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Brooklyn, NY - The Wagner Seahawks (8-8; 4-1 NEC) will look to get back in the in the victory column when they head to Brooklyn to take on Long Island (12-4; 4-1 NEC) today at 4:30 pm in a game between conference co-leaders. The game will not be streamed but can be accessed via a free audio feed from the LIU website. The Green & White continue to be led by junior Tyler Murray, who paces the league in scoring at 17.9 points per game while notching at least 20 points in each of the last four games.

LAST TIME OUT
The Seahawks had their four-game winning streak snapped at St. Francis (NY), falling by a 72-56 count to the Terriers. The Green & White shot a season-low 7.7 percent (1-13) from beyond the arc and were outscored by a 21-4 margin in points off turnovers.

LOOKING TO BOUNCE BACK
The Wagner Seahawks will be looking to avenge their 16-point loss to St. Francis (NY) against fellow first place representative Long Island on Saturday. The Green & White have now lost by double-figures four times, going 2-1 in the games following the previous three double-digit setbacks.

WITH A WIN...
Wagner would start 5-1 in the NEC for just the fourth time in school history. Previously, the Green & White went 5-1 in 1992-1993, 2002-2003 and 2007-2008. The 1992-1993 squad lost in the championship game while the 2002-2003 won the program's only league title. The 2007-2008 team lost in the league semi-finals.

ALSO LOOKING TO BOUNCE BACK
Freshman Latif Rivers failed to score against Terriers despite suffering from flu like symptoms over the days leading up to the game. The rookie guard tried to fight through the sickness but misfired on all eight of his shots. According to head coach Dan Hurley,
“I never should have allowed him to play, ... Latif had been sick for three days, and he talked me into letting him on the floor ... That's how big his heart is.”

GOOD START
Despite the 16-point setback at St. Francis (NY), Wagner has a chance to reclaim sole possession of first place in the league against a stout LIU team. With a win, the Seahawks would also improve to 5-1 in the league for just the fourth time in the 30-year history of the NEC.

DID YOU KNOW?
That the last time a team selected 11th in the annual NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll finished in the top-four and hosted a First Round playoff game was ... Long Island in 2004-2005 ... Wagner was tabbed to finish 11th in the league this year but currently share first place with the Blackbirds at 4-1.

TYLER HONORED BY NEC
Junior Tyler Murray earned Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week after leading Wagner to three wins over a six-day period. The Canadian native was unstoppable in leading the first place Seahawks to three league wins last week.  The 6-5 guard averaged 24.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 3.0 apg while shooting a blistering 56.8 percent (21-37) from the floor, including a scorching 68.4 percent (13-19) from beyond the arc. Murray began the week with a career-best 28 points in a 73-68 road win over preseason NEC favorite Quinnipiac.  He connected on his first five shots en-route to a 7-of-10 performance from the floor, including 5-6 from beyond the arc, highlighted by a three pointer and layup in the game's final minutes that put Wagner up for good.  The Canadian native also pulled down a team-best eight rebounds and shot 9-of-11 from the stripe.  He followed up with 26 points and drilled 4-of-7 shots from outside the arc in a career-best 44-minute stint as the host Seahawks outlasted two-time defending NEC champion Robert Morris, 83-78 in overtime, on Thursday.  Murray scored seven points in the extra session, including two free throws with four seconds to play that iced the game. He capped his week with a third straight 20-point performance in Wagner's 81-53 win over SFPA.  Murray netted 20 points in just 29 minutes of action, and made four of his six shots from outside the arc.

20-20 VISION
Junior Tyler Murray's team-best 20 points at St. Francis (NY) marked the fourth-straight game that the Canadian native has hit for at least 20 points, becoming the first Wagner player to do so since Jermaine Hall did so during the Seahawks' 2002-2003 NEC Championship season (1/25/03-2/3/03). Murray has also notched at least 20 points in each of his first five conference games, becoming the first member of the Green & White to go for at least 20 points in five-straight NEC match-ups since Hall did so during the 2001-2002 season (1/30/02-2/11/02). On the year, Murray has scored at least 20 points seven times with Wagner going 5-2 during that time.

