Pictured Above: Sophomore guard Blake Francis (Credit: Ricky Bassman)
Official Release
New York, NY – Sophomore guard
Blake Francis (Herndon, VA/Westfield) was tabbed Division I Player of the Week by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers' Association (MBWA), it was announced on Tuesday.
For Francis, this marks the first MBWA Player of the Week citation of his career. The second-year Seahawk has earned two Honorable Mention honors from the MBWA, the most recent for the week of December 4-10.
In earning the organization's weekly honor, the Seahawks have now had back-to-back Met Player of the Week choices for the first time in program history, as
Francis' honor follows that of senior guard JoJo Cooper, who was chose the week of January 15-21,
Additionally, the Seahawk backcourt tandem become just the second pair of teammates to earn the award in the same season, joining Seton Hall's Desi Rodriguez, who was named MBWA Player of the Week for Nov. 27-Dec.3 and Angel Delgado, who received the citation for the week of January 1-7.
The second-year sharpshooter continued to enhance on his already spectacular season, proving to be a valuable asset off the bench as Wagner went 2-0 this week as tthe Seahawks recorded their first 4-0 season sweep of Saint Francis U and Robert Morris in nearly 15 years.
In helping to lead Wagner to its 2-0 Western Pennsylvania trip, Francis averaged 21.5 points per game while logging 30.0 minutes in a reserve role.
In 29 minutes against Saint Francis U on Friday, January 26, a contest that was nationally televised on ESPNU, Francis registered ten first-half points in 12 minutes off-the-bench in leading the Green & White to a 46-33 halftime lead. When play resumed, Francis poured in another 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 17 minutes in helping the Seahawks secure a dominant 91-61 victory over the Red Flash. For the game, Francis finished 8-of-11 from the floor (73%), highlighted by a 6-of-8 (75%) display from three-point range.
On Sunday, January 28, in a first-place showdown between Wagner and Robert Morris from at PPG Paints Arena, the sophomore guard struggled early in the contest, scoring just four points in 12 minutes on a 1-of-5 shooting from the field as Wagner found itself facing a ten-point halftime deficit, 42-32.
When play resumed for the second half, Wagner came out on fire, thanks in large part to Francis. In all, the visiting Seahawks erupted on a 25-6 run over a 10:40 stretch in taking a 59-48 lead with 9:03 left in regulation as Francis was a key catalyst in the run, accounting for 14 of the Seahawks' 25 points, as he converted 5-of-6 from the field while draining four three-pointers. In the eventual 77-64 win over RMU, Francis shot 7-of-13 from the field, including 5-of-8 marksmanship from deep.
In the two games combined, the lithe 6-1 lefty connected on 15-of-24 (63%) from the field, while hitting on 11-of-16 (69%) from beyond the arc. In netting back-to-back 20-point efforts, he now has produced eight 20-point performances this season.
Wagner begins the final month of the Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season with a three-game homestand, as the Seahawks welcome the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils to the Spiro Sports Center on Thursday, February 1. The Seahawks will look to remain undefeated at home this season, bringing in a 10-0 home record into the contest against the Blue Devils.
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