Lawrenceville, NJ - The Wagner men's basketball team, riding a four-game winning streak, embarks on a season-long four-game road stretch, as the Seahawks take on the Rider University Broncs of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.
Wagner (4-2) wrapped up a four-game homestand with wins over Maine, the College of Staten Island, Morgan State and most recently, American, a 55-48 decision on Sunday afternoon.
Rider, which finished with an overall record of 21-12 (15-5 in MAAC play) and an appearance in last year's Collegiate Basketball Invitational (CBI) Tournament, are 1-7 on the season and 0-2 in conference action, after falling to Fairfield on Friday evening, 74-70.
LAST TIME OUT FOR WAGNER:- The Wagner men's basketball extended its win streak to four straight, holding off the American University Eagles, 55-48, on Sunday afternoon at the Spiro Sports Center.
- In improving to 4-2 on the season, the Green & White conclude their season-high four game homestand by going 4-0, with wins over Maine, the College of Staten Island, Morgan State and American. The Eagles fell to 2-6 with today's defeat.
- Three Seahawks finished in double figures vs. American, led by sophomore guard Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) who tallied 14 points in 32 minutes of action. Junior guard Michael Carey (Nassau, Bahamas/Lamar Consolidated [San Jacinto College]) posted his first career double-double in the victory, recording 12 points on 3-of-4 shooting, while connecting on a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, in addition to pulling down a game, and career-best, 11 rebounds in the victory.
- For the sixth consecutive contest, redshirt senior guard Dwaun Anderson (Suttons Bay, MI/Suttons Bay [Michigan State]) scored in double digits, ending the game with 11 points in 34 minutes of action.
- Wagner raced out to a 17-5 lead over the first nine minutes of the contest, a stretch where the Seahawks' defense limited American to just 1-of-9 shooting while forcing five turnovers. The Seahawks were 7-of-12 (58.3% FG) from the field during the run.
- Neither team could find an offensive rhythm down the stretch in the first half, as Wagner took a 21-18 lead at the break. The Green & White held American to just 16.7 shooting from the floor in the opening stanza (4-for-24) while the teams combined to shoot 2-of-15 from beyond the arc.
- When play resumed for the second half, Wagner opened on an 11-4 run, taking a 32-24 lead with 12:36 remaining in the contest as Anderson was able to muscle in a contested layup opportunity. The visitors then began to mount a comeback of their own, however, answering back with a 13-5 outpour, tying the game at 37 as Delante Jones connected for three off a feed from Charlie Jones.
- Henson put Wagner back up, 39-37, with 7:27 showing on the clock, before American scored the next five points in taking a 42-39 lead with 5:37 left in regulation. This would mark the last time the visitors would hold on to the lead as the Seahawks closed out the game by scoring 16 of the game's final 22 points in securing the gritty, defensive-minded victory.
- Wagner was held to 31.6 percent shooting from the floor while connecting on a season-high 94.4 percent from the charity stripe (17-of-18). The Seahawks scored 30 of their 55 points in the paint while converting 23 points off 21 Eagle turnovers. American held a slim 38-36 edge on the glass.
SCOUTING RIDER UNIVERSITY BRONCS:- The Broncs enter Tuesday's contest with a 1-7 overall record and a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) mark of 0-2.
- The lone win for the Broncs came on November 25 when they defeated Houston Baptist, 67-56, in the Cancun Challenge held at the Hard Rock Hotel at the Riviera Maya, in Cancun, Mexico.
- Teddy Okereafor is the team's leading scorer at 10.5 ppg. In addition, he is averaging 3.4 rpg and 3.6 apg.
- Jimmie Taylor, who scored 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 7-of-12 from the free-throw line in last season's matchup (12/29/14) against Wagner, is the Broncs' leading rebounder, pulling down 4.4 caroms a contest.
- Overall, Rider leads the MAAC in scoring defense (68.0 ppg) while ranking fifth in three-point field goal percentage defense (34.4%) and steals (6.4 per contest).
LAST TIME OUT FOR RIDER:- Despite a season-high 25 points by Teddy Okereafor, the Broncs dropped its second straight conference tilt, falling to Fairfield, 74-70, at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT on Friday evening.
- Okereafor was one of four Broncs in double-figures as Xavier Lundy netted 11 points with six rebounds while Jimmie Taylor and Kealen Ives each had ten points.
- Rider shot 40.4 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from three-point range and 81.3 percent from the free-throw line.
SERIES HISTORY:- This evening's contest marks the 22nd all-time meeting between these former NEC rivals, with Wagner trailing in the head-to-head matchup, 17-4.
- Romone Saunders (Temple Hills, MD/Mt. Zion Prep) tossed in a career-high 20 points, capped off by two four-point plays, to lead three Wagner players in double figures but it was not enough to overcome a 25-point outing by Rider's Jimmie Taylor as the Broncs held off a furious Seahawk comeback effort in posting a 76-71 victory at the Spiro Sports Center tonight.
- Trailing 68-55 with 2:41 to play following a Taylor layup, Wagner embarked on a 11-2 run in less than a minute, cutting the deficit to 69-66 with 1:45 left on an old-fashioned three-point play by forward Stedman Allen (Bronx, NY/Labette CC). Rider answered with a clutch three-point jumper by Zedric Sadler with 1:14 left that made it a 72-66 game and the Broncs managed to hang on for the five-point win.
WAGNER ALL-TIME VS. THE METRO ATLANTIC ATHLETIC CONFERENCE:- All-time, Wagner holds a 94-208 record against current MAAC.members.
- The lone school that Wagner hasn't played from the conference is Canisius.
- Tuesday's matchup against Rider begins a stretch of three games in which the Seahawks will face MAAC schools. On Sunday, December 13, the Green & White travel to West Long Branch, NJ to tangle with Monmouth University, who have recorded big wins against UCLA, then-No. 17 Notre Dame, and USC.
- The MAAC tour concludes on December 18 in Fairfield, CT when the Seahawks meet the Stags at 7:00 pm.
THE SHOT:- Wagner and Rider will be meeting for the ninth time since, what has been coined, "The Shot."
- On March 9, 1993, The Seahawks and Broncs battled tooth-and-nail for 39-plus minutes as Wagner's Bobby Hopson and Rider's Darrick Suber waged their own individual battle in the championship game of the 1993 NEC Tournament.
- With Rider trailing by a point, Suber went coast-to-coast and hit an off-balance leaner just inside the free-throw line as time expired.
- The victory sent Rider to the NCAA tournament as the automatic qualifier.
- The Seahawks had to wait another 10 years before getting a chance to go dancing in the tournament.
THIS IS OUR HOUSE:- Under head coach Bashir Mason, Wagner is 33-11 at the Spiro Sports Center and now stand at 4-0 on the 2015-16 season after completing their recent season-long four game home stand with wins against Maine, College of Staten Island, Morgan State and American.
WAGNER HOLDS HIGHEST RPI RATING IN THE NEC:- As of 12/7/15, the Wagner men's basketball team holds a 196 RPI ranking, as announced by the NCAA on Monday.
- The Seahawks are the highest ranked team in the Northeast Conference, leading nex closest St. Francis Brooklyn (215), Fairleigh Dickinson (225), LIU Brooklyn (234).
GAMES OF THREES: - The Wagner men's basketball team have made at least one three-pointer in 310 straight games.
- The Seahawks last didn't convert a three-pointer back on February 28, 2004, at home against NEC-foe, Mount St. Mary's, in which the Green & White were held to 0-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc.
MR. ANDERSONNNNNN:- Redshirt senior guard Dwaun Anderson (Suttons Bay, MI/Suttons Bay [Michigan State]) has come back from injury, which sidelined him for much of the 2014-15 campaign, and hasn't missed a beat.
- In all six of Wagner's contests, the former Mr. Basketball in his home state of Michigan has scored in double-figures, setting a new career-high of 17 against intra-borough rival, the College of Staten Island back on November 28.
LET ME PAINT YOU A PICTURE:- Through six games of the 2015-16 season, Wagner has scored 172 of their 403 total points from inside the paint.
- They are outscoring their opponents, 172-to-136, down low.
WAGNER GETS DEFENSIVE:- It was quite the defensive showing for Wagner last week.
- The Seahawks allowed Morgan State and American to average just 54.5 ppg and shoot a combined 35.5 percent from the field in a pair of wins while forcing 34 turnovers.
- Wagner, which has won four straight after dropping its first two games of the year, ranks 12th nationally in turnovers forced (18.5/game), 20th in steals (9.0) and ninth in steals percentage (12.9). The Seahawks leads the NEC in scoring defense (62.7), defensive field goal percentage (.401), as well as defensive efficiency (1.0 ppp).
CLEANING UP ON THE GLASS:- Wagner has outrebounded their opponents, 41.5-to-34.5, a +7.0 margin, which ranks first in the conference.
- The Seahawks are one of three schools to hold an advantage on the boards, joined by LIU Brooklyn (+2.2) and Saint Francis U (+1.1).
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