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Brooklyn, NY - Wagner (8-5; 2-0 NEC) will be looking for its fourth-straight victory when it hits the road against two-time defending conference champion LIU Brooklyn (5-9; 0-2 NEC) at the Wellness Recreation and Athletic Center (WRAC) on Thursday, January 10 at 7:00 pm. To listen to Joey Wahler's call of the game while still watching the game on
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QUICK HITS
* The Seahawks will be attempting to snap a four-game losing streak to the Blackbirds, as the Brooklyn-based school is the only conference opponent the Green & White has failed to defeat since the start of the 2010-2011 season.
* LIU Brooklyn will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak and will be bolstered by the return of two suspended starters.
* The Blackbirds have won 31-straight games at the WRAC, which is the nation's second-longest active winning streak in one building.
* Last year against LIU Brooklyn, senior
Jonathon Williams averaged a team-best 15.0 points per game while junior
Latif Rivers chipped in with 14.5 points per game. Sophomore
Mario Moody also notched his second career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the teams' second meeting.
* Wagner enters as the NEC's highest ranked team in the initial NCAA RPI rankings at No. 99.
* In the Blackbirds' current four-game winning streak over the Seahawks, the preseason NEC Champions have posted a +11.5 scoring margin while averaging 70.5 points per game.
* LIU Brooklyn holds a commanding 54-38 edge in the all-time series and has won seven of the last 10 meetings. However, since Wagner moved to the Division I ranks for the 1976-1977 season, the Blackbirds hold a slim 36-34 edge, including going 17-16 in Brooklyn against the Seahawks.
* All-time, Wagner is just 2-5 at the WRAC, having last won by a 65-59 count in overtime on January 21, 2010.
* Senior
Josh Thompson is the last remaining Seahawk player from that team.
* The Green & White will be attempting to become the first team to defeated LIU Brooklyn at the WRAC since Iona did so by an 88-82 count on December 8, 2010. The last NEC team to win at the WRAC was Robert Morris one week earlier by a 70-69 score on December 2, 2010.
* The Blackbirds have won 23-straight home games against conference NEC opposition during that time.
* Thursday's match-up also features a pair of first-year coaches in
Bashir Mason and Jack Perri. Both previous coaches,
Dan Hurley (Rhode Island) and Jim Ferry (Duquesne), left for the Atlantic 10 in the offseason.
* Wagner enters today's games after posting its second wire-to-wire victory over the year with its 68-55 win over Fairleigh Dickinson.
* Junior
Kenneth Ortiz led the Seahawks in scoring for the fourth time (3-1) this year and the fifth time (4-1) in his career with 22 points to go along with five assists, against just one turnover against the Knights. Ortiz, who has notched 20 points or more in two of his last three games, is averaging 18.3 points per game while shooting 55.2 percent during that time.
* Ortiz has converted three of his last four three point attempts, after misfiring on his first 12 career attempts. On the year, the 2012 NEC Defensive Player of the Year ranks among the league leaders with 11.4 points (19th NEC), 4.2 assists (7th NEC) and 1.7 steals (t-9th NEC) per game.
* Since entering the starting line-up three games ago, sophomore
Mario Moody is averaging 10.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while helping the Green & White to three-straight victories. Additionally, eight of his last 10 field goals during that time have been dunks.
* Moody recorded the third Wagner double-double of the year and the third of his career with a season-best 13 points to go along with 12 rebounds. On the year, the Garden State natives is averaging 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds (9th NEC) and 1.9 blocks (2nd NEC) per game.
* Junior
Naofall Folahan ranks first in the NEC with 2.1 blocks per game and with his three rejections against the FDU matched 2003 NEC Player of the Year
Jermaine Hall for third place in the Seahawk record books with his 124 blocks.
* Folahan (27 blocks) and Moody (25) each have more blocks then Monmouth (23), Mount St. Mary's (19) and Bryant (17) and rank 51st and 68th, respectively, in the most recent NCAA rankings. As a unit the Green & White rank 16th nationally with 5.7 blocks per game.
* Junior
Orlando Parker came off the bench to record a season-best 11 rebounds while notching his fourth career double-digit performance on the glass.
* As a unit, Wagner posted a season-best +13 margin on the glass against Fairleigh Dickinson and has won the battle of the boards 11 times this season while recording 40 or more on six occasions en route to ranking second in the NEC in rebounding offense (38.5 rpg).
* Over its first two NEC games, the Seahawks has limited the opposition to less than 60 points in each game and less than 40.0 percent shooting from the floor. On the year, the Seahawks lead the NEC and rank 23rd nationally in field goal percentage defense (.375) and 60th in scoring defense (60.0 ppg).
* Wagner is 5-0 at home this season and 17-3 over the last two seasons. All-time, the Seahawks are 116-64 (.682) at the renovated Spiro Sports Center.
* Also in their win over FDU, the Green & White improved to 7-0 this season when leading with five minutes to play and is 32-1 over the last two years.
* Wagner employed its eighth different starting line-up as Rivers earned the start against Fairleigh Dickinson and finished up with eight points. The starting assignment was his first since mid-November against No. 8 Syracuse.
* Rivers now has 906 career points, ranking eighth among active NEC players, and is just 94 shy of becoming the 40th member of the Seahawk 1,000-point club.
* By virtue of their last two victories, the Green & White has now won four-straight games against both Monmouth and Fairleigh Dickinson and 10-straight games against schools from New Jersey.
* Wagner is 9-1 in January over the last two seasons.
* Offensively, the Seahawks scored a season-best 68 points in regulation while notching at least 30 points in the first half for the first time this season against the Knights.
* The Green & White also outscored FDU by a season-best 13 points, marking their third double-digit victory of the year. Last season, the Green & White had 17 double-digit wins.
* Freshman
Eric Fanning has been a force in the second half in the current three-game winning streak, recording 18 of his 21 points after halftime while going 6-for-9 from the floor during that time.
* Williams continues to lead the team in scoring (15.2 ppg) (8th NEC) and rebounding (7.5 rpg) (5th NEC) and is sixth in field goal percentage (.531) and fourth in free throw percentage (.837).
SETTING THE SCENE
Wagner looks to improve to 3-0 in the NEC for the first time since 2010-2011 season when it travels to LIU Brooklyn on Thursday, January 10 for a 7:00 pm tilt at the WRAC.
TONIGHT'S MEDIA
A free video stream of today's can be watched online for free through
NEC Front Row and can be accessed via the Wagner Athletics website. A free online audio broadcast can also be accessed via
Red Zone Media with
WFAN Update Anchor Joey Wahler providing the call.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
10 of the Seahawks' 13 games have been decided by less than 10 points or in overtime with the Green & White going 7-3 during that time.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Wagner celebrated the 30th anniversary of its 84-77 victory over Duke with a 68-53 win over Fairleigh Dickinson.
LEADING THE WAY
The Seahawks lead the NEC in five different categories: scoring defense (60.0), field goal percentage defense (.375), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.332), blocked shots (5.7) and defensive rebounds (27.2).
GOOD START
Mason is off to the best-ever start (8-5) by a first-year coach on Grymes Hill in the Division I era (since 1976-1977).
BOUNCING BACK
Over the last two years, the Green & White is 8-1 following a loss as Wagner has sustained back-to-back defeats on just one occasion. Last season, the Seahawks were the only NEC team to not lose back-to-back games.
IN OVERTIME ...
Wagner is an impressive 3-1 this season, having won three-straight after a season-opening setback at Delaware State. In those three wins, the Seahawks have outscored their opposition by a 37-14 count.
OVERTIME NOTES
Wagner is 11-4 in overtime since the 2007-2008 season and 5-2, all-time, in OT contests in the renovated Spiro Sports Center.
CUTTING THROUGH THE IVY
Ortiz led the Seahawks to their fourth-straight win over an Ivy League opponent with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds in the Green & White's 68-63 overtime victory over Penn. Ortiz capped the win with six-straight free throws over the game's final 20 seconds while recording his second career double-double.
RIVERS RETURNS
Lost amidst Ortiz's big game was the return of Rivers in the victory against the Quakers. After missing the previous eight games, the Garden State native notched 15 points on the strength of three trifectas while helping Wagner win the long distance battle for the first time this year.
BURTON'S BIG GAME HELPS TOPPLE MONMOUTH
Sophomore
Marcus Burton paced Wagner in scoring for the second this season with 15 points in a 60-56 victory over Monmouth in the Seahawks' NEC opener. Burton capped his big performance with the game-clinching free throws, after stealing the ball on the other end of the court.
CONFERENCE OPENERS
With its win over the Hawks, the Green & White improved to 19-13 in NEC openers as Mason joined Hurley as the only coaches in school history to win their first-ever conference game in the Division I era (since 1976-1977).
LUCKY NUMBER 70
Wagner has notched 70 points just one time this season, a 77-65 overtime victory against Coppin State, and is 20-1 over the last two years when scoring at least 70.
THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
The Seahawks are 10-1 when playing on Thursday over the last two years.
IN THE LAST FIVE MINUTES OF GAMES ...
Ortiz (52) and Williams (39) have combined for 56.5 percent (91/161) of the Seahawks' scoring. Additionally, the duo is shooting 56.5 percent (23-for-44) from the floor and 77.2 percent (44-for-57) from the line. During that time, the rest of the team is converting on just 31.6 percent (18-for-57) from the floor and 61.2 percent (30-for-49) from the line.
SECOND UNIT STEPS UP
Over the last eight games, the Wagner reserves are averaging 26.5 points per game while outscoring their counterparts by 11.9 points per game.
FIRST-HALF BLUES
In the second half of games, the Seahawks averaging 31.8 points per game while outrebounding the opposition by 4.3 rebounds per game and shooting 42.8 percent from the floor. In the first half, the Green & White is averaging just 24.4 points per game while posting a -0.7 margin on the glass and shooting just 35.8 percent from the floor.
THOMPSON LEADING BY EXAMPLE
While senior
Josh Thompson's stat line (1.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg) may not jump out at you it is his steadying influence that has been a big presence in Wagner's solid start. Since entering the starting line-up six games ago, Thompson has posted an impressive 2.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio while typically guarding the opposition's top perimeter threat.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
The Seahawks are just 4-8 when playing on January 10th.
THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
Wagner busted off runs of 17-0, 15-0, 15-2 and 18-0 over a pair of wins against Coppin State and SMU.
MASON TOPPLES BROWN
In the Seahawks' win over the Mustangs, the 28-year old Mason bested the 72-year old Brown, who is in the Naismith Hall of Fame. Brown, who is the nation's second-oldest coach, is one of four senior citizens that Mason, the nation's youngest coach, will face this year.
DID YOU KNOW?
The NEC is 2-0 against the C-USA this season as LIU Brooklyn also defeated Rice.
NOT TOO SHABBY
The Seahawks' five losses have come against teams with a combined 55-21 record.
THOMPSON CRACKS THE STARTING LINE-UP
Thompson, who started for the first since December 11, 2010 against Coppin State, has opened the game on the court in each of the last six times out.
THE COACHES
Mason is 8-5 while Perri is 5-9 in his first year in Brooklyn.
YOUNGEST IN THE NATION
Mason is the youngest head coach in America at 28 years and 335 days, with UNC Greensboro's Wes Miller second at 29 years and 349 days. The two are the only coaches in the D-1 ranks under the age of 30.
WILLIAMS LEADING THE WAY
In 41 career games over two years with Wagner, Williams has paced the team in scoring 19 times and in rebounding on 20 occasions. The California native has notched 570 points (13.9 ppg) and 231 rebounds (5.6 rpg) during his time on Grymes Hill.
SENAT SIGNS
Mason has announced the signing of Marianapolis Prep forward
Greg Senat to a National Letter of Intent for the 2013-2014 season. The 6-8, 225-pound Senat is Mason's first recruit for next season.
UP NEXT
Wagner hosts St. Francis (NY) on Saturday, January 12 at 4:00 pm.
FOLLOW ON TWITTER
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
