Pictured Above: Freshman forward Nigel Jackson (Credit: Dave Saffran)
 

Game 5: November 26, 2017 | 2:00 PM West Hartford, CT | Chase Arena (4,017)
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West Hartford, CT  –  The Wagner College men's basketball team will look to make it three straight victories as the Seahawks close out the first month of the college basketball season on the road on Sunday afternoon in a 2:00 p.m. top against the University of Hartford Hawks.

Seahawk Three-Pointers:

• This afternoon's contest between the Seahawks and Hawks is the first-ever meeting between the schools.
• All-time, the Green & White holds an 18-16 record against current America East members. The only school the Seahawks haven't played is Binghamton.
• With a 3-1 overall record, this is the best start to a season coached under sixth-year head bench boss Bashir Mason. 

Last Time Out: vs. College of Staten Island (November 21, 2017):

• Senior guard JoJo Cooper tossed in a career-high 20 points to lead six players in double figures, as the Wagner men's basketball team breezed past the College of Staten Island (CSI), 107-64, on Tuesday night at the Spiro Sports Center.
• Sophomore guard Blake Francis was Wagner's second-leading scorer with 19 points, 15 coming in the second half on 5-of-9 shooting in the frame. Junior guard Devin Liggeons netted a season-high 14 with eight rebounds in 26 minutes of play.  
• A host of young Seahawks enjoyed career nights on this night. Redshirt freshman forward Jamar Brown tallied a career-best 13 points, buoyed by a perfect 4-of-4 shooting night from the floor. Fellow neophyte forward Nigel Jackson not only had a career-best 11 points, but he also pulled down a career and game-high 14 rebounds, but further filled the stat column with a game-high four blocks and five assists. 
• Redshirt junior forward AJ Sumbry was Wagner's sixth double-digit scorer, hitting for a season-best 10 points, one shy of his career high. Freshman guard Chase Freeman made his presence felt, producing nine points and five assists, both career highs.
• Junior Elijah Davis added seven, while freshman guard Tyler Plummer chipped in with two. With six players hitting for double-figures on the evening, it was the first-time since last year on February 18, 2016 at Fairleigh Dickinson. 

All-Time Series Against The University of Hartford:

• This afternoon's contest between the Seahawks and Hawks is the first-ever meeting.

The Coaches: 

• Wagner's Bashir Mason is in his sixth year on the sidelines and holds a 90-70 overall record. Coach Mason is squaring off against Hartford for the first time in his career. 
• John Gallagher, in his eighth year at Hartford, holds a career coaching record of 90-137. Gallagher is facing Wagner for the first time in his career as well.  

Scouting The University of Hartford Hawks:

• Hartford enters play with an overall record of 3-3 after dropping a 78-73 decision at home to fellow Northeast Conference (NEC) member, Bryant University, on Friday afternoon. 
• Wagner is the fourth NEC opponent that Hartford will be matching up against this season.
• The Hawks opened the 2017-18 season at home with a 85-84 victory over the Central Connecticut Blue Devils.
• As part of the Jamaica Classic in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the Hawks dropped a 86-84 decision to the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds in the opener of the Jamaica Classic.  The Hawks will then be pitted against the Blackbirds again on November 30 in Brooklyn, NY.  
• The final NEC opponent Hartford sees this season will be Sacred Heart on December 11.
• Jason Dunne netted a career-high 36 points, in which the third-year Hawk shot 13-of-20 from the field, that included a career-best eight three-pointers. J.R. Lynch added 20 points in the contest. 
• Three players are averaging in double-figures, led by John Carroll, who is netting 17.2 points per game. Dunne is pouring in 17.0 while Lynch has added 14.5 per contest. Carroll leads the team in rebounds at 6.5 rpg.
   

• Sunday's first-ever meeting between Wagner & Hartford will feature a lot of "Hawk" talk. 
• The Seahawks will play one more school this season with a "Hawk" mascot as they will host the UMass Lowell River Hawks on December 5. 
• Wagner is 42-44 all-time against schools that feature "Hawk" as part of their identity.

• Against the current members of the America East Conference, the Green & White holds a record of 18-16. 
• This season, the Seahawks will play two schools from the conference, starting with this afternoon's game against Hartford and on December 5, Wagner will host the UMass Lowell River Hawks. 

 

• In Wagner's 107-64 home victory over local rival, the College of Staten Island Dolphins, sixth-year head coach Bashir Mason recorded his 90th career victory.
• Coach Mason, who is currently the sixth youngest head coach in Division I, is 90-70 during his tenure on Grymes Hill.
• He is just the fifth Wagner head coach to post 90 or more career victories and the third in the Division I Era of the program.

 

• Under sixth-year head coach, Bashir Mason, the 2017-18 Seahawks are off to their best start to a season, posting a 3-1 overall record over the first four games. 
• Regardless of the outcome of this afternoon's contest, this overall record will be the best start to season under coach Mason, who has led his team's to a 2-2 start in three of the last five season.

• Over the past five seasons, Wagner is 20-10 in non-conference home games.
• Overall, the Seahawks are 24-15 at home over the past two years.

• 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. 
• Since the 3-point field goal was adopted by the NCAA in 1986-87, UNLV has converted at least one 3-pointer in all 1,010 games played.
• Kentucky is the NCAA leader with 1,018 straight games.

 

• The multi-talented Jackson Five had 16 top-forty singles on the Hot 100 and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. 
• Freshman forward Nigel Jackson, no relation to the group, was born in 1999 when the group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
• The first-year Seahawk performed well-enough to be in the discussion for "Best Newcomer" as he put forth a tremendous effort against Staten Island.
• The neophyte was one of six Wagner players to score in double-figures and became the first Seahawk this season to post a double-double, finishing off with a game, team and career-high 14 caroms. 
• Jackson went 6-of-6 from the line while dishing out a team-high five assists and rejection a game-high four shots in his 27 minutes of action. 

• Sophomore guard Blake Francis has been on fire over the first four games of the season. 
• The Herndon, VA native is averaging a team-best 20.5 points per game, which ranks third among all players in the NEC. 
• His 46.7 percent shooting from the outside is sixth best in the circuit while Francis is first in three-point field goals made, averaging 3.5 per contest. 

• Redshirt junior forward AJ Sumbry recorded a season-best three rejections in the 71-70 victory over American on Saturday afternoon. 
• For the 6-8 forward, it marked the sixth time in his career that he has rejected three or more shots in a contest. 

• A year ago, junior swingman Elijah Davis 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 for the Green & White.
• Against American, he established a career-high points (18), and rebounds (8) and served as the spark in the 71-70 over the Eagles. 

• The three true freshmen in Nigel Jackson, Tyler Plummer and Chase Freeman has averaged a combined 13.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg while shooting 35.0 percent from the field.  

• Against Staten Island (November 21, 2017), senior guard JoJo Cooper produced his first career 20-point game finishing the contest with a game-high 20 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor and hitting 8-of-11 from the charity stripe in 24 minutes of action.
• Cooper is averaging 10.8 points per game over the first four games this season. Cooper is producing a similar stat line to last season's first four games and has improved over his freshman/sophomore year. 

• The month of December kicks off a three-game homestand for the Green & White as they welcome Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) members, Fairfield, to the Spiro Sports Center on December 1.
• Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.