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Jamaica, NY - Following a 77-73 win at Bucknell on the road on Monday the Wagner Seahawks return to action with a match-up against St. John's at Carnesecca Arena. The Seahawks currently sit at 3-2 while the Red Storm are an impressive 4-1 after claiming the Great Alaska Tournament Title. Freshman Latif Rivers has been a revelation for Wagner over the last two games, averaging 24.0 points per game while becoming the first Seahawk rookie to notch at least 20 points in back-to-back games since the 1999-2000 campaign.

TIP-OFF TIME
Fresh off arguably the best win in the Dan Hurley era to date the Wagner Seahawks will look for their first winning streak of the season when the Green & White take on Big East foe St. John's at Carnesecca Arena tonight at 7:00 pm.

COACHING MATCH-UP
Head coach Dan Hurley will be leading his troops against first-year Red Storm mentor and former UCLA head coach Steve Lavin. The former ESPN analyst has guided St. John's to a 4-1 record and the Great Alaska Tournament title, highlighted by wins over Ball State, Drake and Arizona State.

SCOUTING ST.JOHN'S
St. John's is a deep team that employs a nine-man rotation, featuring seven seniors. Leading the way is senior Justin Brownlee, who leads the team in scoring at 13.8 ppg while shooting a team-best 61.9 percent from the floor. Classmate Dwight Hardy is next up with 11.0 ppg, despite shooting just 28.6 percent. Rounding out the double-figure scorers for the Red Storm is fellow senior D.J. Kennedy, who is averaging a 10.0 ppg and a team-best 5.2 rpg. St. John's does an excellent job of taking care of the ball, possessing a +5.8 turnover margin led by senior Mark Boothe and his team-best 4.2 assists per game. The Red Storm are shooting 46.6 percent from the floor while holding the opposition to 40.1 percent shooting.

THE SERIES
St. John's leads the all-time series by a 14-2 margin, having gone 10-2 at home.

LAST MEETING
The Red Storm bested Wagner in the 2004-2005 season opener for both teams by a 79-68 count back on November 20, 2004. Joey Mundweiler paced four-digit scorers with 14 points in his first collegiate game but it wasn't enough as St. John's shot 54.1 percent en route to the wire-to-wire victory.

DAN HURLEY VS. ST. JOHN'S
Head Coach Dan Hurley went 7-2 against the Red Storm while playing for the Seton Hall Pirates from 1991-1996. However, as an assistant coach at Rutgers he was just 0-6 against the St. John's from 1997-2001.

BOBBY HURLEY VS. ST. JOHN'S
Assistant Coach Bobby Hurley was 3-0 as a player against St. John's. On March 18, 1990 he helped his No. 3 seed Blue Devils best the No. 6 Red Storm 76-72 in the 1990 NCAA Tournament Round of 32. Then one year later on March 24, 1991 Hurley helped No. 2 seed Duke best No. 4 St. John's 78-61 in the Elite 8 en route to the program's first National Championship. Hurley would face St. John's once more on December 5, 1991, guiding his Blue Devil squad to a 91-81 victory over the Red Storm in the ACC/Big East Challenge in Greensboro, NC. Over the three games he averaged 14.7 points, 6.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds.

MASON & CHILES REUNITE
St. John's assistant Tony Chiles coached current Wagner assistant coach Bashir Mason at Drexel from 2004-2007. During the 2006-2007 season the pair helped the Dragons to 23 wins and a berth in the National Invitation Tournament.

LAPCHICK AWARD
Two of the three 2010 Joe Lapchick Award winners this season have ties to this game. Red Storm special assistant and former Purdue Head Coach Gene Keady along with Bobby Hurley Sr. were each one of three recipients of the prestigious award that honors character.

ST. JOHN'S & THE NEC
St. John's Athletic Director Chris Monasch served as the first full-time commissioner of the NEC from 1987 until 1996.

WAGNER VS. THE BIG EAST
Wagner is just 8-61 against the Big East with the last win coming against Rutgers on December 16, 1995 via a 80-78 score in Piscataway, NJ in the Scarlet Knights' first season in the Big East.

TODAY'S GAME ...
Is the fifth game of a seven game road trip and also third of six games against teams that have played or will play in an in-season tournament. St. John's recently won the Great Alaska Shootout, taking all three games.

DID YOU KNOW???
The Wagner baseball team has defeated St. John's in two of the teams' last three meetings. On April 7, 2010 the Seahawks shut down a Red Storm team that would come within one win of a trip to a Super Regional via a 5-2 count at Richmond County Bank Ballpark. Two years ago on April 9, 2008 the Green & White bested then No. 22 St. John's by a 4-3 score while giving head coach Joe Litterio the school-record for career wins as well as his first-ever victory over a ranked opponent.

THREE THE HARD WAY
With their third win of the non-conference season at Bucknell, Wagner has already eclipsed its non-league victory total from a year ago when the Green & White went just 2-11. Also for comparison's sake, the Seahawks didn't pick up win number three last year until the 21st game on January 21, 2010.

CLOSE GAMES
Wagner is 3-1 in games decided by five points or less this season after going 3-8 a year ago.

REVENGE TOUR TAKE THREE
Wagner now has three wins over teams that defeated the Seahawks in 2009-2010. The Green & White dropped three games to Bucknell, Stony Brook and Lafayette a year ago while allowing an average of 79.3 points per game, fueled by 42.7 percent shooting - including 34.4 percent from beyond the arc. This season Wagner has bested all three teams, allowing just 61.7 points per game on 34.0 percent shooting, including 25.0 percent from long range.

LAFAYETTE/STONY BROOK/BUCKNELL NOTE
Wagner limited Lafayette, Stony Brook and Bucknell to 58, 54 and 73 points, respectively, in wins over the three teams. Last season, the Seahawks allowed the Leopards to hit for 81 points, the Seawolves 72 points and the Bison 85 points.

PATRIOT LEAGUE
With the wins over Lafayette and Bucknell, the Green & White finished up 2-1 on the year against the Patriot League and are 38-34, all-time, vs. the eight-team league.

TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
The 77-73 win at Bucknell came on the two-year anniversary of the teams' last match-up at Sojka Pavilion. Wagner won that game too by a score of 83-79.

RIVERS NETS SECOND NEC CITATION
Freshman Latif Rivers was named the Choice Hotels Northeast Conference (NEC) Co-Rookie of the Week for the second time this season after scoring a career-high 28 points in a 67-63 loss at Hofstra. He hit 6-of-10 from three-point range and was a perfect 10-of-10 from the charity stripe over a career-high 37 minutes of work. He drained all three of his three-point attempts in the first half, helping Wagner build a seven-point edge at the break before scoring 15 more in the second stanza while helping to cut a six-point Hofstra lead with four minutes to play down to one with a trifecta and two free throws.

NO FLUKE
Freshman Latif Rivers followed up his outstanding performance at Hofstra with 20 points at Bucknell, highlighted by a remarkable 16-point first half in which all the Bison guards could do was watch as Rivers helped stake Wagner to what would be an insurmountable lead. He helped finish off the victory by hitting four free throws, all of which came with under five minutes to play. Rivers' 20 points make him the first Wagner rookie to notch back-to-back games of at least 20 points since Dedrick Dye notched 21 points at Mount St. Mary's (2/19/00) and 23 against Sacred Heart (2/22/00) over 10 years ago.

RIVERS BREAKING OUT
Five games into his collegiate career and there is no question freshman Latif Rivers is a viable NEC Rookie of the Year candidate. He has led the team in scoring twice while ranking second on the team and fifth in the NEC in scoring with 16.6 points per game. He also paces the league with 3.0 three pointers per game and in free throw percentage (100.0 %) (20-20). Rivers is shooting 44.4 percent (24-54) from the floor, including a blistering 48.4 percent (15-31) from beyond the arc, which ranks fifth in the league.

MURRAY ABOUT FACE
If you were to tell the casual NEC observer that junior Tyler Murray would evolve into one of the most complete players in the league the end result would probably be laughter as the Canadian native averaged just 2.6 points per game as freshman. Well that scenario has in fact played out as Murray is arguably the most complete player in the Northeast Conference, ranking among the league-leaders in nine categories. He notched the first Wagner double-double of the year with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the 77-73 win at Bucknell while narrowly missing a triple-double after handing out a team-best seven assists over 36 minutes. On the year, the Canadian native leads the team and is fourth in the NEC in scoring (17.4 ppg) while pacing the squad in rebounding (4.8 rpg) and ranking second in assists (3.0 apg).

OTHER MURRAY NEC STATS
Junior Tyler Murray ranks third in the NEC in free throw percentage, sixth in three-point percentage (.478), seventh in three pointers per game (2.2), 10th in defensive rebounds (4.6 rpg), 11th in assist to turnover ratio (1.4), 14th in field goal percentage (.459) and 14th in assists (3.0).

MURRAY LEADS THE WAY
Through the first five games, junior Tyler Murray has shown the consistency that Dan Hurley and his staff were expecting out the Canadian native. Murray has paced the team in scoring three times while accruing at least 14 points in all five games, highlighted by a career-high 21 points in the win over Stony Brook. In the season-opening victory over Lafayette, he scored a team-best matching 18 points while twice quelling big Leopard runs, hitting all six free throws - including two with under a minute remaining - and adding a game-high six assists with five rebounds. Murray followed that up with an impressive 18 point effort at Lehigh. Then in the win over Stony Brook, he notched a career-high 21 points, highlighted by the go-ahead three pointer late in the second half.

HE'S GOING THE DISTANCE
The win over Bucknell was the first time in five games this year that junior Tyler Murray play the most minutes of any player. He has been on the floor for 188 of a possible 200 minutes, ranking second in the league in minutes played (37.6 mpg). Murray has turned the ball over just nine times during that time while posting an outstanding 1.4 assist to turnover ratio.

MURRAY/RIVERS COMBO LEADS THE NEC
Junior Tyler Murray and freshman Latif Rivers are averaging 33.5 points per game, ranking the pair as the top scoring duo in the NEC at 34.0 points per game while shooting a combined 48.1 percent (26-54) from beyond the arc and 95.2 percent (40-42) from the charity stripe

TOTAL TEAM EFFORT
While Murray and Rivers have carried the team in most offensive situations it was the supporting cast that helped lead Wagner to victory at Bucknell. One game after junior Chris Martin and sophomore Danny Mundweiler failed to connect on a field goal, the pair combined to go 5-for-6 from beyond the arc in against the Bison en route to 18 points on a night when Rivers and Murray were just 2-for-6 from long range. Freshman Orlando Parker also hit for a career-high 12 points while senior Clayfell Harris notched four big points, his first since scoring three at Monmouth on February 28, 2009

FAB FIVE
Over the first five games, a different player has led Wagner in rebounding each time out.

FRONTCOURT BREAKTHROUGH
Freshmen Orlando Parker and Naofall Folahan both turned in breakthrough games in the last week. Parker scored 12 points, on 6-of-9 shooting, over 20 minutes in Wagner's 77-73 victory over Bucknell. Previously, he had just four points, on 2-of-9 shooting, in the first four games. Folahan narrowly missed a double-double at Hofstra, scoring 10 points with nine rebounds after notching zero points and six rebounds over his first three games of the year,

FREE THROWS PART 1
Wagner has done an outstanding job at the free throw line this season, averaging a league-leading 83.2 percent (79-95) after converting just 61.9 percent a year ago.

FREE THROWS PART 2
Wagner is shooting 84.6 percent (44-52) from the line in the second half of games this year.

FREE THROWS PART 3
Wagner is shooting 92.3 percent (48-52) from the line in its three victories, including 93.5 percent (29-31) in the second half of those games.

CLOSE GAMES
One of the staples of head coach Dan Hurley's practices is the emphasis of free throw shooting, notably at the end of the practice. That mentality has carried over to the actual games as the Green & White is converting an astounding 95.1 percent (39-41) in the second half of games decided by five points or less, including 96.1 percent (25-26) in the final five minutes.

