Loretto, PA - After earning home victories over Saint Francis U and Robert Morris, the Wagner men's basketball team will now face these same two teams on the road, beginning with a matchup vs. the Red Flash on Friday at DeGol Arena in a 5:00 p.m. tip-off that will be televised to a national audience on ESPNU.
The Green & White will then conclude its two-game Western Pennsylvania road trip on Sunday, January 28 when they meet Robert Morris in a 2:00 p.m. start at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday, January 28 in a game that can be seen on NEC Front Row.
- The Wagner men's basketball staff will participate in Coaches vs. Cancer week in its games at Saint Francis U and Robert Morris.
- Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers® Week (January 22-28, 2018) is a nationwide event that unites coaches across the country to raise funds and awareness about the fight against cancer, and promotes the American Cancer Society as a source of inspiration and hope for those facing cancer.
- While coaching games during the week, coaches wear sneakers with their game attire as a visible reminder about the importance of fighting cancer.
Seahawk Three-Pointers:
- Wagner improved its home record to 10-0 after picking up home victories against Saint Francis U (73-64) last Thursday, and Robert Morris (62-49) on Saturday.
- The Seahawks will be looking for their first road sweep of these two teams since January 25 & January 27, 2003, when Wagner bested RMU, 101-80, and SFU by a count of 84-72.
- Senior guard JoJo Cooper was tabbed both Northeast Conference (NEC) and Metropolitan Basketball Writers' Association (MBWA) Player Of The Week after averaging nearly a triple-double over the last two games (14.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 9.0 apg.)
Last Time Out For Wagner: vs. Robert Morris (January 20, 2018):
- Sophomore guard Blake Francis came off the bench to score 19 points to lead three players in double figures and the Wagner defense held Robert Morris to 33 percent shooting as the Seahawks earned a 62-49 win over Robert Morris to gain a share of first place in the Northeast Conference (NEC).
- With the win, the Green & White improve to 13-6 overall and 6-2 in the NEC while the Colonials fall to 12-9 and are also now 6-2 in league play as Wagner and RMU jointly own a one-game lead over Saint Francis U and St. Francis Brooklyn league standings.
- The victory moved Wagner's perfect home record to 10-0, which matches the 2001-02 Seahawks for the best 10-game start in program history.
- Senior guard JoJo Cooper added 11 points and 12 rebounds, along with a game-high seven assists, in recording his second straight double-double, sixth of the season, and 10th of his career. Also contributing 11 points on the afternoon was redshirt junior guard Romone Saunders, who added eight rebounds.
- Saturday's win was career victory No. 100 for sixth-year head coach Bashir Mason, who is the sixth-youngest head coach in Division I. Mason, whose career record at Wagner is 100-75, is just the fifth Seahawk head coach to post 90 or more career victories and the second in the Division I Era of the program. He is also just the third Wagner head coach to ever record 100 victories.
All-Time Series Against The Saint Francis U Red Flash:
- The Seahawks and the Red Flash are meeting for the 72nd time with Saint Francis U holding a slim 36-35 edge in the head-to-head series.
- Wagner is looking for its first season sweep of the Red Flash since the 2013-2014 season (Jan. 18, 2014 @SFU, Wagner 56, