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Loretto, PA - Senior Jonathon Williams (Richmond, CA / Kennedy / City College of San Francisco) scored a game-high 19 points and Wagner shot a blistering 57.6 percent (34-for-59) from the floor in cruising to an easy 81-56 victory over Saint Francis U in Northeast Conference (NEC) action at DeGol Gym.

The Seahawks improved to 11-8 and 5-3 with their second-straight victory thanks to posting a 58-22 advantage on points in the paint and a 29-9 edge in points off turnovers. In defeat, the Red Flash drop their seventh-straight game and are now 1-18 and 1-7 in the league.

Williams notched 14 of his 19 points after halftime and was 8-for-10 from the floor while posting a game-high eight rebounds. Freshman Eric Fanning (Trenton, NJ / Perkiomen (PA)) recorded double-figures for the fourth straight game and finished up a career-high 15 points over a career-best 28 minutes of action off the bench. Making his first start of the year, junior Orlando Parker (Orlando, FL / Orlando Christian Prep) notched double-figures for the second-straight game, and chipped in with a season-high 14 points, on 7-of-8 shooting, while adding seven rebounds and two blocks. Rounding out the Green & White double-digit scorers with 10 points apiece were juniors Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ / Science Park / Southern Mississippi) and Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ / Avon Old Farms (CT)).

In the first half, Wagner used an 18-4 run over just under six minutes midway through opening period in building an insurmountable 36-22 advantage at intermission. In their game-changing spurt, the Seahawks converted five-straight shots and 8-of-10 from the floor in extending the lead from four to a half-high 18. The Green & White shot 51.7 percent (15-for-29), while limiting Saint Francis U to just 32.1 percent (9-for-28) shooting in the opening stanza en route to posting a season-best 14-point halftime lead.

Senior Josh Thompson (Bridgeton, NJ / St. Augustine Prep) opened the second half with a thunderous dunk while sparking a 12-2 half-opening run that extended the Wagner lead out to 48-24 with just under 16 minutes remaining. SFU would continue to battle and cut the deficit to 10 at 59-49 with 7:11 remaining, but was unable to get any closer. The Seahawks immediately responded with a Williams layup, before the Red Flash momentarily answered with a free throw. Wagner then went to work with 10-straight points as Rivers hit a a three and a jumper, before Williams capped the 10-0 Seahawk run with five-straight points of his own to extend lead out to 71-50 with 4:06 remaining.

The Green & White continued to pour it on en route to posting an easy 81-56 win as the 25-point victory was the program's biggest since defeating St. Francis Brooklyn 90-50 on December 3, 2011.

Wagner also won the battle of the boards for the 15th time this year by a 38-28 count and outscored Saint Francis U in second chance points (19-12), fast break points (10-2) and bench points (24-16).

Earl Brown scored 12 points with six rebounds while Ben Millaud-Meunier notched all 12 of his points after halftime to pace the Red Flash.

The Seahawks will next host Sacred Heart on Thursday, January 31 at 7:00 pm in the Green & White's first home game in nearly three weeks.

NOTES:
* Wagner defeated Saint Francis U for the 10th time in 12 games and for just the ninth time in 29 games at DeGol Arena since the Seahawks moved up to Division I for the 1976-1977 season.

* The Green & White placed five players in double-figures in scoring for the first time this year, having last done so in an 87-77 victory over Central Connecticut in the NEC quarterfinals on March 1, 2012.

* Fanning is averaging a team-best 13.2 points per game over his last four outings and is shooting 55.3 percent (21-for-38) from the floor and 40.0 percent (4-for-10) from long range during that time.

* After failing to record double-figures in scoring in any of the first 17 games, Parker has now done so in each of the last two games. During that time he is averaging 13.0 points per game while shooting 57.9 percent (11-for-19) from the floor.

* The Sunshine state native drew his 29th career start and the first since opening the game against Hofstra on December 6, 2011.

* Wagner has now had 10 different starting line-ups this season with 10 different players garnering starting assignments.

* The Seahawks improved 3-0 this season and 21-1 over the last two years when scoring 70 points or more.

* Defensively, Wagner is 8-0 this season and 18-0 over the last two years when limiting the opposition to 60 points or less.

* The Seahawks were 49-for-95 (.516) from inside the arc over the last two games with 90 of those 98 points coming in the paint.

* Thanks to its two most recent shooting performances, the Green & White improved to 9-0 this season and 28-3 over the last two years when outshooting the opposition.

* Wagner will now return home for three-straight games and is 17-4 since the start of last season at the Spiro Sports Center, including going 11-3 against conference opponents.

* Rivers notched double-figures for the 51st time in his 71-game Seahawk career and now has 966 points, leaving him just 34 away from becoming the 40th member of the Green & White 1,000-point club.

* Williams paced Wagner in scoring for the 11th time this season and on the glass for the 10th time and continues to lead the Seahawks in scoring (14.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg) while shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and 78.1 percent from the line.

* Eight of the 10 Wagner players that saw action scored with seven seeing between 16 and 30 minutes.

* The Seahawks improved to 10-0 this season when either leading or tied with five minutes to play and is 35-1 over the last two years.

* Ortiz recorded double-figures in scoring for the 10th time this year with his 10 markers and handed out six assists, against just two turnovers, with five rebounds over 30 minutes.

* Head coach Bashir Mason is now 3-0 this year against first-year NEC coaches and at 11-8 is just two away from the school's Division I (since 1976-1977) record of 13 wins by a rookie coach.

* Today's game was the lone meeting of the year between the teams.

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 Dave Saffran