DAYTON, Ohio—Wagner tipped off March Madness with the first NCAA Tournament victory in program history, getting 21 points from Melvin Council Jr., and holding off a late rally by Howard to win 71–68 in the First Four on Tuesday night.
The Northeast Conference champion Seahawks (17–15) advanced as the No. 16 seed in the West Region and will play top-seeded North Carolina on Thursday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Howard trailed by 17 points early in the second half but went on a late 14–2 run, closing within 69–68 on Bryce Harris’ layup with 18 seconds left. After Julian Brown hit two free throws for Wagner, Howard attempted three potential game-tying 3-pointers in the last six seconds but missed them all.
Brown finished with 15 points for the Seahawks, who made their only previous NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003—one year before their second-year coach, Donald Copeland, made the first of his two appearances in the tournament as a player for Seton Hall.
Harris and Seth Towns scored 16 points apiece for Howard (18–16), the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion, which was also seeking its first March Madness win. The Bison made it to the tournament for the second straight season under coach Kenny Blakeney, who won a national title as a player for Duke in 1992.
