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Staten Island, NY - Wagner (4-4; 1-0 NEC) returns home following a grueling seven-game road trip to face a Saint Peter's (4-4; 2-0 MAAC) team that has won four of its last five games, including two-straight conference games. In the last game at Columbia, junior Chris Martin exploded for a season-best 24 points, on 8-of-13 shooting.

Classmate Tyler Murray continues to lead the way, pacing the NEC in scoring (18.6 ppg) while also ranking among the league leaders in rebounding (5.1 rpg) and assists (3.1 apg). Saint Peter's (4-4) has won four of its last five games, including a 50-49 stunner against Alabama at the USVI Paradise Jam. Wesley Jenkins (11.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg) leads the Peacock attack.

NATION'S BEST
According to Monday's NCAA Rankings, Wagner is currently ranked as the top team in the Division I ranks in free throw shooting, connecting 80.7 percent (134-166). Freshman Latif Rivers, who made his first 31 collegiate free throws, ranks second nationally at 97.2 percent (35-36) while junior Tyler Murray is third in the NEC and 24th nationally at 90.7 percent (39-43).

EVEN BETTER LATE
The Seahawks' NCAA-best free throw percentage jumps to 83.6 percent in the last five minutes of games as Wagner is connecting on 46-of-55. Freshman Latif Rivers is a perfect 10-for-10 (100.0 %) while junior Tyler Murray is 18-for-19 (.947).

A YEAR AGO
The Green & White hit on just 61.1 percent from the free throw line.

BEST IN SHOW
Wagner also leads the Northeast Conference in three point percentage (.421), second in three point field-goal percentage defense (.281) and third in field-goal percentage defense (.394). Nationally, those totals rank 18th, 16th and 29th, respectively.

COACHING MATCH-UP
Head coach Dan Hurley is 4-4 in this his first year at Wagner while fifth-year Saint Peter's coach John Dunne is 42-86 in this his fifth year in Jersey City, NJ. The Peacocks went just 22-68 over Dunne's first four season before turning the corner and posting a 16-14 mark a year ago. This season Saint Peter's was picked to finish fourth in the season before the Peacocks stumbled out of the gates with three-straight losses while senior Wesley Jenkins sat out the first four games due to injury.

SAINT PETER'S NOTES
Saint Peter's has won four-of-five, including two-straight MAAC games, since opening the season with a 0-3 record. The Peacocks picked up win No. 1 by a 50-49 count against Alabama at the USVI Paradise Jam, as senior guard Jeron Belin scored the final six points, highlighted by a three pointer with just 10 seconds remaining that proved to the be the difference. Senior Wesley Jenkins returned the next game to help Saint Peter's to a 65-62 victory over Long Island. Following a 20-point set-back against Seton Hall, the Peacocks bested Loyola (MD) and Manhattan in conference play.

SCOUTING SAINT PETER'S
Much like Wagner, Saint Peter's employs a three-guard offense that is led by the aforementioned Jenkins. Since returning from injury four games ago, he is averaging 11.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while shooting a blistering 44.4 percent (12-27) from beyond the arc. Belin is second on the squad at 10.0 points, but hitting on just 18.5 percent (5-27) from beyond the arc. Senior Nick Leon, who scored at team-best 15 points in the upset of the Crimson Tide, rounds out the three-guard attack at 8.8 ppg. The Peacocks have seen their offense struggle to the tune of 52.9 points per game, but have amped up their efforts on the defensive end, yielding just 57.9 points per game. Like the Seahawks, Saint Peter's doesn't do well on the glass, getting outrebounded by an average of 6.1 rebounds.

KEY MATCH-UP
Guard Play. Each team relies on its potent guards to accrue much of its offense. Wagner's trio of junior Tyler Murray, freshman Latif Rivers and junior Chris Martin are accounting for 67.5 percent of the team's offensive production while Jenkins, Belin and Leon have accounted for 59.6 percent of the Saint Peter's offense since Jenkins returned from injury.

FAMILIAR NAME PACES THE PEACOCKS FRONTCOURT
Senior Ryan Bacon leads Saint Peter's in rebounding at 6.0 rebounds per game while adding 8.4 points per game. Bacon played his prep ball at St. Benedict's Prep under the guidance of Wagner head coach Dan Hurley, graduating in 2007.

ALL-TIME VS. SPC
Wagner is just 16-34, all-time, against Saint Peter's. The teams resumed a series that had been dormant since the 1999-2000 season in 2007, with the Peacocks won the first meeting before the Seahawks claimed the last two meetings.

