Pictured Above: Redshirt junior guard Romone Saunders (Credit: Dave Saffran)
 

Game 10: December 20, 2017 | 7:00 PM Wagner College Seahawks (7-2) @ #23|#22 Seton Hall University (9-2) Newark, NJ  | Prudential Center (18,711)
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Newark, NJ  –  The Wagner men's basketball team gears up for the second game of a three-game road stretch when the Seahawks make the short drive to Newark, NJ to tangle with the #23 | #22 ranked Seton Hall University Pirates of the Big East at the Prudential Center on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. 
Seahawk Three-Pointers:

• This evening's contest marks Wagner's first-ever game at the Prudential Center. 
• Both teams are looking to bounce back after seeing their lengthy win streaks snapped on Saturday. The Green & White had its six-game win streak end in overtime at Rider while the Pirates saw its streak broken on the road at Rutgers.
• Wednesday night's contest is the first time in program history that the Seahawks are facing a team that is ranked #23 in the Associated Press (AP) Poll. 

Last Time Out: vs. Rider  (December 16, 2017): 

• Free throws down the stretch proved to be the difference as the Wagner men's basketball team saw its six-game winning streak snapped as Rider held on for a 90-84 overtime win at Alumni Gymnasium on Saturday.
• Three Seahawks finished in double figures, led by sophomore guard Blake Francis, who poured in a career-high 25 points, eclipsing the 20-point mark for the fifth time in his career and fourth this season. In addition, Francis has now scored 17 or more points in all nine games. Senior guard JoJo Cooper notched his fifth career double-double, finishing with 19 points and 11 assists, while redshirt junior forward AJ Sumbry notched the second double-double of his career, finishing with 12 points and 13 rebounds, both of which are career highs.
• The Seahawks welcomed redshirt junior guard Romone Saunders back to the lineup from injury. The 6-3 Maryland product made his season debut when he checked into the contest at the 11:23 mark of the first half, and provided a lift, finishing with nine points on 3-of-6 shooting in 20 minutes of action. For Saunders, this marked his first action since November 11, 2016, when he scored 15 points in a win over then 18th-ranked UConn.
• In the extra session, the Seahawks scored first as junior combo guard Elijah Davis was able to bank home layup opportunity, giving Wagner a 73-71 advantage. The Broncs then scored six straight, in taking a 79-73 lead with 3:02 left in the first overtime. The visitors outscored the Broncs,7-2, over the next 1:30, in trimming the lead to one, 81-80 with 1:33 left to go. 
• Following a Rider layup that extended the home team's lead to 83-80, Cooper hit two more from the line, cutting the deficit to one, 83-82, with under a minute left in the extra session.
• Rider was then able to close out the contest by scoring seven of the game's final nine points, helped by making 7-of-8 from the line, in escaping with the six-point win.

All-Time Series Against Seton Hall:

• This evening's contest marks the 29th all-time meeting between the programs with Seton Hall leading 22-6 in the head-to-head series.  
• Wednesday night's meeting is the first time that both Wagner and Seton Hall are playing each other inside the Prudential Center.
• The Pirates are riding an eight-game win streak over the Seahawks, after taking a 69-59 victory back on November 15, 2015 when these two last met at Walsh Gymnasium.
• The last time Wagner was victorious over the Pirates was on January 31, 1979, when the Seahawks edged Seton Hall, 95-90, in double overtime.
• Wagner's coach at the time was eventual three-time NBA Champion, Wagner Hall of Famer and former SHU coach, PJ Carlesimo.

All-Time Vs. The Big East Conference:

• Against the current members of the Big East Conference, the Green & White are 8-52 all-time against the 10-team conference.

Wagner All-Time Record Vs. The Big East

SCHOOL	RECORD	LAST MEETING	W/L
Butler	---	---	---
Creighton	0-1	3/19/2016	Lost, 87-54
DePaul	0-2	1/18/1981	Lost, 90-75
Georgetown	0-2	2/9/1980	Lost, 89-75
Marquette	---	---	---
Providence	0-4	12/17/2016	Lost, 76-54
Seton Hall	6-22	11/15/2015	Lost, 69-59
St. John's	2-17	11/13/2015	Lost, 66-57
Villanova	0-4	12/7/1985	Lost, 85-62
Xavier	---	---	---
TOTALS	8-52

Scouting The Seton Hall University Pirates:

• Seton Hall, who enters play ranked #23 in the AP Top-25 poll and #22 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, saw its five-game winning streak end as the Pirates fell to local rival and Big Ten member, Rutgers, 71-65, in the Garden State Hardwood Classic on Saturday afternoon at the Rutgers Athletic Center. 
• Sophomore Myles Powell scored a team-best 18 points while Angel Delgado grabbed 21 rebounds. In addition to Powell, Desi Rodriguez finished with 15 points while Ismael Sanogo and Khadeen Carrington each had 10 points. 
• As a nationally-ranked team, the Pirates are 149-50 all-time. 
• Seton Hall has four players averaging double-figures, led by Rodriguez, who is netting 19.0 ppg while shooting a blistering 54.8 percent from the field, good for fourth in the Big East. Powell is the team's second-leading scorer at 14.4 ppg while shooting 46.6 percent. Delgado, averaging 13.2 ppg and pulling down a team-best 10.8 rebounds a game, second-best in their conference (Jessie Govan, Georgetown, 12.4). 
• The Pirates are averaging 80.4 ppg while hitting 48.6% from the field and 35.5% from deep. 

Coach Mason Approaching The Century Mark For Career Wins:

• In Wagner's 75-41 home victory over Division II members Mercy College, sixth-year head coach Bashir Mason recorded his 94th career victory.
• Coach Mason, who is currently the sixth-youngest head coach in Division I, is 94-70 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.

 

Wagner Coach	Career Record	Years Coached
Herb Sutter	352-252	1937-1965
Tim Capstraw	117-164	1989-1999
Chester Sellitto	97-89	1965-1972
Mike Deane	95-113	2003-2010
BASHIR MASON	94-71	2012-present
Neil Kennett	81-115	1982-1989
Dereck Whittenburg	67-50	1999-2003
P.J. Carlesimo	65-93	1976-1982
Dan Hurley	38-23	2010-2012
Bill Keegan	29-25	1934-1937
John C. Goodwin	26-73	1972-1976
Elmer Ripley	23-22	1922-1925
Ray Kirschmeyer	16-36	1929-1934
Joseph Flotten	10-4	1925-1926
John Futchs	8-10	1926-1927
John Morris	7-19	1927-1929
Erastus LaRue Ely	1-4	1920-1921
Walter B. Peterson	1-6	1921-1922

Wagner's Non-Conference Slate In Perspective:

• Despite an overtime loss at Rider on Saturday, Wagner's 7-2 record in in non-conference play ranks among the elite non-conference starts in Northeast Conference (NEC) history.
• Robert Morris holds the record for the best non-conference campaign, going 8-1 in 2006-07, en-route to a 17-win campaign.
• Wagner, which has two challenging non-conference games remaining at Seton Hall and Dayton this week, would need at least a split in order to earn a spot on the top-10 list. The Seahawks already occupy two of the top-10 spots with a 9-2 record in 2011-12 and 7-2 mark in 2005-06.

Ten Best NEC Non-Conference Record By Percentage*

Rank	School	Record	Percentage	Season
1	Robert Morris	8-1	.889	2006-07
2	Marist	7-1	.875	1995-96
3	WAGNER	9-2	.818	2011-12
4	WAGNER ^	7-2	.778	2005-06
5	Monmouth	9-3	.750	1991-92
6	LIU Brooklyn	8-3	.727	2010-11
	Quinnipiac	8-3	.727	2010-11
	WAGNER	8-3	.727	2008-09
	LIU Brooklyn	8-3	.727	2007-08
	Monmouth	8-3	.727	1990-91
	LIU Brooklyn !	8-3	.727	1986-87

^ Includes one non-DI win | ! Includes two non-DI wins | * Does not include postseasons wins/losses


NEC Record Book Check:

• The NEC record for most non-league wins is nine, shared by five different teams.
• St. Francis Brooklyn was the last team to turn the trick back in 2013-14. 
• With seven victories, Wagner has a chance to match the mark, but would need wins on the road at Seton Hall and Dayton this week.

