NEC FRONT ROW VIDEO (FREE) / LISTEN LIVE (WAGNER) / LIVE STATS / Tweet #WagMBB

Wagner	Roster	Schedule	Notes
Bryant	Roster	Schedule	Notes

Smithfield, RI - Wagner (9-7; 3-2 NEC) continues its four-game road trip against conference leader Bryant (12-4; 5-0 NEC) today at 4:00 pm at the Chace Athletic Center. Winners of seven-straight games, the Bulldogs will seek to defend their homecourt against a Seahawk squad that will be looking get back in the victory column. To listen to Joey Wahler's call of the game at Detrick Gym while still watching the game on NEC Front Row, click on the listen live link to access the Green & White audio broadcast. Then to access the video, click on the NEC Front Row link.

QUICK HITS
* Wagner holds a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series and is a perfect 3-0 against Bryant at the Chace Athletic Center.

* The Seahawks will be seeking to avoid their first three-game losing streak since dropping five-straight to end the 2010-2011 season.

* Bryant has been a revelation this season in posting a 12-4 record and is the NEC's lone remaining unbeaten team.

* Prior to this season's 5-0 start in the NEC, the Bulldogs were just 15-53 against league members since entering the Division I ranks in 2008-2009.

* Bryant (114) and Wagner (115) are currently the top-two ranked NEC teams in the NCAA's weekly RPI rankings.

* With a pair of non-conference tilts on Monday, the NEC finished up the non-league portion of the schedule with a combined 55-85 record. The Seahawks (6-5) and the Bulldogs (7-4) were two of just three conference schools (Robert Morris) to post winning records outside of conference play.

* The last time out, Wagner lost at Central Connecticut by a 73-66 count and has now dropped seven-straight games since last winning at Detrick Gymnasium on January 22, 2004.

* Junior Kenneth Ortiz paced the Seahawks in scoring with 18 points, on 7-for-14 shooting, for the for the fifth time this season while notching double-figures for a team-best matching ninth time this season.

* Over his last six games, Ortiz is leading the Green & White in scoring with 16.3 points per game while shooting 50.0 percent (31-for-62) from the floor, 66.7 percent (6-for-9) from long range and 71.4 percent (30-for-42) from the line.

* Ortiz also handed out six assists, against just three turnovers, against the Blue Devils over 36 minutes of action. During his aforementioned six-game sample, he has posted a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

* Freshman Eric Fanning notched a career-high 13 points, on 5-of-9 shooting, with four rebounds against CCSU.

* Junior Latif Rivers rounded out the double-figure scorers for Wagner with 12 points and has now hit for double-figures 50 times in his 68-game Seahawk career. Rivers' 942 career points ranks him eight among active NEC players and leave him just 58 shy of becoming the 40th member of the Green & White 1,000-point club.

* Classmate Orlando Parker matched his season-high against the Blue Devils with 11 rebounds and has now notched double-figures on the glass five times in his career.

* Senior Josh Thompson scored eight points with six rebounds vs. CCSU and is shooting 53.3 percent (8-for-15) from the floor and 50.0 percent (4-for-8) from long range since NEC play started. During non-conference action, Thompson shot just 17.6 percent (6-for-34) from the floor and 25.0 percent (2-for-8) from long range.

* Classmate Jonathon Williams returned to the starting line-up against the Blue Devils after missing four of the previous five games due to injury and recorded six points and three rebounds.

* With the return of Williams, Wagner put forth its ninth different starting line-up against CCSU with Williams joining Ortiz, Rivers, Thompson and sophomore Mario Moody.

* Against the Blue Devils, junior #Naofall Folahan missed the first game of his Seahawk career due to injury. Over his three seasons, the Republic of Benin native has played in# 76 games, making 72 starts. He is currently third in school history with 128 career blocks, just seven behind Miladin Mutavdzic for second place.

* Folahan continues to lead the NEC with 2.1 blocks per game while Moody is second with 1.7 blocks per game. Both Folahan (31) and Moody (27) have more rejections then Bryant (18) does as a team.

* The Green & White matched CCSU on the glass (35-35) and fell to 0-4 on the season when failing to win the battle of the boards. Wagner lost for just the second time in 21 games over the last two years when making more free throws than the opposition and is now just 1-12 over the last two seasons when trailing with five minutes to play.

* The Seahawks' game was played on CPTV, marking just the third time this season the Green & White has played on television. During that time, Wagner is 0-3 after going 14-4 when playing before a television audience.

* Head coach Bashir Mason has now coached against three of the nation's 10 oldest Division I games after squaring off with CCSU's Howie Dickenman (68), Syracuse's Jim Boeheim (68) and SMU's Larry Brown (72). 

* With a win today, Mason, who at 28 years and 344 days is the nation's youngest head coach, would the quickest coach in the Seahawks' Division I history (since 1976-1977) to reach double-figures in victories. He is also on pace to be the school's first rookie coach during that time to post a winning record.

* Mason will be squaring off with Bryant's Tim O'Shea, who is 152-198 in 12 years as a collegiate head coach at Ohio and Bryant. Over his first four seasons in Smithfield, O'Shea was just 20-99 and 9-45 in league play, but has led the Bulldogs to a 12-4 (5-0 NEC) ledger in this his fifth season.

* Bryant has already matched its win total (12) from the last three years combined and is an impressive 6-1 at home this season

* Leading the way for the Bulldogs is sophomore guard Dynami Starks, who is fifth in the NEC in scoring with 17.3 points per game while averaging a NEC-best 2.9 three pointers per game. Junior forward Alex Francis follows Starks in the league rankings in sixth place at 16.2 points per game while also placing fifth in rebounding with 8.5 caroms per game. The high-scoring duo is joined in double-figures by senior guard Frankie Dobbs, who checks in with 14.1 points per game to go along with 4.5 assists per game.

* Wagner is led by Williams, who is averaging team-highs in scoring 14.4 ppg) (10th NEC) in rebounding (7.1 rpg) (8th NEC). Ortiz is second on the team in scoring (11.9 ppg) (19th NEC), while handing out 4.9 assists per game (4th NEC). Rivers rounds out the double-figure scorers at 10.6 points per game while Moody is second on the team and 10th in the league with 6.4 rebounds per game.

* The Seahawks continue to lead the NEC and rank among the national leaders in blocks (21st - 5.4 bpg), field goal percentage defense (44th - .390) and scoring defense (89th - 62.4 ppg). Additionally, the Green & White is second in the league and 74th nationally with a +4.3 rebounding margin. 

* Wagner is hoping history will repeat itself today, as since league play the NEC representative in each one of Joe Lunardi's last two ESPN.Com Bracketology reports has lost at least one game. Robert Morris began conference play with a pair of losses after being tabbed, before Wagner was cited dropped a game to St. Francis Brooklyn after being cited. Bryant narrowly avoided the jinx on Thursday night, pulling out a one-point overtime victory against the Mount.

* The Seahawks took both meetings from the Bulldogs a year ago thanks to scoring an average of 82.0 points per game while also posting a +8.5 margin on the glass, which led to an 82-52 advantage on points in the paint and a 41-18 margin in second chance points. Williams paced the attack, averaging 16.5 points per game while shooting 61.1 percent from the floor with Francis leading Bryant with 18.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

* In the team's first meeting in Staten Island, a 78-61 Wagner win, Moody recorded his first career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in just 20 minutes off the bench. Then in Smithfield, Williams followed Moody's lead with 27 points and 12 rebounds in recording his second career double-double.

* DYK? Former Wagner assistant football coach Bill Smith is the Bryant Athletic Director while 2012 NEC Football Player of the year Jordan Harris suited up for the Bulldog basketball team against the Seahawks two seasons ago.

* Wagner continues its four-game road trip next week with a game at Mount St. Mary's on Thursday, January 24 at 7:00 pm.

Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@wagnerathletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department, @WagnerHoops for news and updates on the men's basketball program and @bashirmason to follow the Seahawks' first-year head coach.

Photography by Charles Wainwright