Pictured Above: Sophomore guard Aaren Edmead (Dave Saffran)

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Wagner College Defeats St. Francis Brooklyn, 64-61, Setting Up First-Place Showdown (Cormac Gordon, Staten Island Advance)

Postgame Press Conference: Head Coach Bashir Mason and sophomore guard Aaren Edmead

Joey Wahler Speaks With Head Coach Bashir Mason After 64-61 Victory Over St. Francis Brooklyn


Staten Island, NY – Sophomore guard Aaren Edmead (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) netted a career-high 16 points to pace a total of four Seahawks in double figures as Wagner held on to a 64-61 win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday evening.
 
With the victory, Wagner improves to 13-7; 6-3 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play while the Terriers fall to 8-14 overall and 4-5 in league action. 
 
Additionally, tonight's victory marks the first time since the 2011-2012 season in which Wagner took the season series from the Terriers. Wagner defeated SFBK, 90-50 on December 3, 2011, and again on January 19, 2012, in Brooklyn Heights, 73-61.
 
Edmead, who logged just 12.7 minutes before this evening's contest, found his stroke from the floor, finishing 6-of-9 from the field and tied his career-best with four made three-pointers in 30 minutes of action. 
 
For the 28th time in his career, sophomore guard Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) scored in double-figures as he added 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field. 
 
Junior guard Michael Carey (Nassau, Bahamas/Lamar Consolidated [San Jacinto College]) saw his double-double streak halted at four games but finished with 12 points, seven caroms, and a game-high three steals.  Graduate forward Henry Brooks (New Orleans, LA/Miller Grove [University of Pennsylvania]) added 10 points, six rebounds, and two blocks in 25 minutes of play.
 
Yunus Hopkinson led all scorers with 18 points, 16 of which coming in the second half.  Chris Hooper, who went for 22 in the first meeting against Wagner, was the only other Terrier in double-figures, with 13 points. 
 
SFBK jumped out to an early 7-2 lead while limiting the Seahawks to 1-for-5 start from the field.
 
St. Francis Brooklyn, the defending regular season champions from a year ago, took its final lead of the game at the 10:44 mark of the first half, as Hooper muscled his way for two in the paint. 
 
Over a near ten minute stretch, Wagner found its rhythm, sparking a 20-8 run which found the Seahawks up 22-15 with 5:43 showing before halftime.
 
The Seahawks offense converted on 50.0 percent from the floor while causing seven Terrier turnovers' and limiting St. Francis Brooklyn to just 30.0 percent. Henson and Carey combined to score 13 of the team's 20 points during this stretch.
 
Both teams traded baskets over the final 5:30 of the half, with Wagner entering the break with a 34-27 advantage.
 
Wagner took its largest lead of the game, 53-44, as Edmead connected on his third three-pointer of the game off the feed from classmate JoJo Cooper (Wilmington, DE/Concord).
 
St. Francis Brooklyn clawed its way back, though, as a 15-9 spurt found the visitors trailing but just three, 62-59, with a minute left in regulation.  Hopkinson and Hooper combined for 10 of the 15 points to bring the Terriers back in the contest.
 
The Terriers momentum was thwarted, however, as redshirt senior guard Dwaun Anderson (Suttons Bay, MI/Suttons Bay [Michigan State]) was able to drain a left-handed floater, over two Terrier defenders, which propelled the lead back to five, 64-59. 
 
St. Francis Brooklyn forward Keon Williams came up with an offensive rebound off a missed three-pointer from Hopkinson, was fouled, and converted a pair of free throws to bring SFBK within three, 64-61, with 12 seconds on the clock.
 
The Terriers intentionally fouled Anderson, who misfired on the front end of a one-and-one.
 
St. Francis didn't have any timeouts remaining and put its trust in Hopkinson. The Seahawks contested his three-point attempt, as the ball ricocheted off the back, left iron. Neither team was able to secure the rebound before time expired.
 
For the first time in eight games, Wagner was outrebounded on the glass, 43-37, but the Seahawks dished out 11 assists, four of which coming from Cooper.
 
Wagner will head down to Emmitsburg, MD on Saturday, as the Seahawks will square off against the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers at Knott Arena for a 3:00 p.m. tipoff.
 
It will be a battle of one vs. two as the Mountaineers are currently 7-2 in league play after defeating Robert Morris, 70-49 on Thursday.  Wagner is tied with Fairleigh Dickinson at 6-3 after the Knights beat Saint Francis U, 86-82, in overtime in Hackensack, NJ.

 
Follow Wagner Athletics on Facebook (facebook.com/WagnerAthletics), Twitter (@wagnerathletics), Instagram (@wagnerathletics) and YouTube (@WagnerSeahawks) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department. Follow Wagner MBasketball on Twitter (@Wagner_MBB) for the latest news and updates on the 2015-16 Wagner Men's Basketball team and head coach Bashir Mason (@BashirMason) for news on the fourth-year head coach.