 

NEC Most Non-Conference Wins*

School	Record	Season
St. Francis Brooklyn *	9-6	2013-14
Robert Morris	9-4	2011-12
WAGNER	9-2	2011-12
Robert Morris	9-4	2007-08
Monmouth	9-3	1991-92

Does not include postseasons wins/losses. Including postseason games, RMU holds the record with 11 wins in 2011-12 (+2 wins in CIT)
 

• Wagner and Seton Hall, who are separated by 20.5 miles (approximately a 45-minute drive via I-278 West [without traffic]) have a few things in common.
• Both Wagner and Seton Hall saw their win streaks snapped on December 16 against a pair of New Jersey schools (Wagner lost to Rider in overtime, 90-84, while Seton Hall dropped a 71-65 tilt at Rutgers).
• Both programs were coached by three-time NBA champion, P.J. Carlesimo. Carlesimo was at the helm when Wagner began Division I play back in 1976-77 while racking up 65 wins for the Seahawks. Following the 1981-82 season, Carlesimo accepted the head coaching gig at Seton Hall, where he spent 12 seasons, compiling a 212-166 record, which the second-most wins in Pirates history (behind John "Honey" Russell, 294) and earning two Big East Coach of the Year honors.
• Current Wagner assistant coach, Donald Copeland, was an instrumental part of the Pirate program, when he donned the Blue & White. Copeland, who is in his third season on the Seahawk sidelines,  helped lead Seton Hall to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in his sophomore (2003-2004) and senior (2005-2006) seasons. In helping lead the Pirates to an 18-12 record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a senior in 2005-06, Copeland led the Hall in a host of statistical categories, including scoring (16.1 ppg), assists (4.5), steals (41), three-pointers (71) and free throw percentage (84.4). For the season, he ranked third in the Big East in assists per game (5.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.69). After being named to both the All-BIG EAST and All-Metropolitan Second Teams, Copeland was tabbed as Seton Hall's Senior Male Athlete of the Year, prior to earning his bachelor's degree in Communications and Media Studies.

 

Cooper Tabbed NEC Player Of The Week:

• Senior guard JoJo Cooper was named Northeast Conference (NEC) Player of the Week, the league office announced on Monday afternoon. For Cooper, it marks his first-ever Player of the Week citation while he has now been recognized by the conference for the second time in his career after earning Rookie of the Week accolades for the week of December 1, 2014.
• Cooper filled up the stat sheet on Saturday afternoon at Rider, finishing with his second double-double of the season and fifth of his career after netting 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field to go along with hitting eight attempts at the free-throw line.
• The Wilmington, DE native dished out a game-best 11 helpers, marking the second time over the last three games that he dished out double-digit assists while adding seven rebounds and three steals despite the Seahawks seeing its six-game win streak end in overtime, 90-84.

• One of the top all-around performances in recent NEC memory put JoJo Cooper in rare company on a national scale.
• The NEC Player of the Week finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, 11 assists and three steals in Saturday's OT setback at Rider. 
• Cooper is just the ninth player in the nation over the last five years to achieve those statistical milestones in the same game. That list includes current NBA players Dennis Smith Jr. (Mavericks), Kris Dunn (Bulls) and Elfrid Payton (Magic).

• JoJo Cooper (Wagner): 19p, 7r, 11a, 3s vs. Rider (12/16/17)
• Jon Elmore (Marshall): 32p, 9r, 12a, 3s vs. William & Mary (11/29/17)
• Isaiah Reese (Canisius): 23p, 11r, 11a, 3s vs. Youngstown (11/18/17)
• Dennis Smith Jr. (NC State): 27p, 11r, 11a, 3s vs. Virginia Tech (1/4/17)
• Joseph Chartouny (Fordham): 24p, 7r, 13a, 3s vs. Davidson (2/27/16)
• Corey Sanders (Rutgers): 39p, 8r, 12a, 3s vs. Illinois (2/3/16)
• Kris Dunn (Providence): 27p, 13r, 11a, 3s vs. DePaul (1/29/15)
• Kenny Chery (Baylor): 20p, 10r, 12a, 3s vs. Kansas State (2/15/14)
• Elfrid Payton (Louisiana Lafayette): 34p, 11r, 11a, 5s vs. Louisiana-Monroe (1/4/14)

