Wagner Defeats Howard in March Madness First Four Matchup With Just Seven Healthy Players

The story of a shorthanded Cinderella continues.

The Cinderella story of the No. 16-seeded Wagner Seahawks lives on.

Wagner, which has had just seven healthy players available for much of the season, trotted out the same seven-man rotation Tuesday and defeated fellow No. 16 seed Howard 71–68 at UD Arena in its First Four matchup to advance to the Round of 64.

The Seahawks have had 12 different players on the floor this season, but that’s been cut down to just seven for the final third of the schedule. This stretch includes their improbable run to the NEC championship as the conference’s No. 6 seed.

Four of the five Wagner starters scored in double figures against the Bison on Tuesday night, as Melvin Council Jr. led the way with 21 points. Tyje Kelton and Seck Zongo were the only players available to come off the bench and chipped in seven and two points, respectively. 

[ March Madness 2024: News & Analysis | Schedule | Bracket ]

Howard had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds but missed three attempts from beyond the arc before the final buzzer sounded.

WHAT A FINISH!@Wagner_MBB SURVIVES and secures its first #MarchMadness win in school history 😱 pic.twitter.com/X1sYRJdU21

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2024

March Madness is upon us.

Tuesday marked Wagner’s second NCAA tournament appearance in program history and the first appearance since it lost 87–61 to No. 2 seed Pittsburgh in 2003. The Seahawks will face No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Round of 64 on Thursday at Spectrum Center.