Jan. 17, 2008

Final Stats

Brooklyn, NY - Despite junior swingman Jamal Smith's (Baltimore, MD/ Towson Catholic) second career double-double, a 17-point, 12-rebound effort, Wagner dropped its first Northeast Conference game of the season by an 85-65 decision at Long Island University.

With the loss Wagner fell to 12-5 on the season, 5-1 in NEC play. The Seahawks are now tied with Quinnipiac for first place in the conference. LIU improved to 10-6 on the season, 2-3 in NEC play.

Wagner was un-done by a combination of LIU's hot three-point shooting (8-14 in the first half and 10-20 for the game) and the Blackbirds' staggering advantage from the free throw line. At one point in the game, LIU held an astounding 40-1 advantage in free throw attempts. For the game, LIU shot 29-43 from the charity stripe while Wagner was 5-8. Wagner was charged with 27 personal fouls in the game, while LIU was charged with 17.

The Seahawks fell behind at the outset by a quick 6-0 count on a pair of three-point jumpers by senior guard Eugene Kotorobai. Following a pair of lay-ups by senior center Durell Vinson (Vineland, NJ/ St. Augustine Prep), LIU went on an 8-0 burst to make it 14-4. Trailing 20-11, Wagner then went on an 11-0 run, keyed by five points from senior guard Mark Porter (Atlantic City, NJ/ St. Augustine Prep) and capped by a tip-in by Vinson, to gain a 22-20 lead with 10:18 to play in the first half. LIU closed with an 18-8 spurt to go into the locker room with a 40-30 lead.

The Blackbirds out-scored the Seahawks 9-2 over the first 4:22 of the second half to take a commanding 49-32 lead as Wagner was whistled for eight fouls, including a technical, during this stretch. For the game, Wagner was charged with three technical fouls.

Kotorobai led all scorers with 24 points, while Kyle Johnson and David Hicks added 20 and 18 points, respectively. In addition to Smith's double-double, in which he matched his season high of 17 points and set a career high with 12 rebounds, Porter added 11 points, seven rebounds and five steals while Vinson chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes of action before fouling out.

LIU out-shot Wagner 44%-37% and held a 40-39 edge in the rebounding department.

Wagner is off until Thursday, January 24 when the Seahawks play host to Mount St. Mary's. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm.