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Emmitsburg, MD - Wagner (12-11; 7-4 NEC) will be looking for its third-straight win while snapping a three-game losing streak to Mount St. Mary's (9-16; 7-5 NEC) tonight at 7:00 from Knott Arena. The match-up will be the first of back-to-back games with the Mount as part of the Northeast Conference's second annual “Rivalry Week.” All 12 league teams will play home-and-home contests with their respective travel partners. Last year, the Mountaineers took both match-ups from the Seahawks by an average of 20.5 ppg. Today's video and audio can be accessed for free via the Mount St. Mary's website.

SETTING THE SCENE
Wagner enters tonight's game having won two-straight games and are 12-11 and 8-4 in the NEC while sitting alone in third place in the league's standings. Mount St. Mary's, meanwhile, has won two-straight games and is currently 9-16 and 7-5 in the NEC.

RIVALRY WEEK X2
This marks the second year of the NEC's Rivaly Week. Last year five of the six match-ups featured sweeps as Long Island and St. Francis (NY) were the only teams to split. Mount St. Mary's took both games from Wagner, winning by an average of 20.5 points per game. The Mountaineers were victorious in the first match-up in Emmitsburg by a 69-44 count before claiming a 66-50 victory in Staten Island.

ABOUT MOUNT ST. MARY'S
This year's version of the Mountaineers is a work in progress after graduating key contributor Jeremy Goode, who helped Mount St. Mary's to 54 wins over the last three years and a NCAA appearance in 2008. Mount St. Mary's is averaging a league-low 60.0 ppg while ranking eighth in field goal percentage (.409) and 10th in three point percentage (.311). Junior guard Lamar Trice leads the Mountaineers in scoring at 13.4 ppg, highlighted by 33.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc, while senior forward Shawn Atupem is next with 10.1 ppg and 4.8 rpg. Freshman guard Julian Norfleet is third on the team with 9.4 ppg while shooting 31.6 percent from beyond the arc. Junior forward Danny Thompson is the squad's top rebounder at 6.0 rpg to go along with 5.7 ppg.

PLAYOFF STATE OF MIND
While each team appears to be in good shot of locking down playoff berths, each of the next two games will go a long way towards deciding seeding. Wagner is in third place at 8-4 while Mount St. Mary's is tied with Quinnipiac for fourth at 7-5.

TOUGH AT KNOTT
Mount St. Mary's is a stout 7-3 in home games, including 5-1 during NEC play, at Knott Arena and has won four-straight games at home.

NEW COACHES
This week's games between the two teams features new coaches on each sideline. Wagner coach Dan Hurley is 12-11 and 8-4 in the NEC while Mount coach Robert Burke is 9-16 and 7-5 in the NEC in year one.

THE SERIES
Wagner holds a decisive 26-16 lead in the all-time series but has lost three-straight games to Mount St. Mary's and four-of-five dating back to the 2008-2009 season. Additionally, the Mountaineers have won four of the last five meetings at Knott Arena.

CLOSE GAMES = THE HURLEY WAY
Wagner improved to 9-4 in games decided by five points or less, including 6-2 during NEC play, following a 61-57 victory over FDU and a 63-60 win vs. Monmouth last week. The Seahawks came out on top against the Knights thanks to an 11-3 run, highlighted by the game's final six points, before withstanding a late Hawks rally when junior Tyler Murray hit a pair from the line with just nine seconds to play.

CLOSING IT OUT
Wagner has won two-straight games and three-of-four thanks to to playing its best basketball at the end of the game, outscoring the opposition during that time by an average of 5.5 points per game during that time. Leading the charge has been freshman Latif Rivers, who has scored 21 points, on 7-of-11 shooting, during that time. The Seahawk defense has also limited the opposition to 37.0 percent (10-27) shooting, including just 10.0 percent (1-10) from beyond the arc, while forcing 17 turnovers.

RIVERS EARNS SCHOOL-RECORD SIXTH CHOICE HOTELS NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK ACCOLADE
Thanks to his aforementioned late-game heroics, freshman Latif Rivers collected his league-leading and school-record sixth Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week honor following a pair of impressive performances in victories over Fairleigh Dickinson and Monmouth. Rivers averaged 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game in helping Wagner improve to 12-11 and 8-4. The Elizabeth, NJ native scored all 11 of his points in the second half of a 61-57 victory over FDU on Thursday. Rivers had eight points during the Green and White's game-ending 11-3 run, highlighted by a pair of three-point plays. His layup and ensuing free throw with 33 seconds to play gave the Seahawks the lead for good. Rivers followed up with a game-high 27 points on 10-19 shooting from the floor, including four three-pointers in a 63-60 win over Monmouth on Saturday. He also grabbed five rebounds and had two assists.

MAGIC NUMBER 14
Wagner handed out exactly 14 assists against Monmouth which is a telling stat. The Seahawks are now 10-1, including 6-1 during NEC-play, when accruing at least 14 assists. On the year, the Green & White are averaging ... 14.0 assists per game, ranking fourth in the league. During league games, the assist average jumps to a NEC-best 15.0 apg.

RIVERS = KEY TO SUCCESS
Freshman Latif Rivers scored a team-best 27 points in the 63-60 win over Monmouth. The team-leading 27 markers improves Wagner to 5-1 when the rookie guard hits for at least 20 points and 5-1 when the NEC's top first-year scorer leads the squad. His  six 20-point games are also the most by a NEC rookie this year and the most by a first-year Seahawk since Jermaine Hall notched eight and Dedrick Dye six during the 1999-2000 season.

THAT'S WHY YOU PLAY THE GAMES
Entering last week's games with last place teams FDU and Monmouth the casual fan might think that Wagner would have an easy time against teams with a combined four NEC wins. However, this was not the case as the Seahawks labored their way to a pair of crucial victories. Wagner, which leads the NEC in three point shooting, hit on just 25.6 percent (11-43) from beyond the arc but managed to win both games by limiting the opposition to just 23.8 percent (5-21) from long range. The Seahawks also won the turnover battle by a 20-38 count, leading to 50-24 advantage in points off turnovers.

ALSO AGAINST MONMOUTH
The Seahawks bested the Hawks 63-60 despite converting a season-low 33.3 percent (19-57) from the floor, including an anemic 23.3 percent (7-30) from long range.  Wagner also avoided the upset thanks to converting 85.7 percent (18-21) from the line, including 88.2 percent (15-17) in the second half.

SOME ASSORTED ODD STATS
The second half of Wagner's 63-60 win over Monmouth featured more free throw attempts (48) then field goal attempts (45). The Seahawks also managed to win despite converting just 2 of their final 16 shots, including misfiring on all 10 three-point attempts.

THURSDAY THUNDER
Wagner is now 5-1 in Thursday games following a 61-57 win over FDU. The Seahawks have Thursday games vs. LIU and at Saint Francis (PA) remaining.

NEC ON THE UP AND UP
The NEC is currently the 22nd ranked conference according to the RPI rankings, after finishing 29th a year ago. Wagner is ranked 138th in the RPI while the Mount is 231st.

PARKER, CASTELLANOS TO SQUARE OFF
Former Orlando Christian Prep teammates Orlando Parker and Josh Castellanos will square off this week. The pair helped the Warriors to three straight Class 1A State Championships. Parker has steadily seen his production rise over the course of the year and is averaging 6.5 ppg and a team-best 5.2 rpg (18th NEC) while shooting 50.4 percent from the floor. During league-play, those numbers rise to 8.2 ppg and 6.3 rpg. Castellanos is averaging 4.0 ppg, including 5.2 ppg during league play.

PARKER LOOKING TO BOUNCE BACK
Freshman Orlando Parker has struggled over the last two games, averaging just 3.0 ppg and 4.5 rpg while shooting 23.1 percent (3-13) from the floor. In the previous six games, he paced the Seahawks in rebounding each time out while notching double-figures in every game while averaging 11.7 ppg and and a team-best 8.2 rpg.

NAOFALL LOOKING FOR CONSISTENCY
After notching double-figures in back-to-back games for the first time all year, Naofall Folahan notched just two points in the win over Monmouth. Previously, the freshman pivot scored 10 points in games at CCSU and vs. FDU. Against the Knights, Folahan finished with 10 points while adding six rebounds, including four on the offensive glass that led to three lay-ups.

HURLEY'S PLAYERS IN THE RANKINGS
It should come as no surprise that freshman Latif Rivers ranks fourth in the nation in free throw percentage (.929) (91-98) as head coach Dan Hurley also coached the third-ranked free throw shooter in the nation, Villanova's Corey Stokes (.935) (72-77). As a team, Wagner ranks eighth nationally and first in the league at 77.5 percent, after making 61.1 percentage a year ago.

