Game Notes: Wagner | LIU Brooklyn
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Staten Island Advance Preview (Cormac Gordon)
Brooklyn, NY - The Wagner men's basketball team, fresh off of Thursday night's tough 66-65 home loss to Bryant, kicks off a three-game road stretch that closes out the Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season, with a road tile at LIU Brooklyn today at 4:30 p.m. in the second game of a doubleheader with the Seahawk and Blakbird women's teams squaring off at 2:00 p.m.
The Green & White are currently tied for seventh in the conference standings with Sacred Heart while the Blackbirds are tied for fifth place at (8-7) and hold a one-game llead on Wagner.
In the Seahawks' one-point loss to Bryant, junior forward
Mike Aaman (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan/Rhode Island) posted his second straight double-double, finishing with 22 points and 15 rebounds against the Bulldogs. LIU Brooklyn, meanwhile, saw its four-game winning streak come to end on the road at Mount St. Mary's on Thursday, falling 82-65, despite placing three in double-figures (Elvar Fridriksson, Martin Hermannsson and Jamil Hood) each posting 11 points.
LAST TIME OUT FOR WAGNER...- Despite junior forward Mike Aaman (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan (Rhode Island) posting his second straight double-double, recording a team and career-high 22 points while pulling down 15 rebounds, dropped a hard-fought 66-65 decision to Bryant in the Seahawks' regular season home finale on Thursday at the Spiro Sports Center.
- During a pre-game ceremony, seniors Hugo Naurais (Nimes, France/Elan Chalon) and Marcus Burton (Charlotte, NC/David W. Butler) were honored on Senior Night as each was playing in the final regular season home contests of their career.
- The rugged, 6-8 Aaman shot an efficient 10-of-15 (66.7%) from the field in 31 minutes of action. Following a 20-point, career-high 23-rebound effort in Saturday's 83-79 win over Fairleigh Dickinson, Aaman is averaging 21.0 points and 19.0 rebounds in his last two games. Over the course of his last five games, the Garden State native is averaging 13.6 points and 13.2 rebounds.
- Burton produced his 14th straigh and 51st career double-figure scoring effort as the 6-0 shooting guard tallied 14 points in 33 minutes of play. This performance increases Burton's career point total to 1,092, which puts him in sole possession of 33rd place on the all-time Wagner scoring List. Burton eclipsed Arnold Obey '68, who finished with 1,081 points, and John DiMaggio '65 who wrapped up his career with 1,088 points. Next up for Burton is Greg Clay, who sits in 32nd place with 1,099 points, and Tony Rice, who is 31st with 1,101 points.
ALL-TIME AGAINST LIU BROOKLYN...- This afternoon's contest marks the 99th all-time meeting between these two schools with LIU Brooklyn holding a 55-43 record against Wagner all time.
- The Seahawks have won the last five meetings against the Blackbirds, which included a 87-82 triumph back on January 10, in a contest that was seen live on ESPN3.
SCOUTING THE BLACKBIRDS...- LIU Brooklyn saw its season-high four-game win streak come to a halt on Thursday evening on the road at defending NEC Champion Mount St. Mary's.
- In that contest, three Blackbirds finished the game scoring 11 points (Elvar Fridriksson, Martin Hermannsson and Jamil Hood)
- LIU Brooklyn struggled from beyond the arc as the Blackbirds connected on just 3-of-19 from long range, well below their average of 32.8 percent.
- Gerrell Martin is the team's leading scorer at 11.7 points per game.
- Freshman Martin Hermannsson is posting 10.3 points while Nura Zanna, who is also in his inaugural season at LIU Brooklyn, is the team's leader in rebounding at 6.4 per contest.
- As a team, the Blackbirds are shooting close to 40.0 percent from the field while averaging 67.8 ppg.
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.
