Pictured Above: Freshman guard Chase Freeman (Credit: Dave Saffran)
 

Game 8: December 10, 2017 | 4:00 PM Staten Island, NY | Spiro Sports Center (2,100)
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Staten Island, NY  –  Winners of five straight, the Wagner men's basketball team concludes its three-game homestand on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. when the Green & White welcome the Mercy College Mavericks to the Spiro Sports Center in the nightcap of a doubleheader that will follow the 1:00 p.m. women's contest between the Seahawks and the Longwood Lancers.

Wagner's 6-1 record matches the best seven-game start to a season since 2005-06 and a win over Mercy will give the Green & White their best eight-game start in their Division I history, which began in the 1976-77 season. 

Seahawk Three-Pointers:

• Today's contest is the first-ever meeting between Wagner and Mercy, a Division II affiliate that competes out of the East Coast Conference (ECC).
• During the five-game winning streak, the Seahawks are outscoring their opponents by 17.2 ppg. (83.6 to 66.4).
• Wagner is 4-0 this season at the Spiro Sports Center, averaging 86.5 points per game while yielding 70.5 points.

Last Time Out: vs. UMass Lowell  (December 5, 2017): 

• Wagner rode the nation's top three-point shooting night of the season to its fifth straight win, a 90-72 decision over the UMass Lowell River Hawks on Tuesday night, with the backcourt tandem of junior Elijah Davis and sophomore Blake Francis leading the way with a pair of 20-point performances tonight at the Spiro Sports Center.
• The Green & White improve to 6-1 on the season, matching the program's best seven-game start since the Seahawks opened the 2005-06 season by winning six of their first seven games.
• The Seahawks began this game on fire from deep, nailing their first seven three-point attempts, and eight of their first nine, before ending the first half 9-of-11 from beyond the arc, a sizzling 82 percent clip.
• For the game, Wagner wound up 14-of-22 from deep, a 63.6 percent mark that is the best three-point shooting game by a Division I team this season. In addition, it marks the highest three-point shooting night since January 10, 2013, when the Seahawks went 9-of-10 from downtown against Northeast Conference (NEC) rival, LIU Brooklyn. 

All-Time Series Against Mercy College:

• Sunday is the first-ever meeting between the schools.

Scouting The Mercy College Mavericks:

• Through December 6, the Mercy College Mavericks have won four straight games, most recently a 100-71 road triumph at NYIT on the 6th.
• In this contest, Marko Kozul and Dequawne Richards each eclipsed the 20-point mark to lead a total of five players in double-figures. Kozul finished with a game-high 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor, while Richards notched a double-double, ending with 20 points and ten rebounds in 30 minutes of play. 
• On the season, three Mavericks are averaging double figures, led by Richards, who is netting 24.0 ppg. Sal Barbetto is the team's second-leading scorer at 17.6 ppg, while Chris Myers checks in at 14.0 ppg.  Richards is the team's leading rebounder at 10.4 caroms per contest. 
• As a team, Mercy is scoring 86.4 ppg and outscoring its opponents by nearly nine points per game. The Mavericks are shooting 43.2 percent while shooting 32.7 percent from beyond the arc.
• Mercy is also grabbing 44.3 caroms a contest. 

Coach Mason Approaching The Century Mark For Career Wins:

• In Wagner's 90-72 home victory over America East member UMass Lowell, sixth-year head coach Bashir Mason recorded his 93rd career victory.
• Mason, who is currently the sixth youngest head coach in Division I, is 93-70 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	93-70	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

Fast Start To The Year:

• The 2017-18 Seahawks are looking for their second-ever 7-1 start to a season in the program's Division I history, which began in the 1976-77 season.
• If Wagner defeats Mercy, the Green & White will be 7-1 for the first time since the 1979-80 season, which marked three years of playing Division I basketball. 
• In that season, the Seahawks, coached by Wagner College Hall of Famer and three-time NBA Champion, P.J. Carlesimo, went 14-13 overall.

Record To Start Off A Wagner Season (Min: Eight Games)
(Bold & Italics Represent Division I Era)

Year	Coach	Start To Season	Final Overall Record
1953-54	Herb Sutter	8-0	18-6
1979-80	P.J.Carlesimo	7-1	14-13
1968-69	Chester Sellitto	7-1	18-10
1966-67	Chester Sellitto	7-1	19-9
1963-64	Herb Sutter	7-1	16-8
2017-18	BASHIR MASON	6-1	???
2011-12	Dan Hurley	6-2	25-6
2005-06	Mike Deane	6-2	13-14
1986-87	Neil Kennett	6-2	16-13
1980-81	P.J. Carlesimo	6-2	16-11
1962-63	Herb Sutter	6-2	16-6
1959-60	Herb Sutter	6-2	16-8
1955-56	Herb Sutter	6-2	20-3
1953-54	Herb Sutter	6-2	18-6
1950-51	Herb Sutter	6-2	18-7
1949-50	Herb Sutter	6-2	19-5
1948-49	Herb Sutter	6-2	16-7
1940-41	Herb Sutter	6-2	12-5
1939-40	Herb Sutter	6-2	8-11
1926-27	John Futchs	6-2	8-10

