another, as the Sharks largest lead of the frame was just five points, even though LIU led for the entirety of the half.

Five different times the Seahawks tied the game in the first half, but the Green & White could never gain a lead on the Sharks.

In a back-and-forth half, the largest scoring run of the half came from Wagner and consisted of only five points as graduate student Zae Blake three-pointer and a junior Keyontae Lewis layup scored to knot the game at 17 a piece.

LIU's Blake Lander hit a corner three-pointer just as the first half ended to grant the Sharks a 28-24 lead at the break.

Senior Tyje Kelton led all Seahawks in scoring in the first half, hitting two three-pointers early in the frame to give him six points. Blake and senior Zaire Williams scored five points during the first 20 minutes of action.

As a team, the Seahawks outscored the Sharks, 5-0, in points off turnovers. 

LIU would go on to outscore Wagner, 32-23, in the second half thanks to a 12-26 (46.2%) success rate from the floor including a 4-10 (40%) clip from three.

With 15:00 remaining in the game, the Seahawks did earn themselves a 1-point lead as graduate student Ja'Kair Sanchez hit two free throws to give Wagner the advantage, 33-32.

Over the next ten minutes of action, LIU would outscore Wagner, 16-4 and found themselves up 11 points with 5:56 remaining, punctuated with a two-point field goal by senior Jamal Fuller that capped off a 9-0 LIU run.

The Sharks would extend their lead to 16, eventually winning by 13 and a score of 60-47.

Williams led Wagner in the second half with eight points, finishing with a team-high 13 points to go along with six rebounds and two assists. 

Kelton finished the game with nine points, Lewis added eight points and eight rebounds, and Blake chipped in seven points and five rebounds.

Next up, the Seahawks will travel to FDU for a matchup with the Knights on Saturday, February 8 at the Bogota Savings Bank Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm.