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Robert Morris: Roster / Game Notes 
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Staten Island, NY - Wagner (17-4; 8-2 NEC) returns to action against Robert Morris (16-7; 7-3 NEC) on Thursday, February 2 at 7:00 pm in the only regular season match-up between the teams. Dave Popkin will have the call with former Green & White coach Tim Capstraw and former Monmouth coach Dave Calloway providing the color as Matt Harmon will handle the sideline reporting. As always, Joey Wahler will call the game for the Seahawk Broadcasting Network through Red Zone Media. That broadcast will be free of charge and can be accessed by clicking HERE

QUICK HITS

* Starting with their game against the Colonials, the Seahawks will play five of their next six games at home.

* The Green & White enter with a two-game winning streak and have won 10-of-11 after defeating Sacred Heart (1/26) (73-54) and Quinnipiac (1/28) 51-50.

* The 54 points allowed to the Pioneers and the 50 to the Bobcats were season-lows for the teams. Additionally, Wagner's defense forced the teams into a combined 4-for-26 (.154) from long range while converting 15-of-26 (.577) from deep.

* With the road wins in Connecticut, the Seahawks lead all of Division I with 10 road victories and are 11-2 (3rd most road/neutral wins) away from the Spiro Sports Center. Robert Morris is also among the top-10 in Division I with eight road wins.

* The Green & White is the NEC's top-ranked team in the RPI rankings at 81 and have resided in the CollegeInsider.Com Mid-Major poll for each of the last six week. In the most recent rankings released on Monday, Wagner is #24 with fellow league member LIU Brooklyn checking in at #23.

* Head coach Dan Hurley picked up his 30th career win against Quinnipiac (1/28) in just his 51st game with the Seahawks. He is the second-fastest coach to 30 victories and the quickest in the Division I era (since 1976-1977).

* The 51 points scored in the win over the Bobcats was the fewest scored in a Green & White win since Wagner bested Robert Morris 51-48 on February 6, 1993 in a game coached by MSG analyst Tim Capstraw. That season, Capstraw's Seahawks advanced to the NEC Championship Game while compiling 18 wins along the way.

* A victory today would give Green & White 18 for the year while matching the combined total of 18 over the previous two seasons.

* Hurley's assistant and brother Bobby Hurley was recently named as one of the 35 greatest McDonald's All-Americans in the 35-year history of the game. Joining the former Duke All-American on the list were his former teammates Christian Laettner and Grant Hill. Hurley helped the Blue Devils to a pair of National Titles and three Final Fours.

* Sophomore Kenneth Ortiz provided the difference against the Bobcats (1/28), when the sophomore point guard split a pair from the line with just 4.6 seconds remaining. Ortiz made the play possible with an offensive rebound off senior Tyler Murray's missed shot from the left corner that was eerily similar to the Santa Clara (12/30) game, in which the Newark native hit an improbable shot from the left corner following a Murray miss. Ortiz also converted a pair of go-ahead free throws with just over 28 seconds remaining in Wagner's 87-83 victory over NCCU (11/16).

* Ortiz's rebound that set up the game-winning play also was his team-best sixth of the game, marking the seventh time this season the 6-0 point guard has paced the squad on the glass. In those games, the Seahawks are a perfect 7-0. On the year, Ortiz leads team and ranks 18th in the NEC in rebounding (4.8 rpg) while also pacing the team with 2.1 steals (2nd NEC) and 3.9 assists (t-7th NEC) per game.

* With the one-point victory over Quinnipiac (1/28), the Green & White are 8-3 in games decided by 10 points or less, including going 4-2 in games decided by five points or fewer. Over the last two years, Dan Hurley's teams are 14-9 in five-point games.

* Wagner is now 14-0 when holding the opposition to under 70 points and 17-1 when leading with five minutes to play while not losing back-to-back games all season.

* After halftime, the Seahawks' 10 NEC opponents have shot just 19.7 percent (12-61) from long range, compared to 38.0 percent (35-92) in the first half.

* Against Sacred Heart (1/26), Wagner forced double-digits in turnovers in the first half for the ninth time this year while limiting the Pioneers to a season-low 54 points.

* The Seahawks have now recorded at least 10 turnovers in the first half on nine occasions.

* The Green & White held Sacred Heart (1/26), which entered the game as the NEC's top three-point team, to just 3-of-20 shooting while converting a season-best 11 triples.

* Leading the charge was Murray, who drained a career-best seven en route to a season-best 21 points. The Canadian native is converting a NEC-best 53.1 percent (52-98) and would lead the NCAA if he had the required 2.5/game. Murray is one conversion short of the mark, making good on 2.48/game (5th NEC).

* Additionally, he has gone over 20 points on 11 occasions in his career while recording double-figures in 53 of his last 58 games.

* Murray been red-hot of late, draining 20-of-31 (.645) from long range his last six games.

*The Canadian native has also converted a school-record 44.1 percent (167-379) from long range over his four years en route to 1,112 career points (29th all-time at Wagner).

* In the victory over Quinnipiac (1/28), Wagner won despite setting season-lows for total points (51), assists (8), three pointers (4) and field goals made (19). Additionally, the Seahawks forced a season-low eight turnovers while recording a season-worst -6 turnover margin.

* Sophomore Latif Rivers paced the team in scoring for a team-leading 10th time on the year with 10 points, on perfect 3-for-3 shooting (2-2 3pt) from the floor while draining both free throws. Rivers, Murray and Ortiz also pressured Quinnipiac's starting backcourt into just 5-of-31 shooting (1-6 3pt).

* Freshman Mario Moody also had a solid game with five rebounds and over his last three games is averaging 8.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting 50.0 percent (8-16) from the floor and 90.9 percent (10-11) the line.

* Wagner has now won six of its eight NEC games by at least 12 points, winning by an average of 16.5 points per game while ranking first in the league during conference play with a +12.0 scoring margin.

* The Seahawks drew a school-record 2,412 in its game against LIU Brooklyn (1/21) that was broadcast live on ESPNU, topping the previous high of 2,327, which was recorded on March 12, 2003 in the school's NEC Championship Game victory over St. Francis (NY).

* The first and only previous time the Green & White appeared on an MSG affiliate this season was in an 89-79 victory at Monmouth (1/7) on MSG+. On the year, Wagner is an impressive 8-2 in televised games and will play each of its final five home games on TV.

* The Seahawks 73-61 victory over St. Francis (NY) (1/19) was its eighth-straight, giving the Green & White their longest winning streak since ripping off 16-straight under P.J. Carlesimo in the 1978-1979 season. Additionally, Wagner's current 17-4 start is their best since 1955-1956 (20-2 start) and the NEC's best since CCSU began 1999-2000 with a 19-2 mark.

* The Seahawks swept the season-series from the Terriers) for the first time since the 2004-2005 season, while turing in just the program's third series sweep against a NEC opponent since the 2008-2009 season.

* Despite losing the turnover battle in the win at Quinnipiac (1/28), the Green & White still leads the NEC and rank 19th in the nation with a +3.8 turnover margin. Syracuse paces the nation with a + 7.2 turnover margin. All told, Wagner has won the turnover battle in 16-of-21 this year.

* Besides leading the NEC in turnover margin, the Seahawks also pace the league in scoring margin (+9.3) (45th NCAA), fewest turnovers (12.8) (83rd NCAA), field goal percentage defense (.401) (54th NCAA), blocked shots (4.3) (74th NCAA), three point percentage (.378) (47th NCAA) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0) (133rd NCAA).Wagner is also second in the league in scoring offense (72.8 ppg) (76th NCAA), scoring defense (63.5 ppg), (91st NCAA) and free throw percentage (.744) (27th NCAA).

SETTING THE SCENE
Wagner (17-4; 8-2 NEC) will look for its third-straight win when Robert Morris (16-7; 7-3 NEC) comes to the Spiro Sports Center on Thursday, February 2 at 7:00 pm in the teams' lone match-up of the season.

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG PERFORMANCES
The Seahawks are an impressive 8-2 in television games this year - including having won seven in a row at one point - and will play on TV in each of its final five home games.

THE COACHES
Wagner head coach Dan Hurley is 30-21 in this his second year on Grymes Hill while his counterpart Andy Toole is 34-21 in year two in Moon Township. Last year, the teams engaged in three games with Robert Morris winning twice, including posting a 78-74 decision in the first round of the NEC Tourney.

TODAY GAME ...
Is crucial in the race for the NEC Regular Season Championship. LIU Brooklyn is in first place at 9-1 with just a one game lead after seeing its 21-game winning streak against conference competition come to an end at Robert Morris a week ago. Wagner is in second at 8-2, having lost both meetings to the league-leading Blackbirds. The Colonials are at 7-3 with losses to CCSU, Quinnipiac and St. Francis (NY). Additionally, this game is extremely important for tiebreaker purposes as Wagner and RMU will meet just once this year.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Robert Morris is led by junior Velton Jones, who has developed into one of the most complete players in the league. The Philadelphia native leads the team in scoring (17.4 ppg) (5th NEC), assists (4.1 apg) (4th NEC) and steals (1.9 spg) (3rd NEC). Sophomore Coron Williams is the Colonials' only other double-figure scorer at 11.2 points per game while giving Robert Morris a talented backcourt to go along with an imposing front line that is second in the league in rebounding margin (+5.7) and first in rebounding defense (31.0).

