Wagner Thrills March Madness Fans by Beating Howard in Wild Finish; Sets Up UNC Clash

The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament got off to a thrilling start Tuesday as Wagner held off a furious Howard charge to defeat the Bison 71-68 in the First Four.

Wagner led by as many as 17 points early in the second half, but Howard stormed back late and went on a 19-7 run capped by a Bryce Harris layup with 18 seconds left to cut the Seahawks' lead to 69-68.

Howard was forced to foul and sent Julian Brown to the free-throw line. Brown calmly knocked down a pair, setting up a frenetic finish.

Jordan Hairston took a game-tying three-point attempt, but it was off the mark. Marcus Dockery grabbed the offensive board and passed back out to Hairston, who missed his second attempt.

Then Dockery grabbed another offensive rebound and went out to the three-point line himself, but his shot was off the mark, ending the game.

Melvin Council Jr. paced Wagner with 21 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals. Brown added 15 more for the Northeast Conference champions, who traveled a rocky road just to get here.

Harris and Seth Towns paced Howard with 16 points.

Ultimately, this was a sensational game to kick off March Madness.

Wagner will now face the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday at 2:45 p.m. ET in first-round action in Charlotte.

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