STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The Wagner College men's basketball team used a fast start to secure an 80–61 victory over Chicago State on Saturday afternoon inside the Spiro Sports Center.
Wagner (13-16, 8-10 NEC) set the tone early, opening the contest on a 13-0 run and holding the Cougars scoreless for the first four-plus minutes. Junior
Bryan Akanmu and graduate student
Travis Gray fueled the surge, helping the Seahawks build a double-digit lead midway through the first half.
Chicago State (7-24, 5-13 NEC) trimmed the margin to single digits late in the half, but Wagner closed strong. A pair of free throws from sophomore
Binael Basil and a three-pointer from redshirt freshman
Makhai Anderson pushed the advantage to 42-24 at the break.
The Seahawks continued to apply pressure after intermission. A triple from junior
John Awoke and consecutive baskets from Akanmu stretched the lead past 20 early in the second half. Junior
Eddie Placer knocked down a three-pointer to give Wagner its largest lead of the day, 26, with 7:31 remaining. The Seahawks maintained their hot shooting the rest of the way en route to the 80-61 win.
Gray led the Green & White with 16 points and 12 rebounds for his fourth straight double-double, becoming the first Seahawk since Michael Carey in 2016 to record four consecutive double-doubles. Junior
Nick Jones added 12 points and a season-high eight assists, while Basil chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds. Akanmu finished with 10 points, and junior
Michael Cooper provided a spark off the bench with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers.
As a team, Wagner shot 49.1 percent from the floor and 52.4 percent from beyond the arc (11-of-21), while holding Chicago State to 39.3 percent shooting. The Seahawks also controlled the glass, outrebounding the Cougars 43-27.
Wagner will look to carry the momentum into its 15th NEC Tournament appearance in 16 years, as the No. 7 seed Seahawks travel to No. 2 seed CCSU for a quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday, March 4 at 7 p.m. inside Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, Conn.
