Pictured Above: Sophomore guard Blake Francis (Credit: Dave Saffran)
 

Brooklyn Heights, NY  -  In the final game of 2017, the Wagner men's basketball team makes the short trip across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to the Pope Physical Education Center to square off against the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers in a 1:00 p.m. tip.

Seahawk Three-Pointers:

Last Time Out: vs. The Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (December 29, 2017): 

All-Time Series Against St. Francis Brooklyn:

All-Time Vs. The Current Members Of The Northeast Conference: 

Scouting The St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers:

Coach Mason Approaching The Century Mark For Career Wins:

 

• The Seahawks sport a .514 record in Northeast Conference (NEC) openers, with a record of 19-18. 

• 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 in which 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 166-87 record in those contests (.656 winning percentage).
• Under Coach Mason, the Seahawks are 56-22 at home under his tutelage (.718 winning percentage). 

• When Wagner and St. Francis Brooklyn get together, their contests usually come down to the wire. 
• In fact, two of the last three meetings have been decided by three and two points, respectively, with Wagner escaping both times with the victory.
• In all, 38 times has the game been decided by five or fewer points, the last coming at the Spiro Sports Center back on January 28, 2017, in which the Seahawks claimed a 66-64 triumph over its Brooklyn-based rivals.

 

• Blake Francis tossed in 17 points to lead four players in doubles figures as the Seahawks recorded a 73-55.
• Francis' 17-point effort came on 6-of-9 shooting which included 3-of-5 marksmanship from three-point range. JoJo Cooper tallied 12 of his 14 points in the first half while Mike Aaman added 11 points and eight rebounds.  
• Wagner received a welcomed burst of energy off the bench from Devin Liggeons who pulled down 12 rebounds to go with his six-point outing.
• Staten Island native Glenn Sanabria was the lone Terrier to reach double figures, finishing with 12 points, as Wagner's smothering defense held St. Francis to 31.6 percent shooting. Robert Montgomery added eight points for St. Francis, while Rasheem Dunn and Jahmel Bodrick chipped in with seven apiece.

 

• Senior guard JoJo Cooper has enjoyed a breakout senior season, scoring more and racking up a bountiful amount of assists in the process.
• Nine times this season, Cooper has reached double-figures, most recently producing his third double-double of the season against Mount St. Mary's (December 29, 2017), in which he concluded the contest with 10 points and 10 assists and fell just one rebound shy of a triple-double (nine caroms) and nearly recorded a quadruple-double with a season-high six turnovers.
• Entering the 2017-18 season, Cooper was tallying 8.2 ppg and has increased that production to 12.6 points a contest, which among the top-20 in the league and is fifth among all NEC-seniors.
• The Wilmington, DE native ranks among the top-15 in the nation in assists per game as a senior, dishing out 6.1 apg. He trails Kyron Cartwright of Providence and Jevon Carter of West Virginia to be included in the top-10. Emmett Naar of Saint Mary's (CA) leads all seniors in that department with 9.1 apg.

Francis Heads Up Most Improved Scorers:

 

Top-15 NEC Most Improved Scorers

Name	2016-17	2017-18	PPG Increase
Raiquan Clark, LIU Brooklyn	6.2 ppg	18.9 ppg	12.7 ppg
Blake Francis, Wagner	7.2 ppg	19.3 ppg	12.1 ppg
Dachon Burke, Robert Morris	7.6 ppg	16.2 ppg	8.6 ppg
Andre Wofford, Saint Francis U	4.7 ppg	13.3 ppg	8.6 ppg
Junior Robinson, Mount St. Mary's	14.1 ppg	22.1 ppg	8.0 ppg
Deivydas Kuzavas, Saint Francis U	1.2 ppg	8.8 ppg	7.6 ppg
Joel Hernandez, LIU Brooklyn	12.2 ppg *	19.7 ppg	7.5 ppg
Ikenna Ndugba, Bryant	6.0 ppg	12.7 ppg	6.7 ppg
Elijah Davis, Wagner	2.7 ppg	9.1 ppg	6.4 ppg
Mario Matasovic, Sacred Heart	5.9 ppg	11.5 ppg	5.6 ppg
Sabastian Townes, Bryant	6.2 ppg	11.0 ppg	4.8 ppg
Ryan Gomes, Mount St. Mary's	2.2 ppg	6.9 ppg	4.7 ppg
JoJo Cooper, Wagner	8.2 ppg	12.6 ppg	4.4 ppg
Darelle Porter, St. Francis Brooklyn	2.8 ppg	6.8 ppg	4.0 ppg
Greg Alexander, Mount St. Mary's	7.7 ppg	10.5 ppg	2.8 ppg

