Game Notes: Sacred Heart | Wagner

Watch: NECFrontRow

Live Stats

Staten Island Advance Game Preview (Cormac Gordon)
 
Staten Island, NY - The Wagner College men's basketball team begins a two-game home swing on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. when the Seahawks welcome the Sacred Heart University Pioneers to the Spiro Sports Center as both teams look to help keep their respective postseason chances in place.

This contest will be the31^st in the all-time series with the Seahawks holding a 18-12 edge, having won four of the last five meetings, including last season's season sweep of the Pioneers. THE COACHES
Wagner:                     
Bashir Mason:
44-37, Third Season
Overall Record at Wagner: Same
All-time against SHU: 3-0
 
Sacred Heart:
Anthony Latina
Overall Record: 14-38
Overall Record at Sacred Heart: Same
All-time against WC: 0-2
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR WAGNER...

• Junior forward Brandon Peel nailed a three-point jumper after receiving a long inbounds pass from Faronte Drakeford, narrowly beating the final buzzer, to lift Central Connecticut to a wild 53-50 Northeast Conference (NEC) victory over Wagner tonight at Detrick Gymnasium in a game that was televised live on MSG2+.
• On the possession prior to CCSU's game-winner, Wagner hit a clutch shot of its own as senior guard Marcus Burton (Charlotte, NC/David W. Butler), the conference's leading scorer entering the game at 17.9 per game, nailed a long three-pointer after corralling an offensive rebound, that tied the game at 50-50, a shot that would seemingly send the game into overtime.
• The 6-0 Burton finished with a game-high 19 points on the evening and has now scored 953 career points, leaving him just 47points away from becoming the 42nd player in Wagner history to reach the 1,000-point mark.
• Wagner received a yeoman's effort from burly 6-8, 240-pound power forward Greg Senat (Elmont, NY/Elmont) who tallied eight points while pulling down a career-high 15 rebounds.
• Freshman guard Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) also finished with eight points for the Seahawks, while yet another freshman guard, JoJo Cooper (Wilmington, DE/Concord) added six points and a game-high five assists.

 
ALL-TIME AGAINST SACRED HEART...

• Wagner is 18-12 all-time against the Pioneers, including winners of four of the last five meetings against Sacred Heart.
• The Seahawks took last season's series, a 62-55 decision in Connecticut back on February 8th and completed the sweep with a 74-62 route on February 20th.
• Under head coach Bashir Mason, the Seahawks are 3-0 against the Pioneers.

 
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS...

• Sacred Heart has rebounded from a three-game losing streak to win its last two games
• The Pioneers went up to Smithfield, RI and posted an impressive 83-66 victory over the Bryant Bulldogs on Saturday
• Four SHU players finished in double-figures, led by Tevin Falzon, who posted a double-double with19 points, on 8-of-11 shooting,t1o go with 10 rebounds
• Cane Broome, a three-time NEC Rookie of the Week choice this season, tallited 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Evan Kelley and Steve Glowiak combined to score 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting.
• Broome, Kelley and De'Von Barnett are pacing the Pioneers offensively, averaging 14.0, 13.3 and 11.5 points per game, respectively. Falzon is the team's leading rebounder at 7.0 per contest while Phil Gaetano is the team's leading playmaker, dishing out 5.5 assists per contest.

 
BURTON NAMED NEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK & MBWA HONORABLE MENTION CHOICE...

• The accolades continue to pour in for senior guard Marcus Burton (Charlotte, NC/ David W. Butler) as he was named to the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Men's Division I Honorable Mention Squad for the week of January 27th.
• For Burton, who is the reigning Northeast Conference Player of the Week, it is his second time being named to the Honorable Mention squad, garnering his first selection back on January 13th and then the following week receiving the Association's Player of the Week nod.
• The Charlotte, NC native continued his hot-shooting and clutch performances, averaging 21.5 points per game on 48.4 percent shooting from the floor in the Seahawk's two games, including 43.8 percent from beyond the arc (7-of-16), while averaging 4.0 rebounds per game.
• The senior shooting guard drilled back-to-back three-pointers in the final two minutes, and netted 22 of his 23 points in the second, of a 63-58 home win over Saint Francis U on January 24.
• He then finished with 19 points in a 53-50 setback at CCSU on Saturday, highlighted by his knocking down one of the most memorable shots in recent Wagner history. In the waning seconds regulation, Burton nailed a desperation 27-foot three-pointer to tie the game at 50-50 only to be outdone by a Brandon Peel last-second shot to that won it for the Blue Devils.
• Burton, who leads the NEC in scoring at 18.0 ppg and 22.5 ppg in league play, needs just 47 points to become the 42nd member of Wagner's 1,000 point club.

 
CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS...

• Wagner, through games played of 1/26/15, rank ninth out of 355 teams ranked in NCAA Division I in Offensive Rebounds Per Game, pulling down 14.63 per contest. West Virginia leads the nation in this category at 17.83 per game.
• In the Central Connecticut contest on January 24, sophomore forward Greg Senat (Elmont, NY/Elmont) pulled down 15 rebounds, which tied for the seventh-highest mark set in the Northeast Conference this season.
• The 46 total rebounds was also good for the sixth highest total among NEC teams.
• In the 82-68 road triumph at Fairleigh Dickinson (1/17), the Seahawks outmuscled the Knights 41-to-19 on the glass, a +22 advantage, which marked a season-high for the squad.

 Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@wagnerathletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department and on the men's basketball program and head coach Bashir Mason (@BashirMason) for news on the third-year head coach.