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Staten Island, NY - Fresh off a rousing victory on Sunday, Wagner (13-11; 7-4 NEC) returns to action against Sacred Heart (4-22; 1-10 NEC) on Thursday, February 20 at 7:00 pm. As always, fans can watch the game for free through
NEC Front Row with Joey Wahler bringing you action starting at 6:50 pm.
Top Storylines
#1 - Wagner returns to action against Sacred Heart, looking for its first four-game winning streak of the season.
#2 - The Seahawks defeated the Pioneers 62-55 in the team's first meeting (2/8).
#3 - Senior Kenneth Ortiz earned his second NEC POTW accolade on Monday.
Quick Hits
* In the teams' last meeting, the Seahawks posted a seven-point win thanks to limiting the Pioneers to just 26.2 percent shooting while yielding a season-low in field goals (16) and first-half points (21).
* The by-product of the impressive defensive performance was that the Green & White won for the 26th-straight game when limiting the opposition to less than 60 points.
* Wagner closed the first half with a 14-0 run while forcing SHU into 10-straight missed shots, including six from long range.
* Over its last four games, the Seahawk defense has allowed opposing teams to convert on just 10-of-72 (.139) from deep, including limiting Sacred Heart to just 4-of-27.
* Thanks to the Green & White's 73-61 victory over Bryant, the senior class of
Naofall Folahan,
Kenneth Ortiz,
Orlando Parker and
Latif Rivers notched its 70th win, breaking the previous D-1 school record of 69 set by the Class of 2004. Two more victories would match the all-time school record of 72 victories set by the Class of 1968.
* Leading the way against the Bulldogs was Ortiz, who earned his second NEC Player of the Week accolade after scoring 18 points with a career-high seven steals, six rebounds and three assists.
* His seven steals are the most by a NEC player this year and the most by a Wagner player since Dedrick Dye's school-record eight against Robert Morris on February 3, 2001.
* Ortiz also paced the squad in scoring one week prior against the Pioneers, finishing with a team-best matching 15 points and is averaging 10.7 points, 5.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 steals each time out over three career games against Sacred Heart.
* The two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Year ranks among the league leaders in scoring (12.7-15th), assists (4.4-7th), steals (2.0-2nd) and free throw percentage (.723-13th) while posting a 1.45 assist/turnover ratio (9th NEC). Over his four collegiate seasons, he has notched 953 points, 427 assists, 399 rebounds and 173 steals.
* The Seahawks also limited Bryant to a NEC season-low 61 points while improving to a perfect 11-0 on the season when holding teams to less than 70 points this year.
* While Ortiz led the backcourt with his aforementioned seven steals, Folahan blocked five shots while matching Ortiz with a team-best six rebounds over a solid 24 minutes of action. Folahan, who broke Frantz Pierre-Louis' 14-year school-record for blocks at CCSU, currently has 207 for his career and has rejected 19 shots over the last five games.
* Folahan, who is 25th nationally with 2.8 blocks per game, ranks third in the school's single-season annals with 66 blocks and is just 13 off of Miladin Mutavdzic's single-season school record of 79.
* Also supplying big games against Bryant were Rivers and junior
Marcus Burton. Rivers scored 15 points while notching double-figures in scoring for the 80th time in his 103-game career and added four rebounds, three assists and two steals while Burton added 13 points off the bench.
* Rivers currently ranks 14th in school history with 1,440 points and matched former teammate Tyler Murray for sixth place on the school's all-time three point list with his 189th career make against the Bulldogs.
* The Garden State native continues to rank among the league leaders scoring (14.2 ppg-9th), assists/game (1.8-18th), field goal percentage (.459-12th), free throw percentage (.815-5th) and three-point percentage (.398-8th).
* Rivers notched the 17th 20-point game of his career against FDU while pacing the Green & White in scoring for the 34th time with Wagner going 14-3 and 22-12 during that time, respectively.
* Burton continues to lead the bench in scoring and is the only NEC player to have not started to average double-figures, checking in with 10.4 points per game (24th) while pacing the circuit at the line with a 89.5 percent (51-of-57) conversion rate.
* Thanks to the trio of Ortiz, Rivers and Burton, the Seahawk guards have accounted for 70.1 percent (1203/1717) of the team's scoring.
* Parker paced the defense the last time against SHU with a game and career-high 14 rebounds after pulling down 12 against FDU. The Florida native, who now has seven career double-digit performances on the glass, has led the Green & White in rebounding a team-best matching seven times this year with Wagner going 6-1 in those games.
* Since entering the starting line-up seven games ago, Parker is averaging 9.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. On the year, he ranks sixth in the NEC with 6.1 rebounds per game to go along with 6.9 points each time out.
* Junior
Mario Moody scored seven points with five rebounds against Bryant after missing the previous two games due to injury and is among the NEC leaders in scoring (9.4-28th), rebounding (6.5-5th) and blocks (1.3-7th). During league play, his numbers go up to 11.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
* Led by Burton and Moody, the Seahawk bench has outscored its counterparts in nine of the Green & White's 11 NEC games by an average of 12.7 points each time out. The reserves are notching 29.6 points per game on 44.9 percent (111-of-247) shooting from the field, including 40.2 percent (35-of-87) from deep.
* Wagner, which was forced to alter its game last Thursday and has now had one game cancelled and one postponed due to weather this season. In the two games prior, the Seahawks outscored the opposition by 20.5 points per game while shooting a blistering 55.6 percent (20-of-36) from long range.
* The Green & White and FDU will now meet on Monday, February 24 at 7:00 pm in the first rescheduled game for Wagner since 2007 when the Seahawks had to move their game against Robert Morris from a Thursday to a Sunday after being trapped on the bus overnight.
* Since head coach
Bashir Mason, who last December earned his Master's of Science in Education, took over at the start of last season, his teams have limited the opposition to less than 40 percent shooting in 29 of the Wagner's 55 games. Additionally, the Seahawks are a perfect 12-0 when limiting teams to less than 35 percent during that time.
* Mason, who was a finalist for the
CollegeInsider.com Joe B. Hall First-Year and Ben Jobe Minority Coach of the Year awards last season, is 32-23 in this his second year.
* For the second season in a row, Mason, who is 30 years and nine days old, is the youngest Division I head coach. In 2012-2013, Mason led the Green & White 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.
* In the final five minutes of games decided by 10 points or less, the Seahawks have converted 78.1 percent (75-of-96) from the line, led by Burton (12-of-12).
* Since the start of the 2011-2012 season, Wagner, which was picked to win the 2014 NEC Championship by the league's coaches, is 57-29, including 34-13 during conference play Additionally, the Seahawks are 30-16 in games decided by less than 10 points or in OT, 52-2 when leading with five minutes remaining, 44-2 when limiting opponents to less than 70 points, 38-9 when scoring at least 70, 43-3 when leading at the half, 33-4 when shooting 45 percent or higher and 19-7 following a loss.
* Wagner has been solid on defense this season, leading the NEC in rebounding (38.4), blocks (6.0) (16th NCAA), field goal percentage defense (.401) (39th NCAA) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.311) (48th NCAA).
* The Seahawks are 28-8 at home (17-4 NEC) over the last three years and 126-69 (.646), all-time, at the renovated Spiro Sports Center (since 1999).
SERIES HISTORY
Wagner has won three-straight and five-of-six against Sacred Heart and leads the all-time series by a 17-12 count, including posting a 17-10 record in the Seahawks' Division I era (since 1976-1977).
UNDER THE BRIGHT LIGHTS
The Green & White improved to 3-1 over the last three years when playing on National Television thanks to its 73-61 victory over Bryant in a game that appeared on the
CBS Sports Network.
BLOCK PARTY
Folahan's five-block performance vs. the Bulldogs also marked the 16th time in his career that he has blocked at least four shots with Wagner going 12-4 during that time.
THE GLASS
Thanks to Parker and Folahan, the Seahawks have won the rebounding battle in 10 of their 11 NEC games while grabbing at least 40 on eight occasions. During that time, Wagner is averaging a NEC-best 40.3 rebounds per game.
THE SENIORS
Folahan, Ortiz, Parker and Rivers comprise the Seahawks senior class, which has registered 70 wins since descending on Grymes Hill and have accounted for 50.0 percent (858-of-1717) of the team's offense.
ORTIZ GARNERS NEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK ACCOLADES
Ortiz garnered his first NEC Player of the Week accolades this year after averaging 13.5 points, 6.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game in wins over Vermont and Coppin State.
DELIVERING THE HAMMER
As a unit, the Green & White has made good on 78.1 percent (75-of-96) in the final five minutes of games decided by 10 points or less.
MAKES SENSE
When outshooting the opposition, Wagner is 12-1 this season and 29-3 since the start of last season.
A TALE OF TWO HALVES
The Seahawks are averaging 32.5 points per game in the first half while shooting 39.3 percent from the floor, including 34.5 percent from deep, and 68.0 percent from the line. After halftime, the Green & White is scoring 38.3 points each time out while shooting 44.7 percent from the field, including 34.6 percent from deep, and 74.8 percent from the line.
IN THE RANKINGS
* Ortiz is eighth in school history with 405 assists, 50 behind
Tony Rice for seventh.
* Ortiz is also seventh with 168 steals and with eight more will match
Terrance Bailey.
* Rivers is fifth with 353 free throws and needs six more to equal
Bobby Hopson.
* Rivers is tied with Tyler Murray for sixth with 189 triples and needs three more to match Hopson.
* Moody is eighth in school history with 90 blocks and with four more will equal
Dave Smolka.
60-POINT CLUB
Wagner has have won 26 straight games (24-0 since 2011-2012) when limiting teams to 60 points or less thanks to impressive defensive performances against Saint Francis U, CCSU, Monmouth and Sacred Heart.
FEBRUARY FURY
The Seahawks are 3-1 in February this year and 15-5 over the last three season.
LONG GARNERS BASEBALL ACCOLADES
Freshman
Nolan Long was recently selected as the second-best pro baseball prospect in the NEC by
Baseball America and was named as the league's preseason Rookie of the Year.
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, SFU and FDU.
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 played on
Fox College Sports (FCS) at Mount St. Mary's (1/16) before hosting Bryant (2/16) on the
CBS Sports Network. The Green & White will welcome
FCS to the Spiro for Senior Day against Robert Morris in the season finale on March 1 at 6:00 pm.
UP NEXT
Wagner completes a three-game homestand against Mount St. Mary's on Saturday, February 22 at 4:00 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.
