STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The Wagner College men's basketball team surged in the second half to earn a 65–62 victory over New Haven on Thursday night inside the Spiro Sports Center.
In a low-scoring first half, the teams battled through a tightly contested opening period that featured seven ties and two lead changes. Wagner (12–16, 7–10 NEC) took an early 8–3 lead following a steal and layup from junior
Nick Jones. New Haven (13–17, 8–9 NEC) responded with a 10–0 run to gain a 13–8 advantage midway through the frame. The Chargers built their lead to as many as seven, 20–13, with 2:19 left in the half, before buckets from juniors
Michael Cooper and
John Awoke cut the margin to two, 22–20, heading into the break. Wagner shot just 24.2 percent (8-of-33) from the field in the first 20 minutes, compared to 29.0 percent by New Haven.
New Haven opened the second half with a push, stretching its advantage to as many as nine with 13:57 left. Wagner answered behind its perimeter shooting, as graduate student
Travis Gray and Cooper knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to spark a run that cut the margin to one, 43–42, midway through the half. The Green & White continued to chip away before back-to-back triples from Awoke gave Wagner a 56–54 lead with 3:20 remaining.
With the game tied at 58, Jones delivered a go-ahead three-pointer with 56 seconds left to put Wagner ahead 61–58. New Haven was unable to convert on the ensuing possession, and Gray and Awoke calmly closed the game at the free-throw line to secure the 65–62 victory.
Awoke led Wagner with 15 points while shooting 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Jones added 13 points, while Gray recorded his third straight double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Gray becomes the first Seahawk since Michael Carey in 2016 to record a double-double in three consecutive games.
Overall, Wagner shot 40.0 percent from the field and an efficient 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from three-point range in the second half. The Seahawks also held a 38–31 rebounding advantage and received 17 points from their bench.
With the win, Wagner clinches a spot in the 2026 NEC Tournament, set to begin Wednesday, March 4.
The Seahawks will close out the regular season on Saturday, February 28, welcoming Chicago State to the Spiro Sports Center for a 1 p.m. tip.