ALSO IN THE RANKINGS
Wagner also ranks 29th in the nation in three-point shooting (.386) while junior Tyler Murray is second in the NEC and 90th nationally in scoring (17.1 ppg).

CLOSING IT OUT
Down 54-50 against FDU with under four minutes to play, Wagner closed the game out on a 11-3 run, including scoring the final six points for the come-from-behind 61-57 victory. The Seahawks also forced seven turnovers over that time, including on the final five Knight possessions.

CLOSE GAMES
16 of the Seahawks' 23 games have been decided by 10 points or less with the Green & White going 10-6 in those match-ups. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers have had 14 of their 25 games decided by 10 points or less in going 6-8.

SIX SHOOTERS
Junior Tyler Murray and freshman Latif Rivers have all notched double-figures in scoring in each of the last six games.

DEFENDING THE GLASS
After losing the battle of the boards in seven-straight games and the first eight NEC match-ups, the Wagner Seahawks posted a +13 rebounding margin for their largest advantage of the year while holding Bryant to just 27 rebounds. Also the Green & White limited the Bulldogs to just three offensive rebounds - including zero in the opening half. Wagner won the battle of the boards for the sixth time this year against Monmouth by a 34-33 count, including 9-5 on the offensive end, while improving to 4-2 when controlling the glass. Wagner has also now won four-straight games when holding the opposition under double-digits on the offensive end and is 5-2 on the year.

THOMPSON HAS RECORD DAY
Sophomore Josh Thompson set personal-bests for free throws (9) and free throw attempts (11) in the 63-60 win over Monmouth. Despite going just 1-of-6 from the floor, the Garden State native went 7-for-8 after halftime, including sinking all four attempts in the game's final three minutes. Thompson finished up with 11 points and five rebounds after notching 11 points and seven rebounds in the previous game, a 61-57 win over FDU. Over the last five games, he is averaging 9.0 ppg and 5.2 rpg while shooting 45.2 percent (14-31) from the floor over 24.2 minutes per game off the bench.

IN EVERY GAME WAGNER HAS WON ...
The Seahawks have converted more three pointers then the opposition, including each of the last six games. The Green & White are 0-4 when allowing their opponents to drain more triples.

TURNING IT AROUND
Wagner committed a season-low eight turnovers vs. FDU while posting a +13 margin, its best of the year. The Seahawks followed that up with just 12 turnovers vs. Monmouth, recording a +5 margin, and have now won the turnover battle in three-straight games after ending up on the losing end in each of the previous five games.

SCHROTENBOER STEPS UP IN BIG WAY
With Wagner facing serious foul trouble in its 63-60 win over Monmouth, the Seahawks turned to sophomore Ryan Schrotenboer for a lift off the bench. The seldom used big man responded with four big second-half rebounds in just six minutes after recording just four in his previous 10 games.
 
20-POINT MAN
Junior Tyler Murray has legitimized himself as a Player of the Year candidate, notching at least 20 points in six of his last 12 games while averaging 16.8 ppg during that time.

MURRAY MISSES THE MARK
Junior Tyler Murray failed to hit a three pointer for just the third time this year in the 63-60 victory over Monmouth, misfiring on all nine three pointer attempts. Despite making good on just 2-of-14 over his previous two games, the Canadian native continues to lead the NEC in three point shooting (.432).

ON A ROLL
In the win over Bryant, Wagner converted eight-straight shots early in the second half while ripping off a 20-4 run - including 11-straight points - giving Seahawks their largest lead of the game at 12. Wagner then mounted a 24-8 run in the second half against CCSU, slicing a 21-point deficit to five and went 10-of-17 from the floor over the final 8:08 of the game. Keeping with the run theme, Wagner ripped off a game-ending 6-0 run in the four-point win vs. FDU. Then in the 63-60 win over Monmouth, the Green & White busted off a 20-6 run over the final 45 seconds of the first half and the first five minutes of the second, turning a three-point deficit into an 11-point lead.

