Game Notes: Wagner | St. Francis Brooklyn

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Brooklyn Heights, NY - The Wagner College men's basketball team will look to snap its two-game losing streak as the Seahawks head across the Verrazano Bridge to square off against NEC-leading, St. Francis Brooklyn in a 7:00 p.m. tip-off tonight at the Pope Physical Education Center.

Tonight's 's contest marks the conclusion of this home-and-home series as the Terriers came to Spiro Sports Center on Saturday and left Staten Island with a 66-51 victory, in and, in the process. becoming the first team to clinch a berth in next month's NEC Tournament

The Seahawks, who stand at 6-6 in league play, are currently tied with another Brooklyn school, the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds,  for sixth place but the Green & White hold the edge against the Flatbush-based school, defeating the Blackbirds at home by an 87-82 count back on January 10^.

Wagner and St. Francis Brooklyn are meeting off for the 91st time with the Terriers holding a 51-39 edge, having taken the last four meetings, including last Saturday's victory. These two schools first met on January 12, 1929 with the Terriers coming away with a 37-14 win. St. Francis Brooklyn proceeded to take the next four meetings before the Seahawks strung together a four-game winning streak of their own, starting with a 93-79 win on January 26, 1966.

Senior guard Marcus Burton (Charlotte, NC/David W. Butler) was the lone Seahawk in double figures against the Terriers last time out, tallying 13 points. SFBK's Jalen Cannon was the lone Terrier in double-figures, as he finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds, en route to becoming the NEC's all-time leading rebounder, in addition to copping NEC Player of the Week honors.
 THE COACHES
Wagner:                              
Bashir Mason:
46-39, Third Season
Overall Record at Wagner: Same
All-time against SFBK: 0-4
 
St. Francis Brooklyn:
Glenn Braica
Overall Record: 76-71
Overall Record at St. Francis Brooklyn: Same
All-time against WC: 6-2
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR WAGNER...

• The Wagner College men's basketball team couldn't overcome a double-digit lead and fell to Northeast Conference (NEC)-leading St. Francis Brooklyn, 66-51, on Saturday afternoon at the Spiro Sports Center.
• With the loss, the Seahawks are now 6-6 in conference play, tied with LIU Brooklyn, who was victorious over Saint Francis U. on the road. The first-place Terriers, who improved to 10-2 in the NEC, became the first team to clinch a spot in the 2015 Northeast Conference Tournament with the victory.
• Senior guard Marcus Burton (Charlotte, NC/David W. Butler), the NEC's leading scorer entering the game in both overall (18.7) and NEC-only scoring average (22.6), was the lone Seahawk in double figures on the afternoon with 13 points. Junior forward Mike Aaman (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan/Rhode Island) and freshman guard Aaren Edmead (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) added eight points apiece for the Green & White with the 6-8 Aaman grabbing 11 rebounds, the third time this season he has posted double-digit caroms.

 
ALL-TIME AGAINST ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN...

• This evening's contest, the second between these two teams in a five-day span, is the 91st all-time meeting, with St. Francis Brooklyn holding a 51-39 edge in the head-to-head series.
• The Terriers have taken the last four meetings, including last Saturday's contest, 66-51, on Staten Island at Spiro Sports Center.
• Prior to Saturday's contest, the last two meetings between Wagner and St. Francis Brooklyn gone down to the wire, with St. Francis Brooklyn edging Wagner in each contest by a single point (73-72 on February 1 in Brooklyn Heights, and 76-75 on February 21, 2013, also at the Pope Physical Education Center). These two schools first started playing against each other back on January 12, 1929, in which the Terriers defeated Wagner, 37-14. St. Francis Brooklyn proceeded to take the next four meetings before the Seahawks strung together a four-game win streak, starting with their first victory back on January 26, 1966, a 93-79 victory.

 
SCOUTING THE TERRIERS...

• Picked first in the 2014-15 Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the Terriers have been on fire, winners of four straight, including seven of their last eight games.
• SFBK's Jalen Cannon was named NEC Player of the Week for the fourth time this season after an incredible two-game stretch for the senior forward. The 6-6 Allentown, PA native averaged 32.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists, while shooting 67.6 percent from the field and 62.5 percent (5-8) from long distance in a pair of victories. And if that wasn't enough, Cannon also became the NEC's career rebounding leader on Saturday, passing Quinnipiac's Justin Rutty (1,032 rebounds) in setting the new mark with 1,039 boards.
• The Allentown, PA native also earned the Lou Henson Award National Player of the Week honors. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the top Mid-Major player in Division I college basketball.
• Cannon leads the Terriers in scoring at 16.1 ppg and rebounding at 9.9 caroms a contest.
• Senior guard Brent Jones is the team's second-leading scorer at 14.5 ppg, as he became 203rd player in NEC history and 31st in SFBK annals to reach 1,000 career points in the Terriers' 90-81 win at Central Connecticut. At the same time, Jones became the first player in SFBK history, and the 14th NEC player, to record 1,000 points and 500 assists.

 
NOTES FROM THE LOSS TO ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN...

• The Seahawks were held to under 30.0 percent from the field for the fourth time this season, the first since their December 23 non-conference matchup at Cincinnati.
• Wagner was held to under 20.0% from beyond the arc for also the fourth time this season and the first since January 24 at Central Connecticut.
• Marcus Burton was the lone Seahawk in double-figures against the Terriers, his 18th double-figure scoring performance of the season, and 11th straight since being held to just eight points in the NEC opener against Saint Francis U on January 3.
• Head Coach Bashir Mason is looking for his first win against the Terriers as he now is 0-4 all-time against St. Francis Brooklyn, which is the lone NEC school he has not recorded a victory against in his three seasons on the Wagner sidelines.
• The 51 points scored against the Terriers is the fifth-lowest total that the Seahawks have scored this season.
• The 15 field goals made are the second lowest total this year by the Green & White.
• 26.3% from the field is the worst shooting percentage put up by this year's team.
• The Seahawks knocked down just a pair of three-pointers on Saturday against SFBK, their lowest total from beyond the arc this season.

 
AT THE HELM...

• Third year head coach Bashir Mason sports a 46-39 career record as he is in his third season manning the sidelines for the Seahawks.
• Mason, who was the youngest coach in Division I Men's Basketball prior to the start of this season (Dana Ford: Tennessee State), has led the Seahawks to back-to-back Northeast Conference semifinal appearances.
• On the opposite bench, Glenn Braica, is in his fifth season at the helm of the Terriers compiling a 76-71 overall record during this span. Being named the 17th head coach in the history of the St. Francis Brooklyn men's basketball program, he is already the fifth winningest coach at the school.
• Under his tutelage, St. Francis Brooklyn has qualified for the NEC Tournament all four seasons while he was honored as a finalist for the prestigious Skip Prosser Man of the Year.

 
BURTON CHATTER...

• Wagner senior guard Marcus Burton (Charlotte, NC/David W. Butler) has now led the Seahawks in scoring in each of the last 11 games, averaging 23.1 ppg over that span.
• Last week, he put up 17.5 ppg, including 22 against Sacred Heart on Thursday.
• Burton leads the NEC in overall (18.5) and conference (21.8) scoring.
• The fourth-year shooting guard is among the top-50 scorers in the nation as he ranks 39th in the NCAA.
• The Charlotte, NC native also needs just five more steals for 100 in his career. Currently, he has amassed 1,035 points, 206 rebounds, 164 assists and 95 steals.

 
CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS...

• Wagner, through games played of 2/9/15, rank 8th out of 355 ranked in the NCAA in Offensive Rebounds Per Game, pulling down 14.7 per contest. West Virginia leads the nation in this category at 17.36 per game.
• Against Sacred Heart on January 29, junior forward Mike Aaman (Hazlet, NJ/Rhode Island) nabbed 14 rebounds, his second double-figure rebounding performance of the season. The team grabbed 46 total rebounds is the also good for the sixth highest total among NEC teams.
• In the Central Connecticut contest on January 24th, sophomore forward Greg Senat (Elmont, NY/Elmont) pulled down 15 rebounds, which tied the seventh highest mark set in the Northeast Conference this season.
• On two occasions this season, the Seahawks held a +22 advantage on the boards, outmuscling Central Connecticut, 54-32 on January 31st and back on January 17th at Fairleigh Dickinson (41-to-19).