LATIF NAMED NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK ... AGAIN
Freshman Latif Rivers was named the Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season after helping the Green & White to wins over Quinnipiac, Robert Morris and Saint Francis (PA). He averaged 16.3 ppg and 5.3 apg while turning the ball over just three times in 104 minutes of play.  Rivers also shot 40.0 percent from three-point range (8-20) and 92.9 percent from the free throw line (13-14). In the win at Quinnipiac, he finished with 12 points, a career-best seven assists and did not commit a turnover in 32 minutes.  He assisted on junior Tyler Murray's layup with 2:07 to play that gave the Green & White the lead for good before hitting three free throws down the stretch to secure the win.  Rivers followed that up with his fourth 20-point game of the year in an 83-78 overtime victory over Robert Morris.  In a clutch performance, he scored eight straight points in the last 1:33 of overtime to keep the Colonials at bay.  Rivers capped the week with 15 points and five assists in the 81-53 win over Saint Francis (PA).

ELITE COMPANY
In winning his league-best fourth NEC Rookie of the Week citation, freshman Latif Rivers also matched the school-record for most Rookie of the Week awards with his fourth. Art Redmond (1981-1982), Terrance Bailey (1983-1984), Miladin Mutavdzic (1991-1992) and Ryan Reed (1995-1996) as the only four-time NEC Rookie of the Week winners from Wagner.

DID YOU KNOW?
It has been almost 20 years since Wagner swept the weekly NEC men's basketball awards. The last time it occured was on December 9, 1991 when Bobby Hopson was named Player of the Week and Miladin Mutavdzic earned Rookie of the Week accolades. NEC POTW junior Tyler Murray was just over 15 months old while NEC ROTW freshman Latif Rivers was just over three months old.

NATIONAL RANKINGS
According to the most recent NCAA Rankings, Wagner is ranked eighth in the nation in free throw shooting at 77.8 percent and 14th in three-point shooting (.391). Freshman Latif Rivers, who made his first 31 free throws, is fifth nationally at 93.8 percent (60-64) from the line. Junior Tyler Murray is 68th nationally in scoring with his league-best 17.9 ppg and 65th at the charity stripe (.840). Murray leads the NEC in three-point shooting at 50.0 percent but doesn't have the 2.5 makes/game to qualify for the rankings. Freshman Naofall Folahan is among the leaders, ranking 64th in blocks with a NEC-best 1.9 bpg.

LONG TIME COMING
Coming into the week, Wagner was connecting on 40.6 percent from beyond the arc. No team from the NEC has shot above 40.0 percent on three pointers since Robert Morris in 1993-1994. The Seahawks are now making good on 39.1 percent.

FIVE-POINT GAMES
Wagner is 6-2 in games decided by five points or less, including winning three league games by five points. Last year, the Seahawks went 3-8 in five-point games, including 2-5 during conference play. The Green & White has also surpassed last year's win total of five overall and three NEC wins and currently have eight and four, respectively.

COMEBACK KIDS
In Wagner's first three NEC wins, the Seahawks trailed by at least four points with under four minutes on the clock.

NEC PLAY
Wagner is 4-1 in the NEC while going 2-1 on the road. Last year, the Seahawks went an anemic 1-8 on the road during conference play en route to a 3-15 finish.

TYLER TEARING UP THE NEC
Junior Tyler Murray leads the NEC in scoring (17.9 ppg) and three-point shooting, connecting on 50.0 percent (37-74) from beyond the arc. In establishing himself as a viable NEC Player of the Year candidate, Murray also ranks among the league-leaders in free throws made (2.3 3's/game) (4th NEC), free throw shooting (.840) (8th NEC), assists (3.3 apg) (t-14th NEC), rebounding (4.9 rpg) (20th NEC), defensive rebounds (4.2 drpg) (12th NEC) and minutes played (37.3 mpg) (2nd NEC).

LATIF NO SLOUCH
Freshman Latif Rivers might not be the main headliner on the Wagner Seahawks but he is drawing the attention of the league, ranking second among a strong freshman class in scoring (13.6 ppg) (13th NEC) while also pacing the NEC and ranking fifth in the nation in free throw percentage (.938). He is also among the league leaders in three's per game (2.1 3's/game) (8th NEC), three point percentage (.367) (15th NEC) and minutes played (33.0 mpg) (9th NEC).

MURRAY ON FIRE
Since scoring a season-low four points at No. 25 Texas A&M, junior Tyler Murray is averaging 22.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game over Wagner's last five games. He is also shooting a blistering 53.3 percent (32-60) from the floor, 59.3 percent (16-27) from beyond the arc and 81.6 percent (31-38) from the charity stripe.