LAST MEETING
Wagner pulled off an impressive 59-58 upset win at Saint Peter's thanks to holding the Peacocks to just 30.2 percent shooting, including 12.0 percent (3-25) from long range. Juniors Tyler Murray and Chris Martin combined to score just two points but sophomore Danny Mundweiler picked up the slack, notching 11 points. The Seahawk defense limited the Peacock Big Three of Jenkins, Belin and Leon to just 29 points, on 9-of-35 shooting (25.7 %), including 1-of-15 (6.7 %) from beyond the arc.

LAST TIME VS. SPC IN THE SPIRO
Wagner dominated Saint Peter's by a 59-44 count on November 19, 2008. In that game, Jenkins notched a team-best 20 points, fueled by 5-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc.

MARTIN/MURRAY LOOKING FOR REDEMPTION
Junior Chris Martin has failed to score against Saint Peter's in two previous games against the Peacocks, going a combined 0-for-7 from the floor while classmate Tyler Murray notched just two points in 20 minutes a year ago after seeing the court against Saint Peter's for just one minute as as freshman.

MURRAY MAKES IT RAIN
Junior Tyler Murray coninutes to the lead the NEC in scoring at 18.6 points per game and ranks among the league-leaders in free throw percentage (.907) (2nd NEC), minutes played (37.3 mpg) (3rd NEC), three-point percentage (.474) (4th NEC), three-pointers made (2.3), steals (1.5 (t-12th NEC), assists (3.1 apg) (t-13th NEC), assist/turnover ratio (1.1) (15th NEC) and rebounding (5.1 rpg) (t-18th NEC).

COACH HURLEY VS. SAINT PETER'S
As a player at Seton Hall, head coach Dan Hurley went 4-1 against Saint Peter's, but will be looking for a measure of revenge as the last time he took the court against the Peacocks his Pirate team fell by a 61-59 score on December 13, 1995.

12/9/94
Thursday marked the 16th-year anniversary of head coach Dan Hurley's only encounter with Wagner as a player as his Seton Hall team defeated the Seahawks by a 97-83 score.

DID YOU KNOW?
Wagner head coach Dan Hurley's father Bob Hurley graduated from Saint Peter's College before beginning his illustrious coaching career at St. Anthony High School. This past August the elder Hurley was inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and became just the third high school coach to garner inclusion.

SAINT PETER'S VS. THE NEC
Saint Peter's began the year with a 25-point loss at defending NEC Champion Robert Morris before besting Long Island on November 27 by a score of 65-62.

WITH A WIN ...
Wagner would match its win total (5) from a year ago while making it two in a row at home for the first time since the Green & White won the final two home games of 2008-2009.

STAT OF THE WEEK
The Northeast Conference's stat of the week comes courtesy of the Green & White. Wagner is 4-1 in games decided by five points or less after going 3-8 in such games a year ago.

ALSO
The Seahawks are 3-4 on the road with all three wins coming by five points or less after going 2-11 away from the Spiro Sports Center a year ago.

GOING FOR 1,000
Wagner will be going for the program's 1,000th win against Saint Peter's.

FOULS
Wagner committed just seven fouls in the first half at Columbia, marking the first and only half this season the Seahawks have not allowed the opposition into the double-bonus (10 fouls). Thus far, Wagner is committing an average of 6.3 more fouls than the opposition.

MARTIN HAS BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE
After being held to just 26 points on 6-of-18 shooting over his last three games, junior Chris Martin exploded for 24 points, on 8-of-13 shooting, with four steals, three rebounds and two assists at Columbia. He is now averaging 10.1 points per game while shooting a blistering 42.9 percent (12-28) from beyond the arc and 75.0 percent (27-36) from the free throw line. Those totals rank eighth and 15th in the NEC, respectively.

IF ONLY EVERY GAME COULD BE AGAINST COLUMBIA
Junior Chris Martin's season-high 24 points at Columbia comes after he dropped a career-high 34 points against the Lions a year ago at the Spiro Sports Center. He is now aveaging 21.3 points per game in three career games against the Columbia, shooting 55.0 percent (22-40) from the floor and 52.1 percent (12-23) from outside the arc.

THOMPSON TURNS IT UP A NOTCH
Since averaging just 5.2 points per game while shooting just 27.5 percent (11-40) from floor, sophomore Josh Thompson is averaging 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while hitting on 48.3 percent (14-29) from the floor during that time. He leads all reserves in scoring (6.3 ppg) and rebounding (4.8 rpg) while connecting on 70.6 percent (12-17) from the charity stripe.

