Pictured Above: Junior guard Elijah Davis (Credit: Dave Saffran)
Staten Island, NY - Following a 1-1 split in its most recent road swing at Bryant and LIU Brooklyn, the Wagner men's basketball team returns home to the Spiro Sports Center as the Seahawks welcome the Saint Francis U Red Flash on Thursday evening.
Seahawk Three-Pointers:
- Wagner is the top-ranked scoring defense in the Northeast Conference (NEC), yielding 69.2 points per game while the Red Flash enters play as the circuit's top-ranked scoring offense, averaging 83.6 points per game.
- All three meetings a season ago between the Seahawks and Red Flash were decided by five points or less, which included the semifinals contest in which Keith Braxton's buzzer-beater knocked off Wagner's hopes of making it two straight NEC Finals appearances.
- This is the first of two meetings between the two schools as Wagner and Saint Francis U will meet in Loretto, PA on January 26 on ESPNU.
Last Time Out: vs. LIU Brooklyn (January 13, 2018):
- LIU Brooklyn guard Julian Batts banked home a contested layup with 1.8 seconds to play and redshirt junior guard Romone Saunders' last-second launch from 40 feet bounded off the rim as the Wagner men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaking 69-67 Northeast Conference (NEC) contest on Saturday afternoon at the Steinberg Wellness Center.
- The Seahawks and Blackbirds battled all game long. In an intense, evenly-played, back-and-forth contest that featured 11 ties and 13 lead changes, Saunders led three Seahawks in double figures with 18 points while senior guard JoJo Cooper and sophomore guard Blake Francis finished with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Senior guard Shack Scott added nine points on the night while freshman forward Nigel Jackson had seven.
- The Seahawks' defense then hurried Hernandez into a missed layup with redshirt junior forward AJ Sumbry corralling the rebound with 37 ticks left. This sequence set up a driving layup by Jackson off a Francis feed at the 28-second mark to make it a one-point game at 65-64. After Raquain Clark sank a pair from the line with 24 seconds left to make it 67-64, senior guard JoJo Cooper was fouled with 14 seconds left and made 1-of-2, making it 67-65. Jackson, however, was fouled on the rebound, sending him to the line for two shots with 13 seconds to go.
- The freshman calmly sank the clutch pair to tie it a 67-67. LIU, electing to not call timeout, instead worked the ball to Batts who drove down the left side of the lane and lofted a left-handed back shot off the glass with 1.8 seconds left, giving the Blackbirds the win.
All-Time Series Against The Saint Francis U Red Flash:
- The Seahawks and the Red Flash are meeting for the 71st time with Saint Francis U holding a slim 36-34 edge in the head-to-head series.
- These two teams met three times last season. Both teams split their regular season matchups, with the Red Flash earning a 72-67 win on Staten Island before Wagner repaid the favor with a 76-74 overtime win in Loretto, PA back on February 9.
- With a little over 2.0 seconds left, Saint Francis U guard Keith Braxton rattled home a three-point jumper at the final buzzer, leading the No. 4 seeded Red Flash to a pulsating 71-70 win over the No. 3 seed Seahawks, in the Northeast Conference (NEC) semifinals back on March 4.
- All-time, Wagner is 22-14 at home against the Red Flash.
- Coach Mason holds a career record of 6-4 against the Red Flash and is 3-2 when facing Saint Francis U at the Spiro Sports Center.
SERIES BREAKDOWN
| Overall Series Record |
Wagner 34, Saint Francis U 36 |
| Last Five Games |
Wagner 2, Saint Francis U 3 |
| Last Ten Games |
Wagner 6, Saint Francis U 4 |
| Most Points Scored By Wagner |
108: January 12, 1985 - SFU 91, Wagner 108 |
| Fewest Points Scored By Wagner |
42: December 3, 2009 - Wagner 42, SFU 69 |
| Wagner's Largest Win Margin |
29: February 27, 2014 - SFU 45, Wagner 72 |
| Most Points Scored By Saint Francis U |
98: December 12, 1998 - Wagner 66, SFU 98 |
| Fewest Points Scored By Saint Francis U |
45: February 27, 2014 - SFU 45, Wagner 72 |
| Saint Francis U Largest Win Margin |
38: January 13, 1992 - Wagner 58, SFU 96 |
| Current Streak |
L1 |
| First Meeting |
1956-57: SFU 75, Wagner 70 |
| Last Meeting |
March 4, 2017: SFU 71, Wagner 70 |
| Last Wagner Win |
February 9, 2017: Wagner 76, SFU 74 (ot) |
| Last Saint Francis U Win |
March 4, 2017: SFU 71, Wagner 70 |
All-Time vs. the Current Members of the Northeast Conference:
- Against the current members of the Northeast Conference (NEC), Wagner is 244-230 all time.
- Under head coach Bashir Mason, the Seahawks are 60-34 in league games.
Wagner All-Time Record vs.