DURING NEC PLAY MURRAY IS ...
Leading the team in scoring (23.4 ppg), rebounding (5.0 rpg) and steals (1.6 spg) while shooting 53.2 percent (33-62) from the floor, including 54.8 percent (17-31) from beyond the arc and 81.0 percent (34-42) from the charity stripe. During the last five minutes, including overtime, of NEC games he is averaging 5.6 points per game while shooting 53.8 percent (7-13).

SECOND-HALF SUCCESS
Wagner shot a season-best 57.1 percent (12-21) in the second half in its win over Quinnipiac and converted 49.5 percent (54-109) of its shots in the second half & overtime during its most recent four-game winning streak. The Seahawks also averaged 44.3 points after halftime while outscoring the opposition by an average of 10.0 points per game during that time.

SECOND-HALF FUNK
After shooting the lights out in the second half during their most recent four-game winning streak the Seahawks were clipped in the 72-56 loss at St. Francis (NY), shooting 35.3 percent (12-34) after halftime, including just 1-of-7 (14.3 %) from beyond the arc and 58.8 percent (10-17) from the line.

TOUGH FIRST HALF
Also in the 16-point loss at St. Francis (NY), Wagner failed to hit a three pointer in the first half, marking just the second time all year that had happened in a 20-minute segment, while scoring just 21 points, marking the second-lowest output in a half on the year.

SEAHAWKS DIAL IT UP FROM DEEP
Wagner capped last week's perfect 3-0 showing with a season-best 12 three pointers (of 21) in a 28-point drubbing of Saint Francis (PA) after beginning the week with a 11 (of 24) three pointers in the win over the Bobcats, highlighted by a 7-of-12 performance in the first half.  The 57.1 percent showing was just the third time the Green & White had hit more than 40.0 percent of their shots from long range in the last 11 games after doing so in each of the first five games.

LOOKING FOR CONSISTENCY
While Wagner is 4-1 in the league there is still a lot of work left to do. After drilling a season-best 12 three pointers on 57.1 percent shooting in the win over SFPA, the Seahawks hit a season-low one three pointer while shooting just 7.7 percent.

DELIVERING THE DAGGER
Wagner outscored Quinnipiac 12-3 over the final 2:42 while hitting all three of its shots during that time. The Seahawks then outscored Robert Morris 15-10 over the final 2:08. The Green & White also hit their final five shots from the floor and eight from the line over the last 3:35 of the game. In both match-ups, junior Tyler Murray put the Green & White up for good. Then in the second half of Wagner's 81-53 romp over Saint Francis (PA), the Seahawks outscored the Red Flash by 16 points after halftime.

JUST A REMINDER
Wagner was picked to finish 11th in the NEC while Quinnipiac was tabbed first and Robert Morris second. The Seahawks beat both teams last week.

FOUL TROUBLE
Wagner was whistled for a season-high 34 fouls in loss at St. Francis (NY), leading to 49 Terrier free throws. The 34 infractions were the most since being called for 35 in an overtime loss at Indiana State on December 21, 2006. The Seahawks have not been whistled for that many fouls in a regulation game since before the 1996-1997 season. Three players fouled out against the Terriers while four others had four fouls.

FOUL TROUBLE X2
The Seahawks did not allow the opposition into the double-bonus (10 fouls) for the first time all year in the win at Quinnipiac. In 32 halves of play, Wagner has commited at least 10 fouls 27 times. Thus far, the Green & White is committing an average of 5.1 more fouls than the opposition while ranking 332th with 25.3 fouls per game. For comparison's sake, Florida is averaging a NCAA-low 13.6 fouls per game.

PARKER PICKING IT UP
Freshman Orlando Parker notched double-digits for the second time in the last three games after doing so just twice in the first 13. At St. Francis (NY), The Orlando, Florida native scored 13 points, on 5-of-10 shooting, while grabbing seven rebounds and is now averaging 9.7 ppg and 7.7 rpg over the last three games while shooting 54.5 percent (12-22) from the floor.

PARKER EVOLVING
Over the last nine games freshman Orlando Parker is shooting 60.0 percent (27-45) from the floor. For the season, he is averaging 5.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 54.4 percent (37-68) from the floor.

STRAIGHT TO THE POINT
Junior Chris Martin struggled at first when taking control of the team's point guard duties but has settled into a nice grove.  Over the last five games (4-1), he has handed out a team-best 31 assists while turning the ball over just 10 times in 148 minutes of action. Martin had arguably his finest all-around game of the year against Saint Francis (PA), dishing out a career-best 10 assists, against just two turnovers, with nine points and five rebounds. In the win over Robert Morris, he had nine points, five assists and four rebounds after beginning the week with 11 points and five assists in the win at Quinnipiac. Martin notched five assists at St. Francis (NY) and is  ninth in the NEC with 3.7 apg and 11th with a 1.4 assist to turnover ratio. He is also averaging 9.1 ppg and 2.8 rpg. while shooting 39.4 percent from the floor, 39.7 percent (8th NEC) from beyond the arc and 72.0 percent from the line.

THOMPSON TAKES OVER
Sophomore Josh Thompson helped Wagner put away Saint Francis (PA) with nine-straight points in the Seahawks' 17-3 run midway through the second half. He notched two dunks and two lay-ups while showcasing his above the rim play. Thompson finished up with 15 points, on 6-of-10 shooting, and three blocks in 28 minutes off the bench. He followed that up with nine points and four rebounds off the bench at St. Francis (NY) and is now averaging 11.6 ppg while converting 51.2 percent (21-41) from the floor and 71.4 percent (15-21) from the line over the last five games.

SECOND-HALF STOPPER
Sophomore Josh Thompson is averaging 4.4 of his 7.4 points per game in the second half of games while shooting 46.7 percent from the floor. In the first half of games, he has scored just 2.8 ppg while shooting an anemic 29.8 percent. The highlight of his second-half play was an 18-point performance in the win over Albany, capping a career-best 24-point performance.

SETTING THE SCENE
Wagner (8-8; 4-1 NEC) saw its four-game winning streak come to an end at St. Francis (NY) but will have little time to dwell on the 16-point setback as the Seahawks will now play at Long Island (12-4; 4-1 NEC). With a win, the Seahawks would again assume sole possession of first place in the league while beating the top-three teams in the league's preseason poll.

LAST YEAR VS. LIU
The teams split a pair of meetings with Wagner winning the last match-up by a 65-59 count in overtime at the Wellness Center. The Seahawks erased an early nine-point deficit while forcing two-time First Team All-NEC selection Jaytornah Wisseh into 3-of-21 shooting. Senior #T.J. Czeski# had 10 points, six assists and five rebounds over 43 minutes. The Blackbirds won the first battle by a 79-64 score with senior guard David Hicks leading the way with 19 points and seven rebounds.

SCOUTING LIU
Long Island enters today's game with a six-game winning streak while possessing the league's top-ranked offense at 81.8 points per game. The Blackbirds also lead the league with a 46.6 field goal percentage and a +8.3 scoring margin while ranking second in rebounding (41.3 rpg).

SCORING BALANCE
Sophomore Jamal Olasewere leads four double-digit scorers for the Blackbirds, averaging a team-best 12.0 ppt while pulling down 6.4 rpg. Senior Kyle Johnson is next at 11.8 ppg with 5.7 rpg. Rounding out the double-digit scorers are junior C.J. Garner (11.0 ppg, 3.7 apg) and sophomore Julian Boyd (10.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg). The squad's fifth scorer, senior David Hicks, is next up at 9.5 ppg.

KEY MATCH-UP(S)
For Wagner to win it must improve on its three-point shooting (1-of-13) at St. Francis (NY) against a stout Blackbird team that has the league's best three-point defense (.301). The Seahawks also must limit LIU to one shot as the Blackbirds rank second in the NEC in rebounding (41.3 rpg) and rebounding margin (+5.3).

COACHING MATCH-UP
Head coach Dan Hurley is 8-8 (4-1 NEC) and will be squaring off with ninth-year coach Jim Ferry, who is 110-138 (70-79 NEC) at LIU. Hurley went 1-0 against the Blackbirds as a player, helping Seton Hall to a 110-72 win on December 2, 1994.

RPI UPDATE
In the RPI, the Seahawks are ranked No. 132 and the Blackbirds No. 183.

EVEN BETTER
Wagner's NEC-leading free throw percentage jumps to 76.7 percent in the last five minutes of games as the Seahawks are connecting on 89-of-116.