HURLEY BROTHERS PROFILED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES
Wagner head coach Dan Hurley and assistant coach Bobby Hurley were recently profiled by Harvey Araton of the New York Times in an article entitled The Coaching Hurleys Are Jersey's Boys. The entire article can be accessed via the Wagner Athletics website.

RIVERS LEADS ALL NEC FRESHMAN
Freshman Latif Rivers leads all NEC freshmen in scoring (15.4 ppg) while ranking seventh among all players. On the national level, he is second in free throw percentage (.972) while sitting second in the NEC in three-pointers made (2.8), seventh in three-point percentage (.440). Against Columbia, Rivers showed his maturation. Despite having an off night (8 points), the Elizabeth, NJ native drained a pair of three pointers in the game's final two minute, drawing Wagner to within four points each time.

RIVERS EARNS THIRD CHOICE HOTELS NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK ACCOLADE
Freshman Latif Rivers earned his second-straight NEC accolade and the third of of the season after averaging 17.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game as the Seahawks posted a 2-1 record on the road last week. He also hit 21-22 (.955) from the line to en-route to a pair of 20-point outings as Wagner bested Bucknell and Sacred Heart while coming up painstakingly short at St. John's.

MURRAY NOTCHES CAREER-HIGH
Junior Tyler Murray scored a career-high 23 points with a personal-best matching 10 rebounds over 40 huge minutes at Sacred Heart. The Canadian native was 7-of-12 from the floor, 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and 6-of-7 from the line while also drilling a three pointers and hitting a free throw with under a minute to go to force overtime. In the extra session, Murray hit a driving lay-up to push the Seahawks lead out to three with just 1:36 to play.

MURRAY NAMED NC-DOUBLE-EH PLAYER of tHE WEEK
Junior Tyler Murray was named NC-Double-Eh Player of the Week (November 29-December 5) by the Canadian Basketball Report for the second time this year. Murray had a team-leading 20.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 50.0 percent (18-36) from the floor, including 42.9 percent (6-14) from beyond the arc, while knocking down 94.7 percent (18-19) from the charity stripe and notching his first two career double-doubles as the Seahawks went 2-1.

EXCLUSIVE COMPANY
Head coach Dan Hurley became the first Wagner coach in the program's 30-year Northeast Conference (NEC) history to win his first league game. P.J. Carlesimo (Coach Hurley's collegiate coach at Seton Hall), Neil Kennett, Tim Capstraw, Dereck Whittenberg and Mike Deane all lost their NEC-debuts.

GOOD START
The victory over Sacred Heart was the first of 10 games schedule to be played on Saturday by far the most of any day on the schedule.

BUCKING THE TREND
The win over Sacred Heart was the first victory for Wagner when trailing with five minutes to go. The victory also came despite the fact the Seahawks shot a season-low 35.2 percent from the floor and a season-worst 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. The credit lies in the defensive game plan as the Green & White held the Pioneers to just 36.4 percent shooting, including 30.8 percent from deep. Wagner has now forced the opposition into shooting under 40 percent four times.

MURRAY, RIVERS DUO RANK SECOND IN THE NEC
Junior Tyler Murray and freshman Latif Rivers continue to rank as one of the top scoring duo in the NEC at an impressive 34.0 points per game. In the overtime win against Sacred Heart the pair combined for 44 points on 11-of-26 shooting, including 7-of-16 from beyond the arc, and 15-of-17 from the free throw line. On the year, they are shooting 41.8 percent (79-189) from the floor, 45.5 percent (40-88) from beyond the arc and a blistering 93.7 percent (74-79) at the line.

T.J. MAKES PRESCENCE FELT
Senior #T.J. Czeski# has made his presence felt since joining the basketball team at the conclusion of the football season. At Sacred Heart, Czeski grabbed a key offensive rebound in overtime with 18 seconds to play and Wagner up just two points.

3-POINT CONSISTENCY
“Live By The Three, Die By The Three.” That phrase is often uttered when perimeter oriented teams are discussed. This year's Wagner team is no exception to the rule as the Seahawks' top three scorers are all guards. However, the Seahawks have shown uncanny consistency from beyond the arc, hitting on at least 40.0 percent of its attempts in six of its eight games.

10-POINT GAMES
In games decided by 10 points or less, the Green & White is converting a remarkable 83.6 percent (122-146) from the free throw line.

