HACKENSACK, N.J. — The Wagner College men's basketball team dropped a 68–61 decision to FDU on Monday afternoon inside the Bogota Savings Bank Center in NEC action.
FDU (6–13, 3–3 NEC) opened the game with 10 unanswered points before junior
Bryan Akanmu got Wagner (6–11, 1–5 NEC) on the board with 13:55 remaining in the opening half. The Seahawks answered with an 11–4 run to cut the deficit to one, 14–13, following a layup from junior
Eddie Placer. At the 6:40 mark, junior
Nick Jones found freshman
Elijah Brown streaking down the floor for a layup to tie the game at 20.
The Knights pushed the lead back to as many as seven late in the half, but Wagner closed strong, trailing just 31–29 at the break after converting all 10 of its free-throw attempts in the opening period.
Wagner took its first lead of the second half following a fast-break dunk by Jones with 14:54 remaining, igniting a back-and-forth stretch over the next several minutes. With the game tied at 49 and 8:29 left, FDU went on an 11–2 run, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers, to take a 60–51 advantage. The Knights sealed the game at the free-throw line in the final seconds to secure the 68–61 victory.
Jones led Wagner with a team-high 20 points in 40 minutes of action, adding six rebounds and two steals for his third consecutive 20-point performance — the longest streak by a Seahawk since Alex Morales in 2021. Akanmu followed with 12 points on an efficient 5-of-8 shooting effort, while junior
John Awoke chipped in nine points. Wagner shot 43.8 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc, while converting 87.5 percent of its free-throw attempts.
FDU held a 33–22 rebounding advantage, went 19-of-25 at the free-throw line, and connected on 7-of-17 attempts from three-point range.
Wagner will look to bounce back as conference play continues later this week at Le Moyne on Friday, January 23, at 7:00 p.m. in Syracuse, N.Y.
