Zouzoua scores 25, but Bulldogs stumble in second half in 69-66 defeat at Wagner

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Sophomore Nisre Zouzoua (Brockton, Mass.) posted a game-high 25 points and five 3-pointers but couldn't find a sixth to tie the game in the final seconds, as Wagner completed a second-half comeback for the 69-66 win at the Spiro Sports Center on Staten Island Thursday night.

Trailing, 69-66, Zouzoua was forced to send up an unlikely trifecta that wouldn't find its mark with five seconds left in regulation. Maintaining possession after a fight for the rebound, the Bulldogs (11-19, 8-9 Northeast Conference) would call on freshman sharpshooter Adam Grant (Franklin, Va.) for one last look from the corner after the inbounds pass from classmate Ikenna Ndugba (Boston, Mass.), but the shot was too long to find the cylinder as the Seahawks (15-12, 11-6) cemented home court advantage in the NEC Quarterfinals with the three-point victory.

Zouzoua's 25-point performance marked the 13th 20-point game of his 2016-17 campaign and came off 9-for-20 shooting from the floor and a 5-of-13 mark from long range. Sophomore bigman Marcel Pettway (North Providence, R.I.), who scored eight of the team's first 15 points to get the Black and Gold an early lead, finished the day with 14 points off 7-of-11 shooting, while Grant went just 3-for-11 from the field in a 10-point effort.

Ndugba paced the Bulldogs on the glass for the fourth time in the last five games, grabbing 10 boards and adding six points while dishing out a game-best seven assists. Those seven helpers matched the output of the entire Wagner roster on the night.

Corey Henson led the Seahawks with 15 points and a 6-for-7 mark from the line, while Michael Carey picked up the only double-double of the day with 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. JoJo Cooper finished with 13 points.

The Bulldogs edged the Seahawks with a .417 shooting percentage (25-60) and went 7-for-23 from 3-point land. Bryant was once again limited from the line, hitting nine in just 11 opportunities. Wagner won the battle on the glass, 41-37, despite the Bulldogs owning a 21-18 edge at the halftime break.

Bryant scored six-straight points, including the third-straight three from Zouzoua, to turn a six-point halftime lead into a 40-28 margin to open the second half, but an 11-2 run from the home side – with all 11 coming from Carey (6) and Connor Ferrell (5) – quickly narrowed the gap to just a single possession, 42-39, with 14:25 to play.

Henson would find his stroke from deep to answer a Zouzoua layup and close that gap to two, and Devin Liggeons would cap off the comeback 30 seconds later with a game-tying layup, 44-44. In total, Wagner's run stretched to 16-4 over 6:25, as the Seahawks connected on 7-of-11 from the floor and limited the suddenly cold Bulldogs to a 2-for-8 mark over the span.

After two more ties, the Seahawks would take their first lead of the game off a Cooper tip-in, 53-51, but it wouldn't last long, as Bryant would go 4-for-5 over the next three minutes to take back a five-point lead, 62-57, with 5:18 to go.

But once again, Wagner would storm back, retaking the advantage on a Cooper drive in the midst of an 8-0 spurt that took the clock down to 38 ticks and drove the score to 67-64 with the Seahawks on top.

After two freebies from Grant, Bryant would have the chance to take the lead when Zouzoua stole the inbounds pass with 36.7 to go, but a charge would give the ball back to the hosts, and the Black and Gold would send Henson to the line to freeze the clock.

After two Henson makes, Zouzoua would try to even the score with a pressured three, and Grant's final look wouldn't find its target as the 69-66 margin turned final.

The Bulldogs had all the momentum to open the game, methodically building a 13-point lead in the first 17 minutes and not allowing the Seahawks back-to-back baskets until the final three minutes of the first half.

Pettway was stellar in the opening seven minutes, scoring eight of the Bulldogs' first 15 points for a 15-9 edge. Zouzoua pushed Bryant to its largest lead of the game, 34-21, with back-to-back treys with 3:43 to go, but the Bulldogs would go cold for the remainder of the half, opening the door for the hosts.

Wagner would take advantage, ending the frame on a 7-0 run to send the teams into the locker room with a 34-28 margin favoring the visitors.

Thursday's loss guarantees that the Bulldogs will be on the road for their NEC Quarterfinal matchup, though their March 1 opponent will not be determined until the conclusion of regular-season play Saturday. The Bulldogs host Central Connecticut for Senior Day at 1 p.m.