Jackson Tabbed NEC Co-Rookie of the Week:

• Freshman forward Nigel Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Mount St. Joseph's) has been named NEC Co-Rookie of the Week, sharing the weekly accolade with freshman guard Jon Williams of Robert Morris, the league office announced on Monday.
• Jackson is coming off the best scoring performance of his young career on Friday, when he finished with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor, including hitting 4-of-5 from three-point range, in just 17 minutes of action as the Seahawks edged out Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference member Fairfield, 78-76, at the Spiro Sports Center.
• The 6-7 neophyte, who added an assist and a steal in the win over the Stags. During the team's four-game winning streak. The Baltimore, MD native is averaging 9.8 ppg. and 7.0 rpg, while shooting at a 52.0 percent clip from the field, which includes 43.8 percent accuracy from long range.
• Overall, Jackson is netting 7.5 ppg in 18.5 minutes per contest while corralling 5.2 rpg and dishing out 1.3 assists per game. From the floor, he has connected on 43.0 percent from three-point range and close to 40.0 percent overall.

Seahawk Defense:

• Through seven games, the Seahawks are first in several statistical categories, including scoring defense (68.6 ppg), scoring margin ( 7.6), field-goal percentage defense (.400), blocked shots (5.14). 

Lucky 7:

• Against UMass Lowell on December 5, 2017 at the Spiro Sports Center, the Wagner men's basketball team opened on fire from beyond-the-arc, hitting on their first seven three-point attempts before missing their first attempt from downtown at the 8:48 mark of the first-half.
• Following the miss, the Green & White hit on 6-for-7 before miss firing at the 14:24 mark of the second half. 

Downtown Staten Island:

• In the very same game, Wagner finished a blistering 14-of-22 from the outside.
• It marked the tenth-highest single-game percentage (.636) in entire NCAA Division I nation this year.

Receiving Votes:

• In the most recent CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, the Wagner Seahawks received a vote in the December 4 poll.
• This marks back-to-back weeks in which the Seahawks have earned a vote, earning two in the November 27 poll. 
• This marks the third time under coach Mason that the Seahawks have received votes in the Mid-Major Poll. 
• The first-time was back on February 1, 2016 poll came out. 

Protecting The Home Turf:

• Over the past five seasons, Wagner is 22-10 in non-conference home games.
• Overall, the Seahawks are 26-15 at home over the past two years.

Three Ball Galore:

• Since the inception of the three-point line in college basketball was instituted during the 1986-1987 season, a total of 29 Division I programs have made at least one three-pointer in over 400 consecutive games. 
• Wagner has made a three-pointer in 404 straight contests. 
• The men's basketball team has connected on at least one made three-pointer in 402 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. 

Starting Off With A Three:

• In five of the first six games of the season, Wagner has kicked off the contest with a three-pointer. 
• The only contest so far this season in which the Seahawks scored its first points of the contest was against Staten Island on November 21 when junior guard Devin Liggeons flushed home a two-hand jam.  

• Freshman forward Nigel Jackson is averaging 11.5 points per game while grabbing a team-best 8.3 rebounds per contest in four home games this season. 
• Over the last five games, Jackson has netted 10.6 ppg and 7.0 rpg while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from three-point range. 
• The neophyte forward, who is averaging 8.4 points overall this season, ranks eighth in the Northeast Conference (NEC) in percentage of points, accounting for 11.1 percent. 

• After a promising freshman campaign, Wagner two-guard Blake Francis has without question made the leap this season for the streaking Seahawks, who at 6-1 are off to their best start since 2011-12.
• Francis, who averaged 7.2 ppg in 2016-17, is up to 19.7 ppg this season to rank second in the NEC. 
• The Herdon, VA native has not scored less than 17 points in a game and is shooting 47.9 percent from long range. 
• Automatic from the line, Francis has made 23 consecutive free throws entering play this week and is shooting 93.1 percent on the year.
• According to natstat.com, Francis ranks tenth in points per game among all sophomores in Division I.

• Redshirt junior forward AJ Sumbry recorded a season-best four rejections in the 78-76 victory over Fairfield back on December 1. 
• For the 6-8 forward, it marked the seventh time in his career that he has rejected three or more shots in a contest.
• Sumbry has recorded at least two blocks in five straight contests.
• The East Windsor, NJ native is currently the NEC leader in blocked shots, averaging 2.0 rejections per 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. 
• Against UMass Lowell (December 5,), Davis set a new career-high, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor while going 4-of-7 from three.
• Davis has also been a key contributor on the boards. 
• Of the team's 273 total rebounds, Davis has accounted for a team-best 17.8 percent of those, grabbing a total of 45 (13 offensive, 32 defensive), ranking him among the top-20 in the entire Northeast Conference (NEC). 

• Of the 533 total points scored this season by Wagner, nearly 72.0 percent have been accounted for by the Seahawk guards.
• Blake Francis leads the team, accounting for 25.9 percent of the team's total points. 

Next Up For Wagner:

• The Seahawks embark on a three-game road trip, beginning on December 16 when they head to Lawrenceville, NJ to tangle with the Rider University Broncs of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
• Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. 

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