Saunders has 24 points, Wagner beats Sacred Heart 69-63

Jan 5, 2019, 02:24 am

NEW YORK -- Romone Saunders tied his career best with 24 points while grabbing nine rebounds as Wagner took control in the second half to beat Sacred Heart 69-63 in Northeast Conference play on Thursday night.

Wagner (9-5, 2-1) jumped out to an early lead, but the Pioneers had a run of 25-12 to close the first half and go into the break trailing 35-34.

The teams swapped the lead throughout the second half until Wagner took the lead for good after AJ Sumbry slammed home a dunk and Saunders followed with a layup to go ahead 53-50 with 7:44 remaining.

JoJo Cooper and Saunders nailed back-to-back 3-pointers for a 65-58 lead with 38 seconds left to seal the win.

Cooper finished with 14 points while dishing out five assists. Blake Francis had 13 points and Sumbry added nine with 11 rebounds for Wagner.

Mario Matasovic led Sacred Heart (6-10, 1-2) with 16 points. Joseph Lopez added 10 with 12 rebounds.