Men's Basketball Outshot By Wagner, 88-74

(boxscore)

1/22/07 -- Four players scored in double-figures for the Long Island University men’s basketball team, but it was not enough to keep up with a hot-shooting Wagner team, as the Blackbirds fell 88-74 at the Spiro Sports Center on Monday night. The Seahawks had all five starters in double-figures and shot 53.6 percent from the floor, including 52.2 percent from three-point range to send the Blackbirds to their third straight loss.

A pair of three-pointers from senior Esa Maki-Tulokas (Forssa, Finland) gave LIU an early 6-5 lead. After a layup from sophomore Tyrone Mattison (Toronto, Ontario) knotted the game at 8-8, Wagner took the lead for good on a 15-3 run and never trailed again. Joey Mundweiler hit a pair of his game-high seven triples during the run to pace the Seahawks

Maki-Tulokas finished with a season-high 16 points to lead the Blackbirds’ scoring. Senior Aubin Scott (Hempstead, N.Y.) added 14 points, while freshman Jaytornah Wisseh (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had 12 points and five assists off the bench.

After falling behind, 35-19 midway through the first half, Long Island used a quick spurt to cut the deficit to nine points. Aurimas Adomaitis’ (Kaunas, Lithuania) layup at the 5:30 got LIU within 35-26. Wagner scored the next five points, before Adomaitis scored four straight to get LIU back within 10 points, but the Seahawks forced a turnover and got a layup just before the intermission and took a 45-33 lead into the lockerroom.

Wagner kept the lead in double-figures in the second half and built a 61-44 lead just under the midway mark, before Long Island mounted a brief comeback. Maki-Tulokas made three straight trifectas to get the Blackbirds within 61-52 with 7:50 to go. However, the Seahawks responded with six straight points and never let the lead fall below double-digits the rest of the way.

Adomaitis scored 10 points for LIU, reaching double-figures for the fourth-straight game. Junior Eugene Kotorobai (Richmond Hill, Ontario) finished with a team-high seven boards off the bench.

Wagner was paced by Mundweiler’s 23 points and James Ulrich’s 18-point, 14-rebound performance. Jamal Smith added 15 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 from the line. The Seahawks held a slim 40-37 advantage on the glass and held the Blackbirds to 40.0 percent shooting from the field.

The Blackbirds return to action on Saturday, January 27, when they travel to Hamden, Conn., to take on Quinnipiac in a 12:30 p.m. game.