Wagner Wins First NCAA Tournament Game in School History
Last Tuesday the Wagner Seahawks won the Northeast Conference Championship for the first time since 2003 and the second time in school history when they defeated the Merrimack Warriors 54-47. The Howard Bison on the other hand won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championship for the second year in a row this past Saturday when they defeated the Delaware State Hornets 70-67. Heading into this first-four matchup the Bison were three-and-a-half point favorites to win this one but with both these teams having close to .500 records no one was quite sure exactly who was going to come away with the win. Let’s take a look at how the Seahawks won this first four-game!
From the opening tip of this one, the Seahawks looked to be the more prepared team as they jumped out to a 19-10 lead over the Bison by the halfway mark of the first half. The same play by both teams would continue through the second half of the first half as Wagner would extend their lead by only two to eleven points to head into the locker room with a 38-27 lead. Early in the second half, the Seahawks went up by 16 points which was their largest lead of the game but by the halfway mark of the second half Howard had cut Wagner’s lead down to twelve points 59-47. The Seahawks were still up by a commanding ten points with nearly two and a half minutes left in regulation in this one but Howard would use great defensive pressure to make a comeback and cut the lead down to just one point with eighteen seconds left. While the Bison would get three shots to win this one and were hopeful for a foul call on the second one, no whistle was sounded as Wagner hung on to win the first 2024 first four-game on Tuesday night.
With this win, Wagner has secured the 16-seed spot in the west region of the 2024 NCAA tournament and they will face off against the one-seed North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday afternoon. If you are a member of the Seahawks organization you have to head into this game with an open mindset. The Tar Heels are one of the best teams in the country and are without a doubt the hardest team Wagner has played against all season, so as long as the Seahawks put up a decent fight no one is expecting anything more. Even if they don’t for a school that has only seen the NCAA tournament once before in its history winning a first four-game is a huge accomplishment! Can the Seahawks give the Tar Heels a run for their money?