TYLER TEARING UP THE NEC
Junior Tyler Murray is second in the NEC in scoring (17.1 ppg) and ranks first in three-point shooting (.432) (48-111). He is also among the leaders in three pointers (2.1 3's/game) (8th NEC), free throw percentage (.833) (t-8th NEC), steals (1.3 spg) (t-10th NEC), assists (3.3 apg) (15th NEC), and minutes (37.2 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 first among a strong freshman class in scoring (14.6 ppg) (10th NEC) while leading the league and ranking third nationally in free throw percentage (.929). He is also among the league leaders in three's per game (2.1 3's/game) (7th NEC), three point percentage (.380) (11th NEC) and minutes played (33.1 mpg) (10th NEC).

THE TYLER & LATIF SHOW
In the overtime win over Robert Morris, junior Tyler Murray and freshman Latif Rivers combined for a season-high 48 points on 14-of-31 shooting from the floor, 6-of-14 from beyond the arc and 14-of-16 from the line while handing out eight assists. The twosome picked it up in the final five minutes and overtime, combining for 17 points - including 15 of Wagner's 20 overtime points. They were back at it in the OT win over Bryant, as Rivers had six of Wagner's 13 points with Murray notching two while assisting on all three Seahawk field goals, On the year, Murray (17.1 ppg) and Rivers (14.6 ppg) are the second-ranked scoring duo in the NEC, averaging 31.7 points per game and shooting 40.5 percent (216-533) from the floor, 40.4 percent (97-240) from beyond the arc and 87.4 percent (201-230) from the charity stripe. The duo is also accounting for 47.1 percent of the team's offense.

DURING NEC PLAY MURRAY IS ...
Second in the the league in scoring (18.8 ppg) while shooting 45.8 percent (t-15th NEC) from the floor, including 41.2 percent (7th NEC) from beyond the arc and 81.3 percent (12th NEC) from the charity stripe. He is also averaging 3.3 apg (13th NEC), 1.6 spg (t-5th NEC), 2.3 threes per game (t-6th NEC), 1.1 assist to turnover ratio (15th NEC) and 37.4 mpg (2nd NEC).

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 and ranks seventh in the NEC with 3.9 assists per game and 12th with a 1.4 assist to turnover ratio.

EVEN BETTER
Wagner's NEC-leading free throw percentage jumps to 78.7 percent in the last five minutes of games as the Seahawks are connecting on 118-of-150. Freshman Latif Rivers is 31-for-34 (91.2 %) while junior Tyler Murray is 35-for-41 (85.4 %).

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 seventh Rookie of the Week citation for the week ending February 6. The Garden State native has six NEC Rookie accolades with Naofall Folahan garnering one.

MURRAY ALL-TIME LEADER
Junior Tyler Murray leads NEC in three-point percentage at 43.2 percent (48-111). For his career, he is the all-time Wagner leader in the same category (min. 100 three point attempts), converting on a blistering 41.6 percent (104-250).

10-POINT GAMES
In games decided by 10 points or less, the Green & White is converting a remarkable 79.3 percent (265-334) from the free throw line.

RAISING THE BAR
In the last five minutes of games and OT, Wagner is shooting a solid 38.2 percent (21-55) from beyond the arc while holding the opposition to just 23.6 percent (13-55) in similar situations.

CONGRATS MR. HURLEY
Wagner head coach Dan Hurley's father Bob Hurley Sr. became the fifth prep coach with 1,000 career wins on February 2 by a 76-46 count over St. Mary's in this his 40th year at Saint Anthony's High School.

DAN HURLEY QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“He had that look in his eyes ... We thought we'd get some decent looks, and Latif is the kind of kid who comes out of the locker room shooting.”
Head coach Dan Hurley on putting freshman Latif Rivers back in the game in the first half despite having early foul trouble.

FREE THROW NOTES
Wagner is connecting on 77.1 percent (222-288) from the line in the second half of games this year, highlighted by an 89.3 percent (25-28) showing in the 10-point win over Quinnipiac ... The Seahawks are converting on 81.0 percent (222-274) from the line in their 12 victories, including 80.7 percent (138-171) after halftime in those games.

UP NEXT
Wagner hosts Mount St. Mary's on Saturday, February 12 in the second of two-straight games against the Mountaineers. Tip time is slated for 7:00 pm.

GOTTA GO TO MOE'S!
One student will win free Moe's Southwest Grill for a Year at the women's and men's games vs. the Mount on Saturday, February 12.