Game Notes: Wagner| Bryant

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Staten Island Advance Game Preview by Cormac Gordon
 
Smithfield, RI -  After concluding a 2-1 homestand with victories over the defending Northeast Conference (NEC) champions, Mount St. Mary's, followed by an inter-borough triumph over LIU Brooklyn, the Wagner College men's basketball team (4-11, 2-2 NEC) will look for back-to-back victories as the Seahawks begin a two-game road trip tonight when they tangle with the Bryant University Bulldogs (6-7, 3-1 NEC) in a 7:00 p.m. tip.

On Saturday, the Green & White return to the road, making the short trek to Hackensack, NJ to face the Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights in a 4:30 p.m. contest which will be the second game of a doubleheader with the Wagner and FDU women's team's meeting at 1:00 p.m.

This evening's contest marks just the ninth all-time meeting between the two schools with Wagner holding a 6-2 lead in the head-to-head matchup. The Seahawks took last season's lone matchup, 73-61, on Staten Island back on February 16^.THE COACHES
Wagner:
Bashir Mason: 42-35, Third Season
Overall Record: Same
All-time against Bryant: 2-1
 
Bryant:
Tim O'Shea; 63-132, Seventh Season at Bryant
Overall Record: 183-227; 14^th Season
All-time against WC: 2-6
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR WAGNER…

• Senior guard Marcus Burton (Charlotte, NC/David W. Butler) scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half and freshman guard Romone Saunders (Temple Hills, MD/Mt. Zion Prep) added 17 points to lead the Wagner men's basketball team to a hard-earned 87-82 win over LIU Brooklyn in a wild, back-and-forth contest that featured 16 lead changes and 11 ties.
• Saturday's win gave the Seahawks a 2-1 record in three-game home swing as Wagner now hit the road of a pair of NEC contests, beginning with Bryant on Thursday, and concluding at Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday, January 17 with tip-off vs. the Knights set for 4:30 p.m.
• Burton, who is averaging 20.0 points per game over his last five contests and 25.7 points in three games last week, recorded his 40th career double-figure scoring performance and third consecutive, in the win over LIU. The 6-0 guard, who has now scored 858 career points, began the week with a career-high 38-point outing in Monday's's pulsating 85-82, double-overtime win over defending NEC champion Mount St. Mary's, and followed with a 21-point effort in Thursday night's four-point loss to Robert Morris. For his efforts, Burton was named to the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Honorable Mention squad for the week of January 13^.

 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS…

• Bryant is tied with Saint Francis U, St. Francis Brooklyn and Robert Morris for the top spot in the NEC right now, sitting at a 3-1 conference mark.
• The Bulldogs, winners of back-to-back contests, defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 73-60, on Saturday at the Chace Athletic Center.
• Three Bryant players finished in double-figures, led by Joe O'Shea, who poured in a game-high 19 points, 10 of which coming from the free-throw line in 35 minutes of play and was recently named College Sports Madness NEC Player of the Week.
• Dan Garvin, the reigning Northeast Conference Player of the Week, scored 16 points and grabbed 18 rebounds while Shane McLaughlin rounded out the scoring with 11.
• Starks is the team's leading scorer at 16.7 ppg, which is good for 2nd in the NEC and slightly ahead of Wagner senior guard Marcus Burton (16.4 ppg) while Garvin has pulled down a team-best 6.9 caroms.

 
ALL-TIME AGAINST BRYANT...

• Tonight's contest is the just the ninth all-time meeting with Bryant with the Seahawks holding a 6-2 edge in the head-to-head series.
• Wagner took last season's meeting, 73-61 on Staten Island. The Seahawks' defense limited Starks to just 11 points on 3-of-13 shooting; 0-of-5 from beyond the arc in 40 minutes while Garvin and O'Shea combined for 11 points while Burton outscored all three with 13 points off the bench.

 
COUNTDOWN TO 1,000 FOR BURTON...

• Senior guard Marcus Burton is 142 points away from becoming the 42nd member of the Wagner College 1,000 point club.
• Burton, who has amassed 858 career points, would become third player under coach Mason to achieve the plateau.

 
UP NEXT…

• Wagner will conclude its two-game road trip on Saturday, January 17 when the Seahawks make the short trip to Teaneck, NJ to tangle with the Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights.
• Tip-off from Stratis Arena inside the Rothman Center is scheduled for 4:30 pm, at the conclusion of the 1:00 p.m. women's contest the precedes.

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 head coach Bashir Mason (@BashirMason) for news on the third-year head coach.