Staten Island, NY – The Wagner men's basketball team welcomes Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) member, Fairfield University, to the Spiro Sports Center for the Seahawks' home opener. 

This marks the third straight season that Wagner will play at home following two straight road contests to open the season. In 2014-15, the Green & White began the year at Maryland and then traveled to Columbia before hosting SUNY Old Westbury.  Last season, Wagner opened the 2015-16 campaign against Big East members, St. John's and Seton Hall before welcoming the University of Maine to Staten Island.  

The Green & White have won its last six home openers. The last time Wagner didn't was on Nov. 21, 2009, as Stony Brook defeated the Seahawks, 72-48. Saturday's contest will be streamed live on NEC Front Row, the official online digital network of the Northeast Conference and Wagner Athletics.  

Series History: Fairfield leads the overall head-to-head series with Wagner, 4-1. The Green & White earned its first victory of the series back on December 18, 2015, a 76-62 win at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT. 

All-Time Against The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC): Wagner is 96-208 all-time against the current members of the MAAC. The only school the Seahawks haven't played from the league is Canisius.  Marist, Monmouth, and Rider were all original members of the Northeast Conference before accepting the move to the MAAC. Wagner is .500 or better against two schools from the conference: Niagara (1-1) and Quinnipiac (16-13).  

Seahawks Received Votes In AP Top-25 Poll:  After sparking one of the biggest wins in program history while rattling the entire college basketball landscape on opening night (November 11), the Wagner men's basketball team found themselves receiving two votes in the AP Top-25 Coaches' Poll for Week 2, announced on Monday morning.

#CHAOSonthehill Shows In CollegeInsider.com Poll: On Monday, November 14, the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll was announced, and the Seahawks were slotted No. 14 after its impressive 67-58 at then No. 18|16 ranked and four-time NCAA Champions, the UCONN Huskies. One opponent on the Seahawks 2016-17 ledger was also ranked in the Mid-Major Poll as the Monmouth University Hawks garnered the No. 4 spot, jumping one spot after being ranked No. 5 during the preseason. 

Mike Aaman Earns Lou Henson Award National Player of the Week Honors: Redshirt senior forward Mike Aaman (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan [Rhode Island]) was tabbed the Lou Henson Award National Player of the Week, CollegeInsider.com announced on Monday afternoon.  A force in the paint for the Green & White and a key player in one of the biggest victories in program history, Aaman finished with 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds as Wagner defeated the four-time NCAA National Champions, No. 18|16 ranked UCONN Huskies, 67-58, at Gampel Pavilion. 

Aaman Tabbed Northeast Conference (NEC) Player of the Week: The Northeast Conference (NEC) announced on Monday afternoon that the first Player of the Week honor for the 2016-17 men's basketball season comes from Grymes Hill, as 6-8 redshirt senior forward Mike Aaman picked up this accolade for his performance in Friday night's momentous 67-58 win at No. 18|16 UCONN. For Aaman, his NEC Player of the Week marks the first time that he has received this citation. 

Mr. Double-Double:  Senior guard Michael Carey (Nassau, Bahamas/Lamar Consolidated [San Jacinto College]) picked up his 16th career double-double against UMass Lowell (11/14/16), in which he tallied 11 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. Last season, Carey ranked third in the NEC with 15 double-doubles, 12 of which coming against NEC-opponents. 

DOUBLE-DOUBLES IN UNDER HEAD COACH BASHIR MASON:

Player	No. of Double-Doubles	Season
Michael Carey	15	2015-16
Mike Aaman	3	2014-15
Mario Moody	3	2013-14
Orlando Parker	2	2013-14
Kenneth Ortiz	2	2012-13
Jonathon Williams	2	2012-13
Dwaun Anderson	1	2015-16
JoJo Cooper	1	2015-16
Romone Saunders	1	2014-15
Stedman Allen	1	2014-15
Naofall Folahan	1	2013-14
Kenneth Ortiz	1	2013-14
Mario Moody	1	2012-13

There Is No Place Like Home:  Wagner finished 13-4 at the Spiro Sports Center in 2015-16 and ran its record to 54-18 at home over the last five years.  Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) finished the 2015-16 season averaging 15.2 ppg in 17 games at the Spiro Sports Center while shooting 44.9 percent from the floor and 37.1 percent from three-point range in 31.6 minutes. Henson also connected at an 83.0 percent from the free-throw line. Carey averaged a double-double at home in 2015-16, recording 14.2 ppg and 10.9 rpg in 17 games, 13 of which he started. The Nassau, Bahamas native shot 51.5 percent from the field. Under fifth-year head coach Bashir Mason, the Seahawks are 42-15 at home and all-time, Wagner is 153-79 since the Spiro Sports Center opened on February 20, 1999. On that day, Wagner played FDU and defeated the Knights, 78-56.  

Back-To-Back Losses A Rarity For Wagner: Last season, the Seahawks didn't lose back-to-back games since dropping a pair on November 13-15 when the Green & White fell to Big East members, St. John's (66-57) and at Seton Hall (69-59) to open the 2015-16 season. 

Common Foes: Wagner and Fairfield have three common opponents for the 2016-17 season.  Wagner will play Rider at home on November 26 and welcome Monmouth on December 6.  Fairfield will wait to play those two during MAAC-play. Fairfield kicked off the season against Sacred Heart, who Wagner will see twice when NEC commences. 

Up Next For Wagner:  The Seahawks will hit the road for the third time in four games as they travel to our Nation's Capital (Washington, D.C.) to tangle with Patriot League member, American University. Tipoff from Bender Arena is slated for 7:30 p.m. Wagner returns to the Spiro Sports Center on November 26 as they welcome its second MAAC opponent of the season, the Rider University Broncs at 4:00 p.m.