LOOKING FOR THE THIRD OPTION
While junior Tyler Murray has hit for double-digits 15 times and freshman Latif Rivers 10 times, the rest of the Seahawk players have gone for double-figures just 16 times in the season's first 16 games. Freshman Orlando Parker scored 13 points at St. Francis (NY) and will now look to do something that hasn't been accomplished the 15 previous times a player other than Murray and Rivers hit for double-digts and that is follow it with double-figures. Besides the aforementioned two players, Wagner has not had a player score in double-digits in back-to-back games all year.

RECRUITING PAYING DIVIDENDS
Head coach Dan Hurley's first recruiting class has been paying dividends since day one and the Northeast Conference is paying attention. Freshman Latif Rivers collected Wagner's fifth Rookie of the Week citation in the season's first nine weeks for the week ending January 9. The Garden State native has four NEC Rookie accolades with Naofall Folahan garnering one.

MURRAY ALL-TIME LEADER
Junior Tyler Murray leads NEC in three-point percentage at 50.0 percent (37-74). For his career, he is the all-time Wagner leader in the same category (min. 100 three point attempts), converting on a blistering 43.7 percent (93-213).

ROAD GAMES
The Seahawks are 4-6 on the road with all four wins coming by five points or less after going 2-11 away from home a year ago.

OVVVVVVERTIME
Wagner has played in 2 overtime games this season, winning them both. Over the last five seasons the Seahawks have played in 12 overtime games with a record of 8-4.

10-POINT GAMES
In games decided by 10 points or less, the Green & White is converting a remarkable 79.7 percent (173-217) from the free throw line.

RAISING THE BAR
In the last five minutes of games and OT, Wagner is shooting a solid 41.7 percent (15-36) from beyond the arc while holding the opposition to just 28.2 percent (11-39) in similar situations.

DAN HURLEY QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“We're not at a point where we can be anything but at our best in conference games ... We were less than that tonight, and obviously it wasn't close to enough."
Head coach Dan Hurley on his team's 16-point loss at St. Francis (NY)

FREE THROW NOTE
Wagner is connecting on 75.0 percent (159-212) from the line in the second half of games this year.

FREE THROWS NOTE PART 2
The Seahawks are connecting on 81.8 percent (139-170) from the line in their eight victories, including 78.5 percent (84-107) after halftime in those games.

DID YOU KNOW?
That Wagner notched season-lows in free throws (11) and free throw attempts (13) against St. Francis (PA), but still managed to post its largest margin of victory (+28) on the year.

BAILEY NAMED TO THE NEC HALL OF FAME
Former Wagner basketball standout and Hall of Famer Terrance Bailey, the most prolific scorer in NEC men's basketball history, was one of eight members in the Northeast Conference's inaugural Hall of Fame class. He was previously selected to the NEC All-Decade team, 20th Anniversary and 25th Anniversary teams. His 2,591 career points are nearly 300 more than the next closest league player and his single-season point totals of 854 points as a junior and 788 as a senior rank him third and fourth, respectively, on the all-time conference list. Bailey led the nation in scoring (29.4 ppg) and was named the NEC Player of the Year as a junior in 1985-1986. He won the NEC scoring title again as a senior (28.1 ppg) in 1986-87 and finished his career as a three-time First Team all-league performer. Not just a shooter from the outside, the 6'2” guard also tallied 136 dunks over course of his career, including a legendary slam over 7'4” Marist center Rik Smits. The Trenton, NJ native was chosen by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 1987 NBA draft.

DON'T FOUL
Wagner figures to be a formidable foe in close games this season due to its prowess at the line. The Seahawks' top four scorers freshman Latif Rivers (60-64) (1st NEC), junior Tyler Murray (79-94) (7th NEC), sophomore Josh Thompson (33-46) and sophomore Chris Martin (36-50) are shooting a remarkable 81.9 percent (208-254). In the last minute of games and overtime, Murray is 12-for-15 while Rivers is 9-for-11 as the Green & White have connected on 51-of-65 (78.5 %).

O CANADA
The Wagner-Lafayette game featured a pair of Canadians in junior Tyler Murray and Leopard senior Jared Mintz. Both players did not disappoint as Murray had 18 points, six assists and five rebounds while Mintz notched a game-high 21 points with seven rebounds. Today Murray will face another Toronto native in LIU's Kyle Johnson.

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.

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 Mario Moody (Orange, NJ / East Orange Campus) for next year.

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.

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.

UP NEXT
Wagner will to sweep the season-series from reigning NEC Regular Season Champion Quinnipiac on Thursday, January 20 at 7:00 pm.