Staten Island, N.Y. – Mike Aaman scored 17 of his game-high 22 points in the second half to lead Wagner to a 53-50 victory over the
Robert Morris University men's basketball team Saturday at the Spiro Sports Center.
Trailing, 51-50, after sophomore guard
Matty McConnell buried a three-pointer with 1:08 remaining, the RMU defense held firm, as a three-pointer from Corey Henson of the Seahawks with 39 seconds to go was short.
McConnell came up with the rebound for the Colonials, and Robert Morris tried to jump back in front, but a Still three-pointer was also short. McConnell grabbed the offense rebound for RMU, but his jumper from the elbow with 10 seconds left was off the mark.
Blake Francis converted a pair at the free-throw line with 7.9 seconds left to push Wagner's lead to three, but Robert Morris had a shot at sending the game to overtime. Senior guard
Kavon Stewart missed a triple from the left wing, but the Seahawks knocked the ball out of bounds with just 1.1 seconds on the clock.
Carey immediately fouled for Wagner, sending redshirt senior forward
Aaron Tate to the free-throw line. Tate missed the front end of the one-on-one opportunity, with Carey pulling down the rebound to seal the victory for the Seahawks.
"We got Isaiah a clean look at the end of the game," head coach
Andrew Toole. "Those are the types of shots that we want to have. I didn't want to take a timeout because I didn't want to give Wagner a chance to set up their defense. We got the offensive rebound after Isaiah missed the shot, and Matty got a clean look, as well. At some point we need to be able to knock those down."
In a defensive first half, Wagner owned a 23-22 lead at halftime as a pair of free throws from JoJo Cooper with 36 seconds left before the break gave the home team a one-point advantage.
The Seahawks were able to keep Robert Morris at bay in the second half until Still nailed a three-pointer at the 10:26 mark that gave the Colonials a 37-34 edge. Carey and Aaman answered, converting layups two minutes apart to push Wagner back in front, 38-37.
The Seahawks eventually owned a 40-37 lead with 7:29 remaining after a pair of free throws from Aaman, but McConnell knocked down a three-pointer on RMU's next possession to tie the game for the eighth time, 40-40.
Wagner again went to Aaman, as he hit a pair of layups to give Wagner the lead for good.
Freshman guard
Dachon Burke paced Robert Morris in his first starting assignment in league play with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor, including 1-for-2 from beyond the arc. He also added five rebounds, an assist, block and steal.
McConnell registered the first double-double of his career courtesy of 12 points and 10 rebounds and also notched three assists, a pair of blocks and three steals. Also reaching double figures for the Colonials was Still, who scored 10 points and dished out a team-high five assists.
Aaman finished 9-for-16 shooting from the floor for Wagner and 4-for-7 at the free-throw line and grabbed eight boards, while Carey recorded a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 13 caroms.
The Colonials return to the Charles L. Sewall Center for their next two games, welcoming Central Connecticut Thursday, Jan. 19, for a 7:00 p.m. tip.
Stat Of The Night
5 – Points from the Robert Morris bench, its lowest output in 2016-17
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