by Fairfield, CT – Redshirt senior guard Dwaun Anderson (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians) and sophomore backcourt mate Romone Saunders (Temple Hills, MD/Potomac [Mt. Zion Prep]) posted career- highs with 22 points apiece as Wagner earned its third straight victory, defeating the Sacred Heart University Pioneers, 76-59, in Northeast Conference (NEC) action on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the Seahawks improve to 10-5 overall while moving into a five-way tie for first place in the conference with a 3-1 mark. The Pioneers fall to 2-13 overall and 1-3 in league play. Wagner’s 10 wins match last season’s win total..
Anderson, who also added five rebounds, two steals, and an assist, shot 10-of-16 from the floor in 34 minutes en route to his second career 20-point performance. He tallied a then career-best 21 points back on December 22 at Atlantic 10 member, George Mason.
Saunders scored 13 of his 22 points in the first half as the second-year guard finished 8-of-13 from the field, which included a blistering 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. For the second time in three games, the Temple Hills, MD native pulled down eight rebounds, which led the Green & White on the afternoon. Redshirt-senior forward Mike Aaman (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan [University of Rhode Island]) also provided Wagner with a lift off the bench, adding 12 points and five caroms off the bench in his 24 minutes of action.
Sacred Heart had three players finish in double figures led by reigning NEC Player of the Week, Cane Broome, who scored a team-high 11 points. Wagner’s smothering defense held Broome, the leading scorer in the circuit at 21.8 ppg heading into the contest, to just 3-of-14 shooting and 2-of-7 from beyond the arc in 37 minutes of action. Eyimofe Edukugho and Matej Buovac each scored 10 points on a combined 8-of-15 shooting from the floor for the Pioneers.
The Seahawks came roaring out of the gates in this one, opening the contest on a 7-0 run. Anderson was the catalyst, with four quick points, before Sacred Heart was able to get on the scoreboard at 18:07 as Jordan Allen hit 1-of-2 from the line. After the Pioneers had scored the next five points to trail by one, 7-6, the Seahawks erupted on a 9-0 run in seizing a 16-6 lead, with Saunders capping it with a three-pointer from the top of the key.
Sacred Heart clawed its way back into the contest, as the Pioneers answered with a 9-0 run of their own, with Tevin Falzon bank two off the window to cap the run and trim the Seahawks lead to 16-15 midway through the first half. From that point, Wagner scored 25 of the final 43 points of the half in taking a 39-32 lead heading into intermission. The Green & White finished the first half shooting 51.5 percent from the field (17-of-33). Saunders led the way with 13 first-half points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-5 from downtown, to go along with a team-leading six rebounds.
SHU was able to cut the Wagner lead to just three, 42-39, early in the second half after Sean Hoehn dialed up a three-pointer from the right corner after receiving a feed from Broome. The Seahawks quickly responded with a three-point field goal of their own as sophomore forward Japhet Kadji (Douala, Cameroon/Gulliver Prep [IMG Academy]) converted from the top of the key, bringing the lead back up to six, 45-39.
Kadji’s trey sparked a 16-4 run that increased the Wagner lead to 18, 61-43, with 8:23 left in the contest as Anderson was able to put in the left-handed layup. The visitors took their largest lead of the game, 65-45, as junior guard Michael Carey (Nassau, Bahamas/Lamar Consolidated [San Jacinto College} drained two free throw with 7:24 showing on the clock.
Sacred Heart managed to cut Wagner’s lead to 13, 68-55, with 2:44 remaining after Falzon added two more points from the line. This would be the closest that the Pioneers would get as Wagner scored eight of the game’s final 11 en route to posting the 17-point victory.
Once again, defense and rebounding were keys to the Seahawk win as Wagner out-shot SHU 49.2 percent to 39.2 percent while owning a 38-28 advantage on the glass.
Wagner will look for its fourth straight win on Thursday, January 14, when the Seahawks take on the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds at home. Tip off is slated for 7:00 pm from the Spiro Sports Center as Joey Wahler will call the game live on NEC Front Row, the online digital network of the Northeast Conference.
