Providence, RI - The Wagner men's basketball team concludes its two-game road trip in Providence, RI as the Seahawks square off against the Providence College Friars pf the Big East Conference on Saturday in a Noon tip-off at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.
This contest will be nationally televised on Fox Sports One (FS1) as Alex Faust and Vin Parise call the action.
The Green & White earned their first win since November 22, snapping a three-game losing streak with a 68-66 win over the Morgan State University Bears on December 10 in Baltimore, MD while the Friars extended their win streak to four, topping Massachusetts at home, 75-69.
Series History: Saturday's contest is just the fourth all-time meeting between the schools with the Friars holding a 3-0 advantage in the head-to-head series. The Seahawks and Friars are playing for the first time since December 29, 1988, when Wagner traveled to the Dunkin' Donuts Center and lost 93-57. The 12/29/88 game pitted Wagner's Neil Kennett and former PC and Texas head coach, Rick Barnes. This series first started back on February 26, 1947, when Wagner Hall of Famer Herb Sutter and Providence's Lawrence Drew were manning the sidelines.
All-Time Against The BIG EAST Conference: All-time, the Seahawks are 7-52 against the current members of the Big East Conference. Last season, Wagner faced three teams from the conference (St. John's, Seton Hall and Creighton). The only schools Wagner hasn't seen from the Big East are Butler, Marquette, and Xavier.
Scouting The Providence College Friars: Predicted to finish ninth in the Big East Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Friars are currently 8-2 on the season and are 4-1 in their last five contests. All-time, Providence is 53-12 against teams from the Northeast Conference (NEC), which includes its 64-48 victory over the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers on Nov. 21. Providence has held its opponents to under 60 points for the season (59.4 ppg), which ranks first in the Big East and ninth in the nation. After losing consensus Second-Team All-American Kris Dunn to the NBA Draft this past summer, along with Ben Bentil, junior forward Rodney Bullock is the team's leading scorer at 21.3 ppg and its top rebounder at 6.8 per contest. Through 10 games, the 6-8, 225-pound Bullock leads the BIG EAST in scoring and is fifth in the circuit in rebounding. Bullock is shooting 50.0 percent from the field (71-142) while also converting on 40.0 percent from beyond the arc (20-50). Emmit Holt, a 6-7, 225-pound junior forward is averaging 14.0 ppg while shooting a team-best 52.3 percent from the floor, to go with 5.6 caroms a game.
Common Foes: Wagner and Providence have two common opponents on this season's ledger. The Seahawks and Friars both played UMass with the Green & White falling in Amherst, 62-55, back on Nov. 30 while the Friars earned a 75-69 win over the Minutemen in their most recent contest on December 10. Providence took on St. Francis Brooklyn back on November 21, winning 64-48, while the Seahawks meet on the Terriers in NEC play on January 28 in Staten Island and February 18 in Brooklyn Heights.
Henson Zeroing In On 1,000 Career Points: Junior guard
Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) is closing in on becoming the 43rd member of the 1,000 career point club as he enters the Providence contest with 848 career points. The most recent member of the Wagner 1,000 point club was guard Marcus Burton ['14].
Seahawks Logging The Minutes: Through the first eight games of the 2016-17 season, three Seahawks are among the top-10 in the NEC in minutes played. Junior guard
JoJo Cooper (Wilmington, DE/Concord) is currently leading the circuit, averaging 36.14 minutes a contest. For his career, Cooper averages 25.6 minutes per game. Second on the list is senior guard
Michael Carey (Nassau, Bahamas/Lamar Consolidated [San Jacinto College]), at 36.0 minutes. Henson ranks sixth in the league at 34.14 minutes a game, which is nearly five minutes more than his career average of 29.3 per game.
Three-Ball Galore: The Seahawks have connected on at least one made three-pointer in 376 straight contests. The last time the Seahawks didn't convert a three-pointer was back on February 28, 2004, at home against NEC-foe, Mount St. Mary's in which the Green & White was held to 0-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc.
Controlling The Glass: Wagner has outrebounded its opponents in five of eight games this season. Against UMass Lowell (11/14), the Seahawks outmuscled the River Hawks by 22, despite losing, 87-76. Against UMass (11/30), both teams grabbed an identical 31 caroms. Last season, Wagner outrebounded its opposition by double figures in 17 games.
Second Chances: Against Rider on 11/26, Wagner scored 21 of its 67 points thanks to second-chance opportunities while the Broncs were limited to 12 points in the same category. On the season, Wagner is averaging 12.0 points off second chances while their opponents are tallying 9.6 points.
Painting A Picture: Wagner has scored 216 of its 541 total points from inside the paint, which is 40.0 percent of its total scoring. Against American (11/22), the Seahawks tallied a season-high 40 points in the paint. At Morgan State (12/10), the Green & White posted their second-highest scoring total from down low, netting 36 of its 68 points inside, while outscoring the Bears 36-10 in the paint.
Halftime Dominance: When leading at the half under fifth-year head coach
Bashir Mason, the Seahawks have posted an overall record of 56-9.This season, the Green & White have entered the intermission with the lead in six of the eight games and are 3-3 in those contests.
Up Next For Wagner: The Seahawks conclude the non-conference portion of their schedule on Thursday, December 22 when they take on local rival, the College of Staten Island Dolphins, at 7:00 p.m.
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