RAISING THE BAR
In the last five minutes of games, the Seahawks are shooting a solid 50.0 percent (10-20) from beyond the arc while holding the opposition to just 21.1 percent (4-19) in similar situations and have converted 83.6 percent (46-55) from the charity stripe.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
“Wagner trailed by as many as 16 in the second half (at St. John's), but showed that there is another team on the rise in the outer boroughs.”
Howard Kussoy - New York Post

“If there is a team personality trait emerging in the early part of new coach Dan Hurley's first season at Wagner College, spunky might be the way to best describe it.”
Cormac Gordon - Staten Island Advance

“Dan Hurley coached as hard as he could on Wednesday night -- so hard, in fact, that he picked up the first technical foul of his college coaching career in the first half, for chewing on the refs' ears. His Wagner squad played hard for him, bouncing back from a 46-30 deficit early in the second half against St. John's to cut the lead to four, 62-58, with 4:33 to play.”
Kieran Darcy - ESPN

“I first just wanted to compliment Wagner. I thought they came in with a good game plan. They played more zone than they have at any point this season. They did an excellent job with tempo and played with poise. When we made runs, they came back and answered. Clearly, Dan Hurley and his brother, assistant coach Bobby Hurley, have done a nice job of building a team that doesn't have a lot of depth, but stays within striking distance with some timely shots, using the clock well and playing at different tempos. So I want to give them some credit.”
Steve Lavin - St. John's Head Basketball Coach

DAN HURLEY QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“That's going to feel good ... I think it wears on you to be out on the road this long, and I believe you get a boost in your own building. It energizes you.”
Head coach Dan Hurley on returning home following a seven-game road trip.

FREE THROW NOTE
Wagner is shooting 80.9 percent (76-94) from the line in the second half of games this year.

FREE THROWS NOTE PART 2
The Seahawks are connecting on 88.1 percent (74-84) from the line in its four victories, including 87.5 percent (49-56) after halftime in those games.

SETTING THE BELL CURVE
Wagner continues to pace the NEC in the early going from beyond the arc at 42.1 percent (61-145) success rate while holding the opposition to 28.1 percent (27-75) shooting from long range.

GUARD TRIO LEADING THE WAY
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 (35-36) (1st NEC), junior Tyler Murray (39-43) (2nd NEC) and Chris Martin (27-36) (t-15th NEC) are shooting a remarkable 87.8 percent (101-115). In the last minute of games and overtime, Murray is 11-for-12 while Rivers is 6-for-6 as the Green & White have connected on 29-of-34 (85.3 %).

GOOD NEWS: GUARD PLAY ON DISPLAY
While most Wagner 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 40.9 percent (99-242) from the floor, including 43.1 percent (56-130) from beyond the arc while accounting for 77.9 percent (352-452) of the team's scoring.

HITTING THE ROAD
Wagner recently wrapped up a seven game road trip going 3-4. 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.

NON-CONFERENCE NOTES
Included in the Seahawks 11-game non-conference schedule are four games against teams that won 20 games (@ Lehigh, @ Stony Brook, Princeton and @ Texas A&M) in 2009-2010, two games (@ Lehigh, @ Texas A&M) against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament and four games (@ Stony Brook (NIT), @ Hofstra (CBI), @ St. John's (NIT) and Princeton (CBI)) vs. teams that participated in other post-season tournaments. Additionally eight of the 11 teams posted winning records a year ago and the first four (Lafayette, @ Lehigh, @ Stony Brook and @ Hofstra) went a combined 82-49 with each winning at least 19 games a year ago.

THE LAST TIME ...
Wagner played at home was on November 12, 2010 against Lafayette.

WAGNER PICKED TO FINISH 11TH IN THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
Head coach Dan Hurley won't be short on motivation in this his first year at Wagner. In this the NEC's 30th season the league's 12 coaches predicted the new-look Wagner College Seahawks to finish 11th in the 12-team league.

After capturing its first-ever Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season crown a year ago, Quinnipiac was picked to win the 2010-2011 NEC men's basketball championship, based on voting conducted by the league's coaches.

Two-time defending NEC Tournament champion Robert Morris was tabbed second, followed by Long Island in third. Central Connecticut State was picked fourth, ahead of Mount St. Mary's in fifth and Fairleigh Dickinson in the sixth spot. St. Francis (NY) and Saint Francis (PA) tied for seventh in the poll, and were followed by Sacred Heart in ninth, Monmouth in 10th, Wagner in 11th and Bryant in 12th. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team.

HURLEY SIGNS TWO FOR NEXT SEASON
Wagner head 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.

LIVE STATS
Can be found on the Wagner Athletics website while a live audio stream can be accessed with Jon Barr providing the commentary.

UP NEXT
Wagner will square off with Princeton in the Spiro Sports Center on Friday, December 17 at 7:00 pm. The game will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable.