Despite the fact that senior guard Michael Carey posted his fourth double-double of the season for Wagner College on Thursday night, his effort still wasn't enough to will the Seahawks past the Bryant University Bulldogs at home, in a game that they were heavily favored to win.
Carey finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the 77-66 loss to their conference rivals.
The loss to Bryant could hurt the Seahawks more than the others they suffered this season, in terms of position in the North Eastern Conference (NEC), as the regular season winds down.
The Bulldogs came into Thursday's game with a 4-12 overall record and 1-3 in the conference compared to the Seahawks' 6-8 overall mark and 2-2 conference record.
Although the teams traded the lead a handful of times in the first half, two late free throws by Cory Henson and AJ Sumbry allowed the Seahawks to take a 31-29 lead at the break.
The beginning of the second half was tight like the first, until Bryant took control of the game with 13:02 left. With the teams tied at 46 at the time, the Bulldogs rattled off a 13-5 scoring run to take a 59-51 lead with just over six minutes left in the contest. Shortly after, Wagner suffered another blow, as Carey fouled out with more than five minutes left to play.
Although Wagner made a few late charges, they never really threatened Bryant's lead.
Nisre Zouzoua scored seven of his 24 points for Bryant during the late run. His basket with 4:33 to go sparked a 14-5 run for Bryant, and he finished it with a free throw at 1:13.
The Bulldogs took advantage of their chances at the free throw line, making 27 of their 32 attempts, compared to just 15-31 foul shooting by Wagner.
Carey scored 12 of his points in the second half but picked up four fouls in under nine minutes of the second half. The 6'5" wingman has now scored 20 points or more in Wagner's last three games.
The Seahawks will look to bounce back today when they take on Robert Morris University on the road. Action kicks off at 4 p.m.
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