Smithfield, RI - The Wagner men's basketball team looks for back-to-back wins for the second time this season as they travel to Smithfield, RI to take on the Bryant University Bulldogs at the Chace Athletic Center on Thursday night. The Seahawks were able to avoid losing three straight games when they defeated the Sacred Heart University Pioneers, 75-64, at the Spiro Sports Center on Saturday afternoon thanks to the performances of newly-minted NEC Co-Player of the Week, senior guard
Michael Carey and junior sharpshooter
Corey Henson, who combined for 45 points in the victory. Bryant enters Thursday's outing looking to bounce back after being edged by the defending league champions, the Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights, 87-84 in Hackensack, NJ on Saturday.
All-Time Series History: Thursday evening's contest marks only the 13th all-time meeting between the two schools with Wagner holding an 8-4 edge in the head-to-series.
Wagner will look for back-to-back wins in Smithfield, RI for the first time since rattling off three straight (2/12/09, 1/27/11 and 2/23/12). The last time the Seahawks fell to Bryant at the Chace Athletic Center was back on January 15, 2015, in which Marcus Burton ['14] scored 18 of his 31 points in the first half while finishing 10-of-23 from the floor, that included 5-of-10 from long range. The Green & White swept the season series from the Bulldogs a season ago, which included the 65-56 victory at the Spiro Sports Center back on January 7, 2016, which was broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.
The Coaches: Wagner's
Bashir Mason, the 2015-16 Jim Phelan NEC Coach of the Year, is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Wagner Seahawks, owning a career record of 77-63. Mason is 4-3 all-time against the Bryant University Bulldogs. Bryant's Tim O'Shea, who is in his ninth season at Bryant and 16th overall year on the sidelines, enters Thursday's contest with a career record of 207-266 and is 87-171 in his nine seasons on the Bulldog's sidelines. O'Shea is 4-8 all-time against Wagner.
Scouting The Bryant University Bulldogs: Predicted to finish third in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Bryant University Bulldogs enter Thursday's contest with the Seahawks with a 4-12 record and are 1-3 in league play. The Bulldogs kicked off the season with a tough non-conference slate, with games against two top-25 programs in No. 5 Gonzaga (11/18; 109-70 loss) and at No. 20 Notre Dame (11/12; 89-64 defeat). After dropping its first two conference tilts in Brooklyn (12/29 at St. Francis Brooklyn; 80-77 in overtime and 12/31 at LIU Brooklyn; 74-63), Bryant earned a 72-71 home victory over the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers back on January 5. Nisre Zouzoua is the conference's leading scorer at 21.1 ppg while tallying 22.3 in the four NEC games and pacing the circuit in 3-point field goals made at 2.81 a contest. Adam Grant, who is the team's second-leading scorer at 14.3 ppg (7th in the NEC), is among the top-15 in assists per game (2.94), free-throw percentage (77.3)and fourth in minutes played at 34.8. Last season's NEC Rookie of the Year, Marcel Pettway, is pouring in 10.6 ppg (27th in the NEC) while pulling down 6.4 caroms a contest (9th-best in the league) and is second in field goal percentage at 60.3 percent. As a whole, Bryant is shooting 44.4% from the floor, 31.5% from three-point range and 71.8 percent from the free-throw line.
Carey Tabbed NEC Co-Player Of The Week: Wagner senior guard
Michael Carey (Nassau, Bahamas/Lamar Consolidated [San Jacinto College] has been named NEC Co-Player of the Week, along with LIU Brooklyn's Jerome Frink, the Northeast Conference (NEC) announced today. For Carey, this marks the third time in his Seahawk career that he's claimed Player of the Week honors, with the previous two times coming last season (February 1, 2016/February 29, 2016). This marks the second time this year that a Wagner player has claimed the weekly distinction, as redshirt senior forward
Mike Aaman (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan [University of Rhode Island]) earned the season's first NEC Player of the Week honor following his impressive performance in the victory at then-nationally ranked UConn. Carey comes off an outstanding week for the Seahawks that saw him average 21.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and hit all 14 of his free throw attempts, while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor. He scored 21 points and grabbed a career and NEC single-game season-high 22 rebounds in a one-point setback to first place Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday, in game that was nationally broadcast on
CBS Sports Network. In doing so, the versatile 6'5" Carey became just the sixth player in NEC history with at least 22 boards in a game and one of seven NEC players in the last 20 years to finish with 20 points and 20 rebounds in a contest. In a 75-64 win over Sacred Heart on Saturday, Carey scored all 21 of his points in the second half as the Seahawks broke open a close game in the final five minutes. For the season, the Nassau, Bahamas product is averaging 11.8 ppg and ranks second in the NEC with 8.8 rpg on the year. In conference-only contests (four games), the senior guard is hitting for 14.3 ppg. on 46.6 percent shooting from the floor, while pulling down 11.0 rebounds a contest in 32.5 minutes per game. In addition, Carey is converting on 93.3 percent (14-of-15) from the free throw line.
Henson Closing In On 1,000 Points: Junior guard
Corey Henson (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) is closing in on pace to become the 43rd member of the 1,000 career points club as he enters the Bryant contest with 910 career points. After averaging 9.1 ppg in his freshman year (273), Henson has netted a total 613 points between his sophomore and 12 games of his junior campaign, which translates to 13.3 ppg over that span. The last member to join the Wagner 1,000 point club was guard Marcus Burton ['14].
Carey Posts Fifth-Best Rebounding Total In NEC History: Against the defending league champions, the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (1/5/17), senior guard
Michael Carey grabbed 22 rebounds, tying him for the fifth-most ever in a single-NEC contest.
ALL-TIME NORTHEAST CONFERENCE SINGLE-GAME REBOUNDING
Controlling The Glass: Wagner has outrebounded its opponents in 10 of 14 games this season. Against local rival, Staten Island (12/22), the Green & White outmuscled the Dolphins by a staggering 32, 58-26 in its 52-point victory (94-42). Twice this season, the Seahawks and their opponents grabbed the same amount of boards, back on Nov. 30 @ UMass (31) and most recently against Sacred Heart (1/7/17) (37). Last season, Wagner had outrebounded its opposition by double-figures in 17 games.
Halftime Dominance: When leading at the half under fifth-year
Bashir Mason, the Seahawks have posted an overall record of 59-10. This season, the Green & White have entered the intermission with the lead in nine of the thirteen games.
Four Score In Double Figures; Five times this year, four or more Seahawks finished the game netting double-figures. Wagner is 28-10 over the last five seasons in which four or more players score in double-digits.
Hitting The 3 Consecutively: The men's basketball team has connected on at least one made three-pointer in 382 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 from three. Against Central Connecticut (12/29), the Seahawks made a season-high 11 three-pointers.
Up Next For Wagner: The Seahawks return home to face off against the Robert Morris University Colonials on Saturday, January 14 at 4:00 p.m.
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