* 2015-16 stats (sat out 2016-17)

 

• Wagner is 4-3 in the month of December.
• For the month, the Seahawks have outscored their opponents, 76.9 to 72.0 (538-504).
• Collectively, the Green & White is shooting 41.6 percent from the field, 32.3 from three-point range and 73.5 percent from the free-throw line.
• Wagner's opponents this month have shot 40.0 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from deep and 72.5 percent from the free-throw line.
• With one more game left to go in the month, Wagner brings a +7.7 edge on the boards for December, outworking the opposition by a 42.6 to 34.9 edge on the glass.
• Blake Francis is netting 18.9 points per game this month, while shooting 46.7 percent from the field, 36.2 percent from beyond-the-arc and 89.3 percent from the free-throw line.
• JoJo Cooper has contributed 13.6 ppg, 7.3 apg, 6.1 rpg, 2.1 spg in 36.1 minutes. 

• To close out the first month of the 2017-18 season, Wagner went 4-1 for the month. For the month, the Seahawks have outscored their opponents, 73.0 to 66.4 (365-332).
• Collectively, the Green & White shot 41.0 percent from the field, 35.1 from three-point range and 76.8 percent from the free-throw line.
• Wagner's opponents in November connected on 39.8 percent from the field, 32.0 percent from deep and 65.1 percent from the free-throw line.
• Francis averaged 19.8 ppg on 44.3 percent shooting from the floor while hitting on 47.2 percent from long range. The second-year guard went 20-of-22 from the free-throw line as well. 
• Cooper contributed 11.2 ppg, 4.4 apg, 4.2 rpg, 2.4 spg in 32.2 minutes.

 

• The Seahawks are 2-3 in its last five games.
• The team is averaging 74.8 points per game while yielding 71.2
• On the boards, Wagner is a +8.0 over the last five games, outmuscling their opposition, 44.0-36.0. (220-180).
• Francis continues to pace the offense, as he is pouring in 18.6 ppg on 42.6 percent shooting from the field, 32.6 percent from the outside while hitting on 85.7 percent at the free-throw line. 
• Cooper has enjoyed a nice five-game stretch, in which the senior guard is tallying 13.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 6.0 apg, 2.2 spg in 35.2 minutes per contest. 
• AJ Sumbry is producing valuable numbers as the featured big man for the Seahawks this season. Over the East Windsor, NJ native's last five contests, Sumbry is netting 8.8 ppg, a team-leading 8.2 rebounds per contest while swatting away 2.0 shots in 20.4 minutes of action. 

• Wagner is averaging 17.2 points off turnovers while its opponents are logging just 14.6 ppg (206-175). 

• Through the non-conference portion of its schedule, Wagner has dominated on the boards, outworking its opposition on the glass in eight of the eleven games.
• Only twice this season (@ Missouri | @ Seton Hall) were they outworked on the boards and once (@Hartford) that both teams finished with exactly 32 caroms.
• In the first Northeast Conference (NEC) game of the 2017-18 campaign, Wagner held a +17 edge on the glass, out-rebounding Mount St. Mary's, 46-29, overall and 28-18 on the defensive glass.

• With the calendar turning to January 2018, the Green & White opens the new year with a pair of home contests, beginning on Thursday, January 4 when the Seahawks welcome the Sacred Heart University Pioneers to the Spiro Sports Center for a 7:00 p.m. tip.

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