SETTING THE BELL CURVE
Wagner paces the NEC in the early going from beyond the arc with a 45.6 percent (41-90) success rate while holding the opposition to 27.6 percent (16-58) shooting from long range.

DON'T FOUL
Wagner figures to be a formidable foe in close games this season due to its prowess at the line. The three guard attack of freshman Latif Rivers (20-20), junior Tyler Murray (20-22) and Chris Martin (17-22) are shooting a remarkable 89.1 percent (57-64). In the last minute of games, Murray is perfect 8-for-8 in the last minutes of games while Martin is 7-for-8.

YOU GOTTA PLAY 40!
Wagner played a very solid game against a perennial tough squad in Hofstra for almost 31 minutes. After taking the biggest lead of the game at 40-30 with 17:54 to play in the game against the Pride, the Seahawks' offense went into a funk misfiring on two of their next 16 shots, including 1-of-7 from beyond the arc, while allowing Hofsta to rip off a game-changing 18-5 run and take a 48-45 lead with 8:51 to play. Not counting the nine-plus minute drought, the Green & White hit on 45.7 percent (16-35) from the field, including 58.3 percent (7-12) from beyond the arc.

SEAHAWKS PLAY 40
After failing to close out Hofstra, the Green & White put together its most complete game of the season, shooting a blistering 55.3 percent (26-47) from the floor, including hitting on 55.6 percent in the first half and 55.0 percent in the second. Additionally, the Seahawks were 7-of-12 (58.3 %) from beyond the arc and 18-of-20 (90.0 %) from the charity stripe. Wagner also had just one prolonged field goal drought, failing to hit a shot over the final 6:31 ... but that stat is misleading as the Green & White went 13-of-14 from the free throw line while massaging a lead.

DEFENSE LOCKS IT UP
Wagner has jumped out to a solid 3-2 start this season thanks to a suffocating defense that is the second-ranked unit in the NEC, allowing the opposition to hit on just 38.2 percent from the field, including a NEC-low 27.6 percent from behind the arc. In the 58-54 win over Stony Brook, the Seahawk defense limited the Seawolves to just 3-of-22 shooting over a 13:46 span in the first half stretching from 16:55 to 3:09. In the second half, the Green & White improved on their already stellar first-half play forcing Seawolves to 2-of-14 shooting over the final 11:10, including not allowing a field goal for an 8:13 stretching from 11:11 to 2:58. Wagner also had an impressive defensive stand against Bucknell, forcing the Bison into nine-straight missed field goal attempts over a 9:30 span in the first half ... en route to limiting the Patriot League school to just 2-of-15 shooting to close out the first half.

OTHER DEFENSIVE NOTES
While the Wagner defense wasn't as dominating against Hofstra as it was against Stony Brook it still turned in an impressive performance. The Seahawks held reigning CAA Player of the Year Charles Jenkins to 0-of-6 shooting and just two points in the opening half. For comparison's sake, Jenkins hit for 20 points, on 9-of-11 shooting, in the first half earlier this year against North Carolina.

SECOND HALF LETDOWN NO MORE
After allowing Lafayette to rip off a 16-2 run and Lehigh a 6-0 spurt after halftime, Wagner reversed the trend in the win over Stony Brook, notching an 11-1 run at the beginning of the second half in taking a 38-29 lead with just under 16 minutes remaining against the Seawolves. The Seahawks continued the success at Hofstra, coming out of halftime on a 5-2 spurt. In the win over Bucknell, Wagner ripped off an 11-2 run just over three minutes into the second half while pushing a three point lead out to 11 points.

MARTIN SHOWCASES IMPROVED ALL-AROUND GAME
Coming into this year junior Chris Martin could be seen by some as a high-risk, high reward player. Last season he notched a career-best 34 points against Columbia only to come back and score zero at Saint Peter's in the next game. This season, his scoring average is down but his production in all facets of the game are up. He is averaging 9.0 ppg while shooting 47.1 percent (8-17) from beyond the arc while ranking among the league-leaders in with 3.2 assists per game (12th NEC) while posting a 1.6 assist to turnover ratio (8th NEC).

