NEW YORK (Interstat) — Wagner seized control with a dominant first-half shooting performance and never looked back, defeating Chicago State 80-61 in a Northeast Conference men’s basketball game Saturday at Spiro Sports Center.

The Seahawks (13-16) built an 18-point halftime lead by connecting on 11 of 21 attempts from 3-point range for the game, while the Cougars (7-24) struggled to find any consistent offensive rhythm, shooting just 39.3% from the field.

The most critical stretch of the game came early, as Wagner established a commanding lead from which Chicago State could not recover. After a competitive opening few minutes, the Seahawks unleashed a decisive 20-5 run midway through the first half to turn a narrow 13-10 advantage into a 33-15 lead. The surge was fueled by efficient ball movement and hot outside shooting, hallmarks of Wagner’s offensive execution all afternoon.

Wagner’s Travis Gray, a junior from Syracuse, New York, ignited the run with a 3-pointer and capped it with another, finishing with a team-high 16 points. Nick Jones of Edgewood, Maryland, orchestrated the offense masterfully, dishing out eight assists to go with 12 points. The Seahawks’ ball security and shot selection were superior, committing only six turnovers while assisting on 11 of their 28 made field goals. They scored 80 points on just 70 possessions, an exceptionally efficient offensive rating of 114.9.

Conversely, Chicago State managed only 61 points on 69 possessions, an offensive rating of 88.2. The Cougars were hampered by cold shooting from deep, making just 4 of 16 from beyond the arc, and converting only 9 of 15 free throws. Despite forcing 15 Wagner turnovers and collecting nine steals, they could not capitalize enough on the offensive end to mount a serious threat.

Marcus Tankersley provided the primary offensive spark for Chicago State. The Chattanooga, Tennessee, native scored 19 points in just 22 minutes, including 11 in the first half as he tried to keep pace with Wagner’s outburst. CJ Ray added 12 points for the Cougars.

Any hope of a second-half comeback was quickly extinguished. Wagner opened the period with a 5-0 spurt to extend its lead to 47-24. Chicago State never got closer than 15 points the rest of the way, as the Seahawks consistently answered any modest Cougar run with a timely basket, often from long distance. Wagner finished the game shooting 49.1% from the floor and 81.3% from the free-throw line.

Binael Basil, a 6-foot-7 forward from Ottawa, Canada, provided valuable energy off the bench for Wagner with 11 points. Bryan Akanmu of Saint-Denis, France, and Michael Cooper of Minneapolis each chipped in 10 points. For Chicago State, Braelon Bush of Silsbee, Texas, contributed nine points and four assists.

The victory completed a regular-season sweep for Wagner over Chicago State, having also won 79-72 in Chicago on Jan. 2. The Seahawks improved to 8-7 in NEC play, while the Cougars fell to 5-10 in the conference.

The game was played before an intimate crowd of 571 at the Spiro Sports Center on Staten Island. Wagner will look to build on the win as the conference schedule nears its conclusion, while Chicago State will aim to address its offensive struggles after scoring 61 points or fewer in three of its last four games.