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Lawrenceville, NJ - Wagner (5-5) will be looking for its second-straight against former NEC rival Rider (4-4) on Saturday, December 14 at 3:00 pm in the second leg of a four-game road trip for the Seahawks.

Today's Top Storylines
#1 - Wagner and former Northeast Conference (NEC) rival Rider will meet for the first time in over 16 years at Alumni Gymnasium.

#2 - The Broncs were a member of the NEC from 1992-1997, winning a pair of titles before leaving for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).

#3 - The teams last met on February 1, 1997 with Rider posting an 86-68 victory.

Quick Hits
* Wagner has won 12-straight games against teams from New Jersey, including five-straight on the road.

* The Seahawks are 4-15 all-time, including 2-15 since moving to D-I in 1976-1977, vs. the Broncs. Additionally, Wagner is 1-8, all-time, at Alumni Gymnasium and has lost its last seven in Lawrenceville.

* The Seahawks are 14-25, all-time, vs. the MAAC.

* Rider was a member of the NEC from 1992-1997, going 91-56 (63-27 NEC). The Broncs won two league titles and appeared in four NEC Championship games during their five seasons.

* Wagner head coach Bashir Mason and Rider's Kevin Baggett are each in their second seasons at the helm of their respective programs and were both finalists for the CollegeInsider.com Joe B. Hall First-Year and Ben Jobe Minority Coach of the Year awards.

* Baggett, like Mason, played his collegiate ball in the city of brotherly love for Saint Joseph's and was teammates with the latter's collegiate coach at Drexel, Bruiser Flint. Baggett and Flint helped the Hawks to the 1986 Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

* As a student-athlete, Mason went 2-2 against Rider and scored a career-high 26 points in the Dragons' 89-81 overtime loss to the Broncs as a senior on November 26, 2006.

* Over four career games against Rider, Mason averaged 13.3 points, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game while helping Drexel to a 2-2 record.

* Mason reached the 20-win plateau for his career in just his 33rd game against Chestnut Hill on Tuesday, November 12, matching Chester Sellitto's 47-year school record.

* For the second season in a row, Mason, who is 29 years and 306 days old, is the youngest Division I head coach as well as the lone head man under the age of 30. He is 24-17 in his short time on Grymes Hill.

* In 2012-2013, Mason led Wagner to a 19-12 record (12-6 NEC) in 2012-2013. Both his overall and NEC win totals represented school-records for a rookie coach.

* The Seahawks enter todays' game after posting a thrilling 75-69 overtime win last Saturday at Penn. Seniors Kenneth Ortiz and Latif Rivers each notched a game-high 18 points with Ortiz grabbing a team-best eight rebounds and Rivers recording a career-best matching three steals. Ortiz is now averaging 20.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists over two-straight overtime victories against the Quakers while Rivers is notching 17.0 points per game over three outings against Penn.

* Ortiz helped to force overtime as he scored the final three Wagner baskets of regulation - each of which tied the score. Then he grabbed a defensive rebound and stole the ball on the next two Penn possessions to force OT. He is averaging 7.3 points and shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 83.9 percent from the line after halftime this season.

* Rivers paced the Green & White in scoring for the third time this season against the Quakers and the 29th time in his career. During that time, Wagner is 20-9 when the Garden State native paces the squad in scoring. Rivers' performance also vaulted him into 19th place (1,278 points) on the school's all-time scoring list while his 172 three pointers and 318 free throws continue to rank ninth.

* Junior Jay Harris scored all 11 of his points after halftime, including the Seahawks' lone field goal in overtime - a three pointer - that extended the lead out to five. Classmate Mario Moody notched 12 points, highlighted by 8-for-9 shooting from the line, with six rebounds to lead the reserves.

* Senior Naofall Folahan blocked at least four shots in a game for the 11th time in his career this past Saturday. In those games, the Wagner is an impressive 9-2. Folahan, who leads the NEC with 2.1 blocks per game, is now just 14 rejections short of Frantz Pierre-Louis' school-record total of 176.

* With its fifth-straight victory over Ivy League competition, the Seahawks improved to a perfect 3-0 against the Quakers. Mason has been a part of all three of those victories as a coach against going 0-4 as a player against Penn.

* After starting out just 12-for-45 (.267) from the field, Wagner made good on 7-for-12 (.583). The Seahawks also converted 33 free throws, marking their most since making good on 34 against Robert Morris on February 2, 2012, while also forcing a season-high 23 turnovers and turned in their best defensive effort from the field in limiting the Quakers to just 32.8 percent shooting.

* Wagner, which is shooting a NEC-best 74.0 percent from the line, converted on a blistering 92.0 percent (23-of-25) after halftime against Penn. For the season, the Seahawks are making good on 78.4 percent from the line after halftime with junior Marcus Burton, Harris, Ortiz and Rivers combining to shoot 86.1 percent (68-of-79).

* Wagner also improved to 5-2 in overtime games since the 2011-2012 season and is 25-12 in games decided by 10 points or less or in overtime during that time.

* By The Numbers (70) ... Over the last three years, the Seahawks are 37-2 when limiting the opposition to less than 70 points and 33-5 when scoring at least 70 points.

* Wagner has employed one of the oldest, experienced starting line-up by a NEC school this season that last two games with seniors Folahan, Ortiz, Orlando Parker, Rivers and Harris, who is a junior. All five are in at least their fourth year of college as Harris transferred in from Valparaiso and is a senior academically.

* The senior class has registered 62 wins, including going 2-1 when in the starting line-up together, since descending on Grymes Hill and has accounted for 50.1 percent (365-of-728) of the team's offense this year.

* Rivers, who has notched double-figures in scoring in nine of his 10 games, ranks among the league leaders in scoring (15.0 ppg, 7th), field goal percentage (.475, 11th), 3-point percentage (.421, 7th) and free throw percentage (.769, 10th).

* Ortiz, a two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Week, who earned conference Player of the Week after averaging 13.5 points, 6.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game in leading Wagner to wins over Vermont and Coppin State, continues to rank among the league leaders in scoring (13.0 ppg) (13th NEC), rebounding (4.5, t-16th) assists (3.9 apg) (7th) and steals (1.4 spg) (6th). He has also posted a 1.50 assist/turnover ratio (9th NEC) while notching over 700 points, 300 rebounds and 300 assists in three years with the Seahawks.

* Wagner is off to a fantastic start on defense, leading the NEC in field goal percentage defense (.401, 69th NCAA), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.288, 48th NCAA)), rebounding (37.5/game), blocked shots (5.1/game, 57th NCAA) and defensive rebounds (26.5/game) while also ranking second in rebounding margin (-1.0).

* Since Mason took over as coach last season, the Seahawks have limited their opposition to 40 percent or less shooting in 23 of their 41 games. Additionally, the Green & White is a perfect 8-0 during the Mason era when holding teams to less than 35 percent from the field.

* Over the last three years, Wagner is 18-1 when scoring 80 or more points, 29-3 when shooting 45 percent of higher, 45-1 when leading with five minutes to play - including capturing 38-straight - and 13-6 following a loss.

* Since the start of the 2011-2012 season, the Seahawks, who were picked to win the 2014 NEC Championship by the league's coaches, are 49-23, including 27-9 during conference play and 20-12 in non-conference action.

SCOUTING RIDER
Rider is a dynamic offensive team that is averaging over 80 points a game and is led by the high-powered trio of senior Anthony Myles (20.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg), classmate Daniel Stewart (16.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and freshman Jimmie Taylor (13.3 ppg, 2.0 apg). The Broncs have scored at least 89 points in four of their eight games, including a pair of wins over Monmouth and Quinnipiac to start MAAC play last weekend.

NEC STATE OF MIND
The teams' first match-up in over 16 years is also the third-straight for Rider against a team that played in the NEC last season and the fourth of the season (CCSU).

ON A NATIONAL LEVEL
Back on March 9, 1993, Wagner and Rider took part in arguably the finest game in Northeast Conference history while helping put ESPN's Championship Week on the map. The Seahawks appeared poised to win their first-ever NEC Championship Game after jumping in front 64-63 with four seconds to play, following the last two of Bobby Hopson's team-high 32 points. However, the Broncs' Darrick Suber took the ensuing inbounds pass and drove the length of the court before draining a game-winning jumper as time expired. Click HERE to watch the ending and HERE to read more about the legendary game.

DID YOU KNOW???
Both coaches in that game are currently radio announcers with former Seahawk head coach Tim Capstraw providing his analysis of Brooklyn Nets' games while Kevin Bannon is on the Broncs' radio crew.

HARRIS EN FUEGO
Harris paced Wagner against Lafayette, scoring a career-high 23 points, on 7-of-11 shooting from long range. The Valparaiso transfer's 23 points are the most by a Green & White player this season and the third time he has notched at least 20 in his collegiate career. For the season, he is averaging 10.7 points per game (23rd NEC) while shooting 41.2 percent (10th NEC) from long range.

HIGH-POWERED BACKCOURT
Thanks to the stellar play of Burton, Harris, Rivers and Ortiz, the Wagner backcourt has accounted for 70.6 percent (514-of-728) of the team's offense while posting 28 of the Seahawks' 34 double-digit performances. Against Lafayette, the backcourt scored 61 of the Green & White's 65 points while shooting 50.0 percent (21-of-42) from the field, including 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from long range.

INSTANT OFFENSE
Burton paced Wagner in scoring against Coppin State (21) and UIC (17) despite coming off the bench, continues to the lead the Seahawks' second unit. The Green & White second unit has outscored their counterparts in nine of 10 games thanks to the North Carolina native, who is fourth on the team and 25th in the NEC with 9.8 points per game and is pacing the circuit from the line (.952).

ROAD WARRIORS
Wagner's game against Penn kicked off a four-game road trip for the Seahawks as the Green & White will play 10 of 13 games away from the friendly confines of the Spiro Sports Center.

MOODY BOUNCES BACK
After failing to score a point for the first time this season against Lafayette, Moody bounced back in a big way against the Quakers, scoring 12 points, on the strength of 8-of-9 shooting from the line, with six rebounds and three blocks over 32 minutes to lead the frontcourt. The Garden State native has notched five of the six double-figure scoring performances from the frontcourt and is averaging 8.1 points, a team-best 5.4 rebounds (7th NEC), 2.6 offensive caroms (3rd NEC) and 1.5 blocks (4th NEC) per game.

TALE OF TWO HALVES
After halftime, Wagner is shooting 45.8 percent, including 36.0 percent from long range, and 78.4 percent from the line while averaging 39.5 points per game. In the opening stanza, the Seahawks are shooting 37.2 percent, including 28.9 percent from deep, and 68.9 percent from the line while notching just 32 points each time out.

ODDS & ENDS
Over the last three years, Wagner is 18-11 when playing on Saturdays, 10-5 in the month of December ... The Seahawks will be playing on December 14 for just the fifth time since moving to the D-1 ranks in 1976-1977 and are 2-2, all-time, on the date.

MASON ANNOUNCES CLASS OF 2018
Mason recently announced the signings of Joseph Cooper (Wilmington, DE / Concord), Aaren Edmead (Deer Park, NY / Deer Park) and Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD / DeMatha Catholic) to National Letters of Intent. Cooper will be playing his senior season at Concord High School averaging 13.0 points, 4.0 steals, 3.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game as a junior at the Tatnall School. As a junior, Edmead averaged 14 points per game while helping lead Deer Park to a 17-4 record, a league championship and the Suffolk Class AA title game. Henson averaged 10.7 points while draining 48 three-pointers for DeMatha Catholic as a junior and is the top returning scorer for the Stags.

WAGNER PICKED TO REIGN SUPREME
For the first time in 21 years Wagner was picked in the annual NEC Coaches Poll to stand atop the summit at the end of the season as The Seahawks received seven of the 10 first place votes. Robert Morris and Bryant tied for second with the Colonials earning two first place nods. Three-time defending champion LIU Brooklyn garnered the final first place vote and was tabbed fourth. Central Connecticut was fifth, followed by last year's runner-up Mount St. Mary's, St. Francis Brooklyn, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis U and Fairleigh Dickinson.

NEC TELEVISION PACKAGE ANNOUNCED
For the third-straight year Wagner will play at least two televised games at home, including one on national television as part of the NEC package. Before the aforementioned two televised home games, the Seahawks will play before a Fox College Sports (FCS) audience at Mount St. Mary's on Thursday, January 16 at 7:00 pm. Exactly one month later, the Green & White will host Bryant on Sunday, February 16 at 12:00 pm on the CBS Sports Network before welcoming FCS back to the Spiro for Senior Day against Robert Morris on March 1 at 6:00 pm.

THE NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
Wagner will play seven games against teams that qualified for postseason play a year ago to highlight a 14-game non-conference slate. The Seahawks opened the season with a loss at Penn State (11/9), before defeating Chestnut Hill (11/12) in their home opener. After dropping a 73-57 decision to  St. John's (11/15), the G&W rebounded with a 102-87 victory over Coppin State (11/18) and a 68-61 win over Vermont (11/21). After going 1-2 at the Gulf Coast Showcase, Wagner lost to Lafayette (12/3) and won at Penn (12/7). The Seahawks will next play at Rider (12/14), before taking on 2013 Sweet 16 participant La Salle (12/19), Monmouth (12/30) and North Carolina Central (1/4).

SENIORS PACE RESURGENCE
The senior class of Folahan, Ortiz, Parker and Rivers is arguably the main reason that Wagner in considered among the elite of the NEC. The Seahawks are an impressive 62-40, including 36-18 during league play, since the foursome arrived on Staten Island. This turnaround comes the heels of a 2009-2010 campaign that saw the Green & White go 5-26 and 3-15 in the NEC.

MASON PROFILED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES
While being the youngest coach in Division I is a story in itself, it may not be the most unique regarding Wagner's second-year head man Bashir Mason. The Jersey City native was recently profiled by the New York Times and Zach Schonbrun due to the fact that Mason is believed to be the only D-I men's head coach that is also student-teaching in the mornings in order to attain his master's degree in education.

LOOKING TO MAKE HISTORY
The ball-hawking Ortiz ranked third in the NEC with 2.0 steals per game last year while pacing arguably the best defensive unit in the league en route to notching his second-straight NEC Defensive Player of the Year accolade. If Ortiz were to capture the award again, he would be the first player in league history to win it three-straight years.

BLOCK PARTY
Folahan, who is just 14 blocks short of the Wagner career record, led the NEC in rejections with 1.7 as a sophomore and ranked second in each of his other two seasons while establishing himself as one of the best shot blockers in the nation. All three of his seasonal totals rank among the top-10 in school history and with one more solid season the Republic of Benin native could lay claim as the best shot-blocker ever to set foot on Grymes Hill.

WAHLER TO AGAIN SERVE AS OFFICIAL VOICE OF WAGNER BASKETBALL
Mason announced that WFAN Update Anchor and News 12 New Jersey Sports Anchor/Reporter Joey Wahler will return for his second season as the official voice of all Seahawk broadcasts for the 2012-2013 season. During the home portion of the schedule, Wahler will broadcast all 10 home games that are slated to be streamed via the Northeast Conference's (NEC) Front Row Platform.

UP NEXT
Wagner returns to action at 2013 Sweet 16 participant La Salle on Thursday, December 19 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 Bashir Mason">@BashirMason for news on the second-year coach.

Photography by Dave Saffran