Northeast Conference Schools
(Includes Postseason)
| SCHOOL |
RECORD |
LAST MEETING |
W/L |
| Bryant |
10-5 |
1/11/2018 |
Won, 71-62 |
| Central Connecticut |
25-19 |
2/2/2017 |
Won, 70-60 |
| Fairleigh Dickinson |
55-52 |
3/1/2017 |
Won, 72-70 |
| LIU Brooklyn |
45-60 |
1/13/2018 |
Lost, 69-67 |
| Mount St. Mary's |
37-21 |
12/29/2017 |
Won, 76-57 |
| Robert Morris |
27-44 |
2/11/2017 |
Lost, 50-48 |
| Sacred Heart |
22-14 |
1/21/2017 |
Won, 67-62 |
| St. Francis Brooklyn |
43-51 |
12/31/2017 |
Lost, 82-75 |
| Saint Francis U |
34-36 |
3/4/2017 |
Lost, 71-70 |
| TOTALS |
298-299 |
|
|
Scouting The Saint Francis U Red Flash:
- Saint Francis U is 10-7 and is currently tied with Wagner and Mount St. Mary's for second place in the NEC standings.
- The Red Flash is 4-6 away from DeGol Arena, last picking up a road victory on January 11 at Robert Morris (89-80).
- Saint Francis U put together a tough non-conference slate, that saw the Red Flash take on Saint Mary's (CA) in the season opener followed by trips to San Francisco, Louisville, Stony Brook, and Duke.
- SFU is the top ranked scoring offense in the NEC, averaging 83.6 points per game this season.
- Jamaal King, who is the team's leading scorer at 18.2 ppg, was tabbed NEC Co-Player of the Week. King leads the league in scoring during conference play at 25.2 ppg.
- Keith Braxton, who is averaging 17.8 ppg, is the team's leading rebounder, pulling down close to 10.0 boards a contest (9.7) while logging 34.7 minutes per game.
Last Time Out Against Saint Francis U (March 4, 2017):
- With a little over 2.0 seconds left, Saint Francis U guard Keith Braxton rattled home a three-point jumper at the final buzzer, leading the No. 4 seeded Red Flash to a pulsating 71-70 win over the No. 3 seed Seahawks, in the Northeast Conference (NEC) semifinals this afternoon in front of a loud crowd of 1,823 fans at the Spiro Sports Center.
- Michael Carey recorded his 27th career double-double, finishing with a game-high 29 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field, 4-of-7 from beyond-the-arc and grabbed a game-best ten rebounds.
- Corey Henson was the only other Seahawk to finish in double-figures, as he matched his career-high of 25 points, 23 of which coming in the second half on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor and 5-of-7 from beyond-the-arc in 37 minutes of play.
Coach Mason Approaching The Century Mark For Career Wins:
- Sixth-year head coach Bashir Mason, who is currently the sixth youngest head coach in Division I, has a career record of 98-75 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.
- Coach Mason would join an exclusive club, becoming only the third Wagner head coach ever to record 100 victories.
| Wagner Coach |
Career Record |
Years Coached |
| Herb Sutter |
352-252 |
1937-1965 |
| Tim Capstraw |
117-164 |
1989-1999 |
| BASHIR MASON |
98-75 |
2012-present |
| Chester Sellitto |
97-89 |
1965-1972 |
| Mike Deane |
95-113 |
2003-2010 |
| 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 |
- Sophomore guard Blake Francis (Herndon, VA/Westfield) is among an exclusive group of nine underclassmen, out of a total of the top 40 players from across the nation, to be named to the Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List, the organization announced on Thursday.
- The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I mid-major player. Francis is one of just three players representing the Northeast Conference (NEC) on the list, as he joins Saint Francis U's sophomore guard Keith Braxton and Mount St. Mary's senior guard Junior Robinson.
- Past recipients of the award include Justin Robinson (Monmouth), Thomas Walkup (Stephen F. Austin), Ty Greene (USC Upstate), Langston Hall (Mercer), Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary's), Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk State), Matt Howard (Butler) and Keith Benson (Oakland).
- Since the inception of the three-point line in college basketball was instituted during the 1986-1987 season, Wagner has made a three-pointer in 413 straight contests.
Seahawks In Conference Action:
- Though six Northeast Conference (NEC) games, Wagner is tied for second-place with Saint Francis U and Mount St. Mary's at 4-2.
- The Seahawks currently pace the circuit in NEC-only contest in several statistical categories, which include scoring defense (+66.3 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.399), and blocked shots (5.0 pg).
- JoJo Cooper is tied with FDU's Mike Holloway Jr. for eighth in scoring in NEC-only contests, averaging 16.3 ppg in the first six NEC games.
- Teammate Blake Francis ranks among the top-15, pouring in 15.7 ppg in league-only games. while Romone Saunders, is among the top-20, pouring in 14.0 ppg in NEC-contests.