AS A TEAM ...
The Colonials are a defensive-minded team that is allowing a NEC-low 63.0 points per game while relying on grit and toughness to defeat teams as Robert Morris is averaging just 67.8 ppg on offense.

THE TEAMS ...
Each turned in arguably the best-ever non-conference seasons ever by NEC teams. Wagner and RMU each tied the NEC-record with nine non-league victories.

DID YOU KNOW?
The Seahawks are 6-0 against teams (Penn, Pitt, CCSU, Quinnipiac, St. Francis (NY)) that defeated the Colonials this season while Robert Morris bested LIU Brooklyn, the one team the Seahawks failed to defeat in conference play.

17-4
The 17-4 start is the best by a Green & White team since the 1955-1956 season when Wagner began 20-2 en route to a 20-3 record.

KEY MATCH-UP
With points expected to be at a premium tonight with the teams owning the top-two scoring defenses in the league, The Seahawks must take advantage of their prowess from long range while trying to exploit Robert Morris' biggest liability; guarding the three. The Green & White rank first in the league and 47th nationally at 37.8 percent from long range, while the Colonials allowing opponents to convert on 36.5 percent (7th NEC). During conference play, Wagner is second at 38.5 percent while RMU is allowing a league-worst 41.0 percent conversion rate.

ST. ANTHONY CONNECTION
Colonial freshman Lucky Jones, head coach Dan Hurley and assistant coach Bobby Hurley all attended, graduated and played their prep basketball under Hall of Fame head coach Bob Hurley Sr. at St. Anthony. Jones is averaging 7.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

THE SERIES
Robert Morris leads the all-time series by a 35-23 margin, including claiming four of the last five meetings. That being said, Wagner has won four-of-five at home against the Colonials since the 2005-2006 season.

A YEAR AGO ...
Murray scored at least 19 points in all three games against the Robert Morris while averaging a team-best 21.3 points per game while shooting 50.0 percent (9-18) from long range and 81.0 percent (17-21) from the line against the Colonials. Rivers (12.7 ppg), senior Chris Martin (11.5 ppg) and sophomore Orlando Parker (11.0 ppg) all also notched double-digits over the three match-ups. In the NEC Tournament against RMU, Parker scored a career-best 16 points with six rebounds.

A YEAR AGO AT HOME ...
The Seahawks pulled out an 83-78 overtime thriller against the Colonials (1/6/11) at home thanks to 26 points from Murray and 22 from Rivers as the duo combined to convert on 42.9 percent (6-14) from long range and 87.5 percent (14-16) from the line.

SHUTTING DOWN SHANE ... SORT OF
Despite allowing the NEC's leading scorer and reigning Choice Hotels Player of the Week Shane Gibson to go for 20 points, a case can be made that the Wagner defense turned in one of if not the best defensive job on the Sacred Heart scoring phenom. Gibson, who leads the league in scoring at 21.6 ppg (26.1 ppg NEC), converted just 8-of-19 from the floor, including a chilly 1-of-7 from long range, and his 20 markers were his second-lowest against a conference opponent. Gibson earned his POTW citation on the strength of a NEC-best 41 points against Mount St. Mary's. Robert Morris allowed Gibson to hit for 29 points, highlighted by 7-for-11 shooting from long range.

JANUARY
With their 51-50 win over Quinnipiac (1/28), the Seahawks finished the month of January with a 7-1 mark, winning seven games in the month for just fourth time since moving to Division I (1976-1977).

WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN
The final five Wagner home games and seven of the last eight will begin at 7:00 pm. On the year, the Seahawks are 10-1 in 7:00 pm tips.

CLOSING IT OUT
The Green & White are 17-1 when leading with five minutes to play thanks to shooting an impressive 80.7 percent (46-57) from the line in the final minute this season.

CLOSING IT OUT PART 2
The Seahawks are 8-3 in games decided by 10 points or less while shooting 76.6 percent (59-77) from the line over the last five minutes of those games.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Green & White has posted a sparkling 10-2 record on the road, one season after going just 5-12 away from the friendly confines of the Spiro Sports Center. The nine true road wins are tied for the most in the nation.

FIRST TIME
Despite holding the Northeast Conference's best overall record, Wagner hadn't won a Choice Hotels Player of the Week citation until Rivers averaged 18.7 points per game while pacing the team in scoring in victories over #15 Pitt (12/23), Air Force (12/29) and Santa Clara (12/30). The reason? Balance. The Seahawks routinely go 10-deep and have three players - Rivers (14.6) (12th NEC), junior Jonathon Williams (13.2) (14th NEC) and Murray (12.8) (16th NEC) - averaging double-figures in scoring.

