UMBC

Staten Island, NY--The men's basketball team put up a game effort vs. first-place Wagner, but fell, 76-65 to the Seahawks and were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time in five years.

UMBC has now lost eight straight and are 6-19 on the season, 4-12 in the NEC.

The Retrievers played a strong first half and tied the score at 27-all late in the half on a Rob Gogerty three-point goal. But Wagner outscored UMBC, 8-3 to take a 35-30 halftime advantage. The Seahawks opened the second half on a 15-7 run and took advantage of foul trouble by the Retriever post players to built the lead to as many as 20 points at 68-48.

Kareem Washington led the Retrievers with 19 points and freshman John Zito continued his outstanding play with 17 points.