• When the NEC hands out its Most Improved Player Award at year's end, there will be no shortage of deserving student-athletes from which to choose. 
• Glancing at scoring alone, there are a number players who have stepped up their game from last year, none more so than Wagner sophomore guard Blake Francis
• The Virginia native has filled the scoring void in the backcourt with the loss of Corey Henson, lifting his point production from 7.2 ppg as a freshman to a team-high 20.2 ppg this season, a 13.0 ppg and 181 percent bump. 
• Francis ranks second in the NEC in scoring and comes off a 25-point outing at Rider on Saturday.

 

• After falling to Southeastern Conference (SEC) members, Missouri, the Seahawks kicked off the win streak with a 71-70 home victory over American of the Patriot League.
• From that point, the Green & White rattled off five-straight with wins over Staten Island, at Hartford, Fairfield, UMass Lowell and Mercy College.
• Over the six games, Wagner outscored its opponents by exactly 20.0 points per game (82.2 to 62.2) while shooting 45.2 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from long range and hitting on 76.1 percent from the charity stripe.
• The Seahawks were a +10.8 on the boards, outmuscling their opposition 258-to-193 (43.0 rpg to 32.2 rpg).  
• The Green & White limited their opposition to just 34.4 percent shooting from the field, 28.2 percent from three-point range. 
• Wagner netted 100 points on fast break opportunities, while yielding just 30 total over the six games.
• Four Seahawks averaged double-figures during the six-game win streak, led by sophomore guard Blake Francis, who netted 19.7 ppg while shooting 48.8 percent from the field, 40.5 percent from beyond-the-arc and went a perfect 23-of-23 from the free-throw line. 
• JoJo Cooper added 13.8 points per game while dishing out 6.0 assists per game in 32.3 minutes of action. 
• Junior combo guard Elijah Davis contributed 11.0 points while pulling down 6.3 caroms over the six games, three of which he started. 
• Lastly, freshman forward Nigel Jackson tallied 10.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg while shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and 88.2 percent from the charity stripe.

 

• In Saturday's 90-84 defeat at Rider, reigning NEC Player of the Week, JoJo Cooper, dished out a game-high 11 assists. 
• It marked the second time in a three-game span that the veteran point guard has eclipsed double-digit helpers, the last coming at home against UMass Lowell (December 5).
• Cooper moved into sole possession of ninth-place on the all-time Wagner assists list, as he has 371 assists on his career ledger. He surpassed Wagner greats: Jamie Ciampaglio (362), Quincy Lewis (367) and Terrance Bailey, the 1985 NCAA scoring champion, who dished out 370 helpers in his Seahawk career. 

Over The Last Five:

• The Seahawks are 4-1 in their last five games.
• The Green & White are averaging 79.8 points per game while yielding 65.8 points to their opponents (+14.0)
• On the boards, Wagner is a +7.0 over the last five games, outmuscling their opposition, 41.8-34.8. (209-174). 
• Blake Francis and JoJo Cooper are the only two that are averaging double-figures over the last five games, led by Francis, who is pouring in 20.0 ppg while Cooper is contributing 15.2 ppg. 

• With the men's team off to its best start in its Division I history, we need our fans to continue making the Spiro Sports Center the raucous venue in all of the Northeast Conference (NEC).
• See for yourself on Friday, December 29 as the Green & White hosts the defending league champions, Mount St. Mary's. 
• Come one, tell a friend, bring all as we are in full-out #OperationPackSpiro mode! 

• The Seahawks close out their non-conference schedule on Saturday, December 23, when they travel to Dayton, OH to take on Dayton at UD Arena.
• Tipoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. and will be aired on NBC Sports Network

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