 
LAST FIVE FOR THE SEAHAWKS...

• Wagner is 2-3 in their last five games.
• The Seahawks are 2-1 at home during this stretch.
• The Green & White are a +8.4 on the glass, outmuscling their opponents, 42.6-to-34.2 (80-to-39 on the offensive end).
• Marcus Burton is averaging 20.2 ppg over the last five games while forward Mike Aaman is posting 10.3 points and 10.3 rebounds over his last five games.

 
ROAD BLOCK...

• The Seahawks are just 1-11 in road contests this season, with the lone triumph coming on January 17th against Fairleigh Dickinson.
• Prior to the contest with the Knights, the team was 0-9, averaging just 64.0 points while shooting 38.6 percent from the floor and 30.8 percent from three-point range.
• In that contest against Fairleigh Dickinson, Wagner finished the game shooting 50.0 percent from the floor and connected on 83.9 percent from the free-throw line, their third highest conversion rate of the season.

 
TALE OF TWO HALVES…

• This season, Wagner has shown that, statistically, they are a better second half squad then a first half team. In the first half of games this season, the team is averaging 30.4 ppg while shooting 39.1% from the field, 31.8 percent from long-range while converting on 63.1% from the free-throw line while grabbing an average of 18.0 caroms a contest.
• After the halftime break, the Green & White are averaging 37.5 ppg while shooting the ball at a 41.4 percent clip and increasing their production at the free-throw, cashing in at 71.0 percent.

 
MORE-OR-LESS: ITS A BROOKLYN-STATEN ISLAND THING...

• For the second time in a five-day span, Wagner and St. Francis Brooklyn will meet, this time it will be a homecoming of sorts.
• Wagner Assistant Sports Information Director and Brooklyn native, Brian Mo­rales, served as the Assistant SID at SFBK for seven years and is an alum of the school, is in his first season at Wagner, covering the men's basketball program. The Terriers defeated the Seahawks on Saturday and look to even the season series on Thursday night.

 
TIP INS...

• Wagner leads the NEC in rebounding margin in league play at +6.3 per game.
• Over their first ten games of the season (2-8 overall record), the Seahawks were only converting 60.9% from the free-throw line.
• Over the next 13 games (6-7 record), Wagner is shooting 72.8% from the charity stripe.
• In close games (3 points or fewer), the Seahawks are 2-2 this season.
• In Thursday contests, Wagner is 3-3 on the season, 3-1 at home. Burton, in those six games, is averaging 24.2 points per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from beyond the arc while hitting 80.0 percent from the free-throw line.
• Mike Aaman is averaging 10.3 points per game and 10.3 rebounds over his last four games. Aaman has pulled down at least five or more rebounds in nine of the ten games he has played this season.
• When senior guard Marcus Burton scores in double-figures, the team is 9-10 on the year.
• Burton is a two-time Northeast Conference Player of the Week honoree, the first Seahawk to win the accolade in consecutive weeks.
• When freshman guard JoJo Cooper has five or more helpers, the team is 7-5 on the season.
• Freshman guard Corey Henson is tallying 11.3 points per game in that span while garnering four starts. Mike Aaman has seen action in two Thursday tilts, averaging 10.0 points and 11.0 rpg.

 
UP NEXT FOR WAGNER...

• The Seahawks will look for the season sweep on Saturday, February 14, as they welcome Fairleigh Dickinson to the Spiro Sports Center.
• Wagner picked up its their first road triumph of the season when the Seahawks defeated the Knights, 82-68, at Stratis Arena inside the Rothman Center back on January 17.

 
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.