STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The Wagner College men's basketball team dropped a 67–57 decision to LIU on Thursday night inside the Spiro Sports Center.
The game opened with back-and-forth action as LIU (17–8, 11–1 NEC) built a five-point edge midway through the first half. Wagner (8-15, 3-9 NEC) answered with a 10–0 run, capped by a steal and fastbreak layup from junior
Eddie Placer, to take a 24–19 lead. The Seahawks pushed their advantage to as many as seven late in the half, but LIU closed the period strong to trim the deficit to two, 35–33, at the break.
LIU opened the second half with a 10–0 run to take early control. Wagner responded, tying the game multiple times before Placer drilled a three-pointer to give the Seahawks a 56–55 lead with 6:08 remaining. From there, LIU closed on a decisive 12–2 run to secure the victory.
Junior
Nick Jones led Wagner with 17 points, adding four assists and a season-high six steals. Placer finished with 11 points off the bench, while sophomore
Binael Basil recorded nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Junior
Michael Cooper added eight points for the Seahawks.
The contest featured 11 ties and 10 lead changes. LIU shot 47.2 percent from the field despite going just 1-for-12 from three-point range, while Wagner was held to 38.9 percent shooting overall.
Wagner will begin a four-game road stretch on Saturday, Feb. 14, with a 2 p.m. tip at Stonehill in Easton, Mass.