RIVERS GROWING UP
After an up-and-down freshman season, Rivers has developed into the consistent offensive force that Dan Hurley envisioned when he made the high-scoring dynamo his first recruit. While Rivers is averaging a team-best 14.6 points per game (12th NEC), it was his performance against Quinnipiac (1/28) that personified his maturation. The Garden State native attempted just three shots and made them all, including arguably the biggest shot of the game - a triple with Wagner facing a game-high six-point deficit midway through the second half over 35 minutes. Rivers didn't press the issue on the offensive end, instead picking up the intensity on the defensive end in forcing All-NEC guard James Johnson into just 1-of-13 shooting.

RIVERS STELLAR FROM THE LINE
Rivers is 11th in the NCAA and second in the league at the free throw line, converting on 89.9 percent (71-79). He is also among the league in three-point shooting (.366) and threes/game (2.0) (13th NEC). 

ORTIZ MAKING WAVES ON THE ISLAND
In his first season on Staten Island, Ortiz has filled up the stat sheets, averaging 7.7 points per game while leading Wagner in rebounding (4.8) (18th NEC), assists (3.9) (t-7th NEC) and steals (2.1) (2nd NEC). Ortiz also paces a defense that has posted a NEC-leading +3.9 turnover margin. In the 59-54 win over Pitt (12/23), he put his talent on display with 12 points and a game and career-high seven assists over 35 minutes while converting 6-of-9 from the floor. At the Cable Car Classic, Ortiz averaged 9.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in winning the Most Inspirational Award, before capping the event with his game-winning shot at Santa Clara (12/30).

FOLAHAN ASCENDS THE CAREER BLOCKS RANKINGS
Sophomore Naofall Folahan, who leads the NEC and ranks 47th nationally with 2.1 blocks per game, recently cracked the Seahawks' top-10 list for blocked shots. After notching one swat at Quinnipiac (1/28), the Republic of Benin native has 88, ranking seventh in school history. Folahan is also averaging 4.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

LUCKY NUMBER 47
Ortiz, like Folahan, is 47th in the NCAA Rankings with his 2.1 steals per game.

NEXT
With Murray notching his 1,000th point against Santa Clara (12/30), the next member of Wagner to hit for 1,000 will most likely be Martin, who has 953 career points.

MILESTONE WATCH
Murray (1,112 points) is just five points behind Harry Orlando (1,117 points) for 28th on the all-time Green & White scoring list. Murray is also one three pointer behind Matt Vitale (168) for eighth all-time. 

DURING NEC PLAY
The Seahawks are outscoring the opposition by an average of 12.0 points per game while posting six double-digit wins on the way to a 8-2 record. Additionally the Green & White is shooting 45.1 percent from the floor, including 38.5 from beyond the arc, while limiting opposing teams to just 38.1 percent shooting, including 28.3 from long range.

DON'T FORGET TO STRETCH
The Green & White will broadcast tonight's game through RedZoneMedia for free. Check the MBB schedule/results page on the Wagner Athletics website beginning at 6:50 pm (EST).

SECOND-HALF SUCCESS
Since early December, the Green & White have opened the second half with some impressive scoring runs:
St. Francis (NY) (12/3) - 22-4 ~ Hofstra (12/6) - 6-0 ~ Lehigh (12/10) - 8-2 ~ #15 Pitt (12/23) - 15 -8 ~
Air Force (12/29) - 13-4 ~ Santa Clara (12/30) - 9-0 ~ Monmouth (1/7) - 9-0 ~ SFNY (1/19) - 20-7 - SHU (1/21) - 14-7

HOME SWEET HOME
At home this season, Wagner has been outscoring its opposition by an average of 12.5 points per game. No one player has contributed to that number more than Williams as the Junior College transfer has led the Seahawks in scoring in five of the Seahawks' eight home games while posting a team-best 17.3 points per game while shooting a blistering 57.8 percent (48-83) from the floor.

DOUBLE-DOWN
Murray has recorded double-figures a team-best 18 times this year and in 53-of-58 games since the end of his sophomore year.  Rivers, meanwhile, has notched double-figures on 17 occasions and 38 times in 51 career games en route to 722 career points. Murray (11) and Rivers (9) have also hit for at least 20 points a combined 20 times.

BIG THREE
Rivers, Williams and Murray have accounted for 57.6 percent (838-1455) of Wagner's offense while giving the Seahawks an array of offensive options.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
The senior duo of Martin and Murray has been a big factor in the revival of Seahawk basketball. Over the last three-plus years, the twosome has combined for 2,065 points while converting on 40.7 percent (356-874) from long range and 75.9 percent (368-485) from the line.

UP NEXT
Wagner hosts Saint Francis (PA) on Saturday, February 4 at 7:00 pm in a game that will be televised by Time Warner Cable.