FRONTCOURT EXCELS IN WIN OVER STONY BROOK
After the Wagner front line scored just 12 points over the first two games, the Seahawks' frontcourt has scored 33 points over the last two games. In the first two games, the front line had shot just 4-for-26 from the floor over the first two games. Additionally, Wagner was outscored by a combined 68-22 margin in the first two games before managing to match Stony Brook by a 18-18 margin in the paint.

FRONTCOURT ALSO EXCELS IN WIN OVER BUCKNELL
Frontcourt members freshman Orlando Parker, classmate Naofall Folahan, junior Josh Thompson and senior Clayfell Harris combined for 23 points on 11-of-16 shooting (68.8 %) in the 77-73 win over Bucknell.

MUNDY AIMING FOR BIG SOPHOMORE YEAR
Sophomore Danny Mundweiler has started the season strong, averaging 7.0 ppg off the bench while shooting 43.8 percent (7-16) from beyond the arc and ranking 10th in the NEC.

GOOD NEWS: GUARD PLAY ON DISPLAY
While most Seahawk fans know that the team will be a guard-oriented offense, following in the footsteps of head coach Dan Hurley, himself a standout guard at Seton Hall, no one could have foreseen the guard play in the team's first two games. Guards Martin, Mundweiler, Murray and Rivers have shot 43.1 percent (72-167) from the floor, including 47.1 percent (41-87) from beyond the arc.

HITTING THE ROAD
Today's game will be the fifth of seven-straight games away from home. The road swing is the longest for the school since the 1992-1993 version of the Seahawks opened the year with a seven-game road trip ... The Green & White would love to replicate that team's success as Wagner went 18-12 en route to the NEC Championship Game.

TALE OF TWO HALVES
In the first half of their five games the Seahawks have outscored the opposition by an average of 3.8 ppg while shooting 43.8 percent from the floor, including a blistering 50.0 percent (20-40) from long range. In the second half, however, the Green & White have shot just 37.4 percent, compared to a 44.7 percent for the opposition while being outscored by 5.2 ppg.

FOUL TROUBLE
Wagner is averaging an astounding 7.6 more fouls than the opposition this season. On the year, the Green & White have committed 130 fouls while drawing just 92. Additionally, Wagner has committed more fouls then their opponents in eight of the 10 halves and allowed the opposition to get into the double bonus in every half.

HURLEY SIGNS TWO FOR NEXT SEASON
Wagner coach Dan Hurley announced the signing of Marcus Burton (Matthews, NC / David W. Butler) and forward Mario Moody (Orange, NJ / East Orange Campus) for the 2011-2012 academic year. Both student-athletes will be freshmen and have four years of eligibility.

A 6'0” point guard from North Carolina, Burton averaged 13.7 points and 4.5 assists per game at David W. Butler High School last season under the direction of Kurt Wessler while earning inclusion on the Southwestern 4A All-Conference team. A powerful point guard, Burton has outstanding ball handling skills and can shoot with consistency from beyond the arc.

Burton, who hit a game-winning 40-foot shot against Providence Day High School in a playoff game, led Butler to the school's fourth-straight Southwestern 4A Conference title a year ago. He also played AAU ball for the Charlotte Royals under the tutelage of Rod Seaford.

A 6'7” forward from New Jersey, Moody averaged 11.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game for East Orange Campus under the guidance of Daron Hoges. Last year as a junior, he helped the Jaguars to a 15-10 record and showcased his outstanding athleticism in a playoff game against Paterson East Side, blocking 12 shots.

Moody, who is an outstanding athlete who can play either the small or power forward position, played AAU ball last summer with Success University Team Izod under the direction of Brian Coleman and Ed Bright.

UP NEXT
Wagner begins NEC Play on Saturday, December 4 at Sacred Heart at 2:00 pm in the Pitt Center.