Pictured Above: Freshman guard Tyler Plummer (Credit: Dave Saffran)
 

Staten Island, NY  –  On the heels of a thrilling 71-70 come-from-behind victory on Saturday against American, the Wagner College men's basketball team looks for its second straight win as the Seahawks host the College of Staten Island Dolphins at the Spiro Sports Center.
 
Seahawk Three-Pointers:

• This evening's contest marks the third straight season these two schools, who are separated by a mere four miles, will be facing one other.
• The Seahawks, who are riding a five-game win streak over the Dolphins, have outscored CSI by an average of 38 games in their last two head-to-head contests (88.5-50.5).
• Sophomore guard Blake Francis (Herndon, VA/Westfield) currently ranks second in the Northeast Conference (NEC) in scoring at 21.0 ppg. 

All-Time Series:  

• Tuesday night's contest between the Seahawks and the Dolphins marks the 17th all-time meeting between the schools with Wagner leading by a 13-3 edge.

The Coaches: 

• Wagner's Bashir Mason is in his sixth year on the sidelines and holds an 89-70 overall record. Coach Mason is 2-0 against the College of Staten Island.
• T.J. Tibbs, is in his first year at CSI after replacing longtime head coach Tony Petosa, is squaring off against the Seahawks for the first time. 

Scouting The College of Staten Island Dolphins: 

• The College of Staten Island Dolphins are looking to get back to the .500 mark after suffering a 95-65 defeat at Lebanon Valley on November 18 as part of the Rinso Marquette Tournament. 
• In that contest, two Dolphins finished in double figures, led by Christian Taylor, who poured in a game-best 24 points, on 10-of-15 shooting from the field, in 28 minutes of play. Darryl Bryant added ten points and four rebounds in his 11 minutes of action. 
• As a whole, Staten Island shot 36.2 percent from the field and was held to just 27.3 percent from long range. 
• Adeola Latunji is the team's leading scorer, averaging 17.0 ppg over the team's first three contests. Taylor is the team's leading rebounder at 7.7 caroms a contest while Latunji is pulling down 6.3 caroms per game.
• The Dolphins enjoyed one of their finer seasons in program history a year ago, going a perfect 16-0 in conference play while finishing the year at 21-7 with an appearance in the first round of the NCAA DIII National Championships. 

Last Time Out: vs. American University (November 18, 2017):

• Trailing by a 69-64 count with 1:09 showing on the game clock, the Wagner men's basketball team scored six of the last seven points in the game's final 53 seconds to pull out a pulsating 71-70 come-from-behind home-opening win over the American University Eagles at the Spiro Sports Center on Saturday.
• With the victory, Wagner improves to 2-1 on the season while American falls to 0-3 on the young season. Additionally, today's victory moves the Seahawks to 5-1 under sixth-year head coach Bashir Mason in home openers and runs the program's overall record to 162-87 since the Spiro Sports Center opened back on February 20, 1999. 
• Sophomore guard Blake Francis poured in a career-high 24 points while junior small forward Elijah Davis added a career-high 18. Davis and Francis were particularly clutch down the stretch from the free throw line as this guard tandem went a combined 15-of-15 from the charity stripe on the day, including a combined five-of-five down the stretch.

Francis Fury:

• It was another strong week for sophomore guard Blake Francis, who put up 20.5 points per game and shot 50.0 percent from three-point range, making 9-of-18 from outside the arc.
• Francis hit 5-of-9 from long distance in a 17-point outing against SEC member, Missouri.
• The second-year Seahawk tacked on four more trifectas in a career-high 24-point performance as the Seahawks rallied late to post a 71-70 win over Patriot League member, American, in the Green & White's home opener. 
• Francis' two-freebies with 13 seconds remaining proved to be the game-winning points for Wagner, who is now 2-1 on the season.

Flipping The Script:

• Over the first three games of the season, the Seahawks are 2-1. 
• This marks the first time under sixth-year head coach Bashir Mason that Wagner has recorded two or more victories over their first three games as each of the five previous years, the Green & White have started out 1-2. 

Mason Vs. Non-Division I Opponents: 

• Since the 2012-13 season, Coach Mason's Seahawks are 4-0 against non-Division I members.
• This season, the Seahawks will have two matchups against non-DI opponents, CSI (11/21) and Mercy College (12/10), a Division II member from Dobbs Ferry, NY. 

Davis Stepping Up His Game In Year Number Two:

• A year ago, Wagner junior swingman Elijah Davis (Bronx, NY/Lincoln (Odessa College)) was a newcomer for the Green & White who had his moments, but played limited minutes on a team loaded with senior talent. Fast forward to this fall and Davis seems to be carving out a key role in Bashir Mason's lineup.
• On Saturday, Wagner fans saw a glimpse of his potential in the team's home opener. Davis established career-highs with 18 points and eight rebounds and served as the spark in the Seahawks' late-game rally that resulted in a 71-70 victory.
• Trailing by seven points with under three minutes to play, Davis scored seven points down the stretch, including a key three-point play with 29 seconds on the clock to pull Wagner to within one point.
• Davis, who has started all three games this season for the 2-1 Seahawks, ranks second on the team with 9.0 ppg and is the team-leader with 7.0 rpg.

Homecourt Advantage:

• Opened in 1999 as part of a $13-million-dollar campus-wide improvement, the Spiro Sports Center is a 93,000 square foot student-oriented multi-purpose athletic and recreational facility.
• The first game in the Spiro Sports Center came on February 20, 1999 when the Seahawks defeated NEC rival, Fairleigh Dickinson, 78-56. 
• The first basket came at the 19:45 mark as Wagner College Hall of Famer, Frantz Pierre Louis threw down a monstrous dunk.
• From that point, Wagner has played, including postseason, 249 home games at the Spiro Sports Center, compiling a 162-87 record in those contests (.649 winning percentage).
• Under Coach Mason, the Seahawks are 51-22 at home under his tutelage. 
• Coach Mason recorded his 50th home victory back on March 1, 2017 in the NEC Quarterfinals against Fairleigh Dickinson.

Three-Ball Galore: 

• The men's basketball team has connected on at least one made three-pointer in 401 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 that contest, Wagner was held to 0-of-13 from long range.

Next Up For Wagner:

• Wagner closes out the first month of the season with a road trip to West Hartford, CT to tangle with the University of Hartford Hawks on Sunday, November 26. 

 
 

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