The game last night between Wagner and LIU Brooklyn had postseason electricity and playoff emotion, from a last-second tip-in to premature court-storming, a game-clinching steal to a postgame fracas in the stands. And when it was over, the Seahawks had a 94-92 escape at home, and a huge leg up in the Northeast Conference.
Wagner (16-11, 10-6 NEC) used a 24-7 second-half run to build a double-digit lead, but found itself locked in a tie with just 11 seconds left. The Seahawks still needed Kenneth Ortiz’s putback with less than a second remaining to retake the lead, and a steal by Jonathan Williams on the subsequent inbounds pass to clinch it.
“This is good we’ve been through this. When we get tothe postseason we’ll already have been prepared,’’ said Ortiz. “This was crazy.’’
Wagner’s first season sweep of LIU since 2006-07 vaulted the Seahawks into fourth place in the NEC and — with games left only against last-place FDU and 10th-place Monmouth — gave them a good chance of a home game in the conference tournament. The Blackbirds (15-13, 10-6) fell to fifth and took a hit in their bid to be the first team to win three straight NEC crowns.
“It’s hard [to stay calm]. The fans are into it, the adrenaline is running. You’ve just got to calm yourself down,’’ said Jonathan Williams, who led LIU with 20 points.
The Blackbirds led by 13 in the first half and held a 52-45 edge after a basket by Troy Joseph before the Seahawks seized the momentum. Wagner extended its pressure and harassed LIU point guard Jason Brickman (19 points, seven assists) into 10 turnovers. Still, they needed a tense stand at the end of the game.
“I never felt like I had a 10-point lead,’’ said Wagner coach Bashir Mason.
A dunk by Mario Moody (career-high 19 points) and a basket by Marcus Burton gave Wagner a 69-59 lead. But LIU rallied behind CJ Garner (game-high 22), and Brickman’s 3-pointer with 11 seconds left tied it at 92. But Ortiz scored with 8/10ths of a second left, and after the students who charged the court were cleared off for a final play, Williams stole the deflected inbounds pass to set off more celebrations.
There was a fracas in the stands, with the NYPD called in, but even that couldn’t mar Wagner’s win.