Sumbry Keys Wagner Defensive Lockdown:
- Wagner has posted league-leading defensive numbers across the board this season, and one of the key factors in the lockdown has been the play of junior forward AJ Sumbry (East Windsor, NJ/St. Benedict's Prep).
- The 6'8" native of East Windsor, NJ leads the NEC with 2.2 blocks per game on the year, and has been an intimidating presence in the paint against league competitors with 3.0 bpg over the first six games of the conference season.
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 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, 255 home games at the Spiro Sports Center, compiling a 168-87 record in those contests (.659 winning percentage).
- Under Coach Mason, the Seahawks are 58-22 at home under his tutelage (.725 winning percentage).
- Wagner enters play with an 8-0 record at the Spiro Sports Center this season.
Cooper's Long Range Exploits:
- Known more for his all-around skill set than his long distance shooting prowess, Wagner senior guard JoJo Cooper (Wilmington, DE/Concord) suddenly caught fire from downtown for the Green & White.
- A career 24.2 percent shooter from three-point range entering the year, Cooper comes off a recent stretch that saw him drain eight consecutive triples over three games, culminating with a 3-3 performance in Thursday's 71-62 win over Bryant.
- Cooper leads the league in three-point shooting in NEC play at 60.0 percent. For the season, he is shooting 38.0 percent from outside the arc to rank 11th in the league.
Over The Last Five Games:
- The Seahawks are 3-2 in its last five games.
- The team is averaging 71.0 points per game while the opposition is averaging 68.2 (+2.8)
- On the boards, Wagner is a +2.8 over the last five games, outmuscling their opposition, 38.6-35.8 (193-179).
- Three Seahawks are scoring in double-figures over the last five contests, led by JoJo Cooper, who is averaging 17.6 points per game to go along with 6.8 rebounds and 4.6 assits over the last five games.
- Sophomore guard Blake Francis has averaged 15.2 ppg while logging 36.0 minutes a contest over his last five games.
- Romone Saunders has averaged 15.0 ppg to go along with 6.4 rebounds a contest in his last five games. Averaging 33.4 minutes over the last five games, Saunders has shot close to 40.0 percent from the field.
- 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 6.0 ppg, 7.8 rebounds per contest while swatting away 2.8 shots in 21.0 minutes of action.
Cleaning Up On The Glass:
- Three times this season (@ Missouri | @ Seton Hall| | @ St. Francis Brooklyn) the Seahawks were outworked on the boards and once (@Hartford) that both teams finished with exactly 32 caroms.
- In six Northeast Conference (NEC) games, Wagner is a +5.2 on the glass, averaging 39.8 caroms while allowing conference foes to grab 34.7 rebounds per contest.
- In the first NEC game of the 2017-18 campaign, Wagner held a +17 edge on the glass, outrebounding Mount St. Mary's, 46-29, overall and 28-18 on the defensive glass.
Ready & Break:
- The Seahawks have shown the ability to run up and down the court as Wagner is averaging 10.4 points a game via fast break while limiting their opponents to just 6.0 points (176-102) and is on pace to surpass last season's total point production.
- Last season, in 30 games, Wagner logged 133 total points off fast break chances, averaging out to 4.4. a contest.
Five To Go:
- The team is averaging 13.3 points while yielding just 11.4 a contest.
- Wagner is shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from beyond-the-arc in the final five minutes of games.
- The Seahawks defense is usually on full display during this time, limiting their counterparts to just 36.4 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from the outside.
Tale of Two Halves:
- In the first half of games this season, Wagner is averaging 33.2 points per game.
- The most points the Seahawks have scored before entering the locker rooms for halftime was 53 against Division III local rival, the College of Staten Island.
- In the first half of play, the Green & White is shooting 39.4 percent from the floor, 34.9 percent from beyond-the-arc while hitting on 71.4 percent of its free-throw attempts.
- Blake Francis is averaging a team best 7.4 points per game in the first half of action, scoring 125 of the team's 564 points in the opening half. Teammate JoJo Cooper has added 6.8 points per game and 3.1 assists during the first half of play.
- Additionally, Wagner holds a +2.9 advantage on the boards, outmuscling their opposition 20.2 to 17.3.
- Coming back on to the floor for the second half, Wagner is outscoring its opposition by 5.4 points per game(40.1-34.6) while shooting 44.0 percent from the field, 34.6 percent from long range and 70.1 percent from the charity stripe.
- Francis is pouring in close to 11.0 points in the second half alone (10.4). Cooper is scoring 7.3 ppg and dishing out 2.5 helpers in the second half.
- Wagner is a +2.9 on the boards in the second half (19.9-17.0).
- The most second half points the team has scored this season was 54, also against the College of Staten Island.
Next Up:
- Wagner concludes its homestand on Saturday, January 20, as they welcome the Robert Morris University Colonials.
- Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m. as the contest will follow the women's game against the Colonials, which will begin at 1:00 p.m.
