Coming off of a tough 75-59 loss to previously winless Sacred Heart, the Columbia men’s basketball team concludes its seven-game road trip when it takes on Wagner (5-2) in Staten Island tonight.

The Lions (2-5) have lost four of their last five games, losing each game by an average margin of 18 points. They have not lost any of the four by fewer than 10 points. The Seahawks are coming into the contest with the opposite momentum as Columbia, having won four straight games, including two over Ivy League foes Yale and Brown.

Wagner defeated Yale 71-68 on Saturday. The team was led by the senior pair of Durell Vinson, who had 16 points and eight rebounds, and Mark Porter, who contributed 15 points and eight assists. Throughout the game, the Seahawks scored at will, shooting a season-best 55 percent from the field while holding the Bulldogs to 43 percent.

Wagner used the same game plan in defeating the Bears. Led by Vinson’s 12 points and 18 rebounds and a season-high 23 points by Porter, the Seahawks were able to force Brown into taking bad shots, holding the Bears to 40.7 percent from the field, and limiting all-Ivy player Mark McAndrew to only 14 points in 40 minutes.

As shown by the two previous games against Yale and Brown, Wagner is led by center Vinson and point guard Porter. Porter is averaging 14.6 points, to go along with 4.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per contest. However, Porter is shooting only 39.2 percent and is committing nearly four turnovers a game

Vinson has been particularly difficult for opponents to guard in the paint. The 6-foot-7-inch center is leading the team in rebounding and blocks while averaging 14.6 points per game. He also leads Wagner in field-goal percentage, pacing the Seahawks with a blistering 61.8-percent mark. He may be a force on the block, but he has a tendency of getting into foul trouble, as he averages three per contest. If the Lions provide a steady attack behind John Baumann and Ben Nwachukwu, they might force Vinson to the bench early.

At times, Wagner, like Columbia this past season, has difficulties scoring. The Seahawks shoot only 44.5 percent from the field, including 29.8 percent from three-point range. However, they have dominated defensively thus far, allowing 68.3 points per contest, while holding opponents to 42.5 percent from the field.

In last year’s contest against Wagner, the Lions stifled the Seahawks en route to a 70-44 win. Nwachukwu was particularly dominant, scoring 20 points on eight of 10 shooting, while recording six rebounds. Columbia had success on both ends of the court, forcing Wagner to shoot a measly 35.3 percent from the field while forcing 15 turnovers. The Lions also thrived offensively, shooting 54.9 percent from the field, while dishing out 18 assists, five of which were from Patrick Foley, who is unlikely to play in this season’s contest due to a shoulder injury.

For the Lions to get back to their winning ways, they must stick to the same game plan that they had last year. A steady production down low from Nwachukwu and Baumann against the undersized Wagner squad will be key in ending the Light Blue’s recent skid. Dumping the ball down low will also free up shooters like Niko Scott, Mack Montgomery, and Brett Loscalzo.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight.