Wagner relied on its grit and depth to succeed in the NCAA Match, and the Seahawks made one other assertion as soon as they obtained there.
Sixteenth-seeded Wagner fought off a late comeback try from Howard to flee with a 71-68 victory of their NCAA Match First 4 recreation Tuesday evening on the College of Dayton Area in Dayton, Ohio.
The Seahawks moved on to play No. 1 North Carolina within the Spherical of 64 Thursday in Charlotte, North Carolina within the West Area.
In doing so, Wagner was the precise definition of “survive and advance.”
Wagner, coached by former St. Anthony Excessive College and Seton Corridor star Donald Copeland, didn’t have a straightforward path to the Large Dance, however the Seahawks plowed by means of adversity.
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“I imply, it is phenomenal,” Copeland mentioned. “You dream of this second, not simply as a participant however as a coach to compete for a championship, and we did that no matter what we had been going by means of. We by no means stopped believing. We by no means stopped having an expectation of ourselves.”
Because the No. 6 seed within the NEC Match, Wagner went on the highway and beat the highest three seeds – together with No. 2 Merrimack within the remaining – to earn its first convention event title since 2003.
Making that much more outstanding?
Wagner’s been right down to seven wholesome gamers for an prolonged time period.
Copeland’s group continued its momentum Tuesday evening, although Howard did all it might to take it away late.
The Seahawks opened up a 17-point lead over Howard with simply greater than 16 minutes to go within the second half. The Bison lower it to seven with 11 minutes remaining, however Wagner went again up by double digits till Howard once more closed its deficit to single digits within the remaining minutes.
It was a wild end.
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Wagner’s Melvin Council Jr., who completed with a game-high 21 factors, made a tricky jumper on the 1:24 mark and drew the foul. Council drew the foul however missed the free throw.
Howard lower it to a few factors with simply greater than a minute left as Marcus Dockery obtained a steal because the Bisons pressed, resulting in a layup from Isiah Warfield.
After Council missed a jumper on the opposite finish, Howard guard Bryce Harris drove the basket and made a tricky layup to make it a one-point recreation with 17 seconds left.
Howard then fouled Julian Brown, who made each foul photographs to push Wagner’s lead again to a few.
The Bison tried three three-pointers within the closing seconds as they managed to get the offensive rebounds, however couldn’t drain any of them.
Identical to that, Wagner had its first NCAA Match win in program historical past.
Three takeaways
1. Credit score Wagner for its grit, depth
Taking part in with seven gamers isn’t straightforward.
Far, removed from it.
And but regardless of that problem – which has hindered the Seahawks’ capacity to even have dwell practices – Wagner has fought by means of it, and did so on a giant stage Tuesday evening.
Wagner held Howard to 38.6 % capturing (the Bison had been 7-of-24 from three-point vary).
Copeland has executed a masterful teaching job getting each ounce of manufacturing and vitality from the gamers he does have out there.
“Having seven gamers, you already know, I might think about some locations they may simply come within the fitness center and simply, ‘Hey, hear, we obtained seven, let’s undergo the motions,'” Copeland mentioned. “We by no means did that. We ready the suitable method. We anticipated to win even once we did lose.”
2. Wagner performed environment friendly offensively
The Seahawks entered the sport with the nation’s sixth-best protection, permitting 62.1 factors per recreation.
They once more performed properly on that finish of the ground towards Howard, however their offense was additionally stellar.
Wagner shot 52.7 % from the sector, together with 8-of-17 from the perimeter.
The Seahawks had 16 assists on 29 made discipline objectives.
3. Good recreation by Bergen Catholic grad Julian Brown
The 6-foot-1 sophomore guard completed with 15 factors on 4-of-7 capturing (3-of-4 from lengthy distance).
Brown drained a three-pointer with eight minutes left that put Wagner up by 13 factors. And naturally, he was clutch along with his late free throws.
Maybe essentially the most spectacular stat of Brown’s evening?
Brown performed all 40 minutes.
Wagner wanted each one among them.