Staten Island, N.Y. – Julian Brown drained seven three-pointers to lead Wagner College to an 80-57 victory over the Le Moyne College men's basketball team in Northeast Conference action on Thursday night at the Spiro Sports Center.

Graduate student forward Luke Sutherland (Syracuse, N.Y./West Genesee/Siena/Bryant) led the Dolphins in the setback with 21 points, while adding five rebounds. Senior guard Darrick Jones Jr. (Richmond, Va./Oak Hill Academy/Towson) recorded his second consecutive 12-point performance and connected on a pair of three-pointers for the fifth straight game, a span in which he is shooting 50.0-percent (11-of-22) from behind the three-point arc. Graduate student guard Kaiyem Cleary (Manchester, England/Redemption Christian Academy (NY)/Florida Southern/Florida Southwestern/Ball State) posted 11 points, six rebounds, the team's only three steals and two assists.

Brown finished the game with 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting from three-point range and 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line, while adding five rebounds and four assists. Melvin Council Jr. also eclipsed the 20-point mark with 21 points to go with seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Tahron Allen turned in a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in addition to a trio of assists. Javier Ezquerra dished out a game-best 10 assists.

The Seahawks scored the first eight points of the game, including six from Keyontae Lewis, over the opening 2:40, a span in which the Dolphins missed their first three shots, committed a turnover and was forced to use a timeout.

The Dolphins answered with eight of the next 11 points to trim their deficit to three. Jones Jr. and Sutherland hit three-pointers before graduate student guard Nate McClure (Houston, Texas/Concordia Lutheran/Texas State/State Fair C.C./IUPUI) made two free throws.
 
Wagner countered with nine straight points to push its lead into double digits for the first time. Council Jr. drained a three-pointer, Seck Zongo had a conventional three-point play and then Ezquerra drilled a three-pointer for a 20-8 lead with 12:39 to go in the first half.

After Brown hit his first three-pointer with 10:41 left for a 23-10 lead, the Dolphins responded with eight straight points to get back within five. Cleary had a pair of dunks, freshman guard AJ Dancler (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) made two free throws and then Sutherland connected on a jumper.

Wagner responded with 15 of the next 20 points over the next seven minutes to take its largest lead of the half, 38-23, with 53 seconds left. Allen scored seven points in the jaunt, which he capped with a three-pointer, while Council Jr. and Brown each scored three points in the stretch and Zongo had two.

Sutherland and Jones Jr. each scored in the final 28 seconds to get the Dolphins within 38-27 at halftime.

Following Brown's first of five second-half three-pointers, the Dolphins scored nine straight points to cut their deficit from 13 to four with 15:26 left. McClure made a lay-up, Cleary hit a jumper, Sutherland scored in the paint and then Jones Jr. drained a three-pointer to make it 43-39.

Wagner countered with a 16-5 run to go back up by 15. Allen started the run with a three-pointer, Zongo made a jumper, Brown drilled trifectas on three consecutive possessions and Lewis capped it with a lay-up.

Sutherland (2) and Jones Jr. (4) combined for the next six points to get the Dolphins within nine with 6:02 to play.

After 5-0 runs by each team over the next 90 seconds, Wagner put the game away with the next 14 points. Council Jr. scored six straight points, Lewis made a free throw, Brown hit his last three-pointer, Council Jr. had a fast-break dunk and then Brown made two foul shots to cap the streak.

Cleary snapped the run with a jumper with 39 seconds left before a jumper with 16 seconds left from Damien Mazil, a quarterback on the Wagner football team who joined the basketball squad earlier in the day due to the Seahawks only having seven available players since Christmas break.

Le Moyne (9-12, 4-3 NEC) is back in action on Saturday at preseason favorite Sacred Heart at 2:00 p.m.