Emmitsburg, MD - In completing the regular season sweep of the defending Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season champions, St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday, the Wagner men's basketball team has given itself a chance to claim the No. 1 spot in the league as the Seahawks travel to Emmitsburg, MD to tangle with first-place Mount St. Mary's on Saturday .

Wagner (13-7; 6-3 NEC), winners of three of its last four games, got a huge lift from sophomore guard Aaren Edmead (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park), who scored a career-high 16 points, to help the Seahawks edge the Terriers, 64-61 at the Spiro Sports Center.

Mount St. Mary's (10-12; 7-2 NEC) enters Saturday's contest looking for its fifth win in the last six games after the Mountaineers completed a regular season sweep of defending league champion, Robert Morris, 70-49, in Emmitsburg on Thursday. 

Saturday's battle for first place features the conference's No. 1 and No. 3 teams in terms of scoring defense. The Green & White are ranked first in that department, yielding just 63.7 ppg while the Mountaineers have allowed just 70.7 ppg. 

DID YOU KNOW: Both head coaches, Wagner's Bashir Mason, and Mount's Jamion Christian, are in their fourth seasons, and own identical 38-23 NEC records.

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INSIDE THE SERIES:

• Saturday afternoon's contest marks the 54th all-time meeting between the schools with Wagner holding a 33-20 advantage in the head-to-head series.
• These two schools first met on January 11, 1990, on Staten Island in which the Mount edged the Seahawks, 73-65.
• Last season, the teams split their two meetings with each winning on its respective home floor. 
• Wagner needed overtime to escape with the 85-83 victory back on January 5 at the Spiro Sports Center. 
• In the 2014-15 regular season finale, the Mountaineers defeated the Seahawks, 74-64

 
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS:

• Mount St. Mary's was named the 2015-16 Northeast Conference (NEC) favorite by the league head coaches in the annual preseason coaches poll.
• The Mountaineers had two members named to the Preseason All-Conference squad in BK Ashe and Gregory Graves.
• After dropping their first six contests of the season, the Mountaineers have turned on the "Mayhem," surging into first place in the league with a 7-2 mark.
• The Mount's conference defeats have come against Bryant in double overtime (82-79, 1/9/16), and on the road at Sacred Heart (76-71, 1/21/16).
• The Mount will look for its third straight win after defeating defending NEC champion Robert Morris, 70-49, on Thursday evening at Knott Arena.
• On the season, BK Ashe currently paces the squad in scoring at 14.5 ppg, which ranks sixth in the circuit, pulls down 4.1 rebounds a contest while ranking among the top-10 in the league in steals
• Junior Robinson, who is listed as 5-5 and the second shortest player in Division I, is averaging 11.1 ppg while logging 28.9 minutes a contest and shooting 81.5 percent from the free-throw line.
• Gregory Graves is the team's leading rebounder, grabbing 5.1 caroms a contest while adding 9.3 points per game.

 
WAGNER ALL-TIME VS. MARYLAND DIVISION I SCHOOLS:

• This afternoon's game marks the 92nd time that Wagner will be facing a Division I school from the state of Maryland.
• The Seahawks are 50-41 all-time vs. teams that hail from the Old Line State, owning winning records over Coppin State (2-0), Maryland-Eastern Shore (4-1), Morgan State (1-0), and Mount St. Mary's (33-20).
• The only school that Wagner hasn't faced from the state of Maryland is Navy.

 

NEXT UP FOR WAGNER:

• Wagner opens the final month of the regular season with a pair of home contests, beginning on February 4 when the Seahawks square off against the Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights at 7:00 p.m.
• The two-game homestand concludes on Saturday, February 6 when these same Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers pay a visit to the Spiro Sports Center for a 4:00 pm start.
• Both games will be streamed live on NEC Front Row with Joey Wahler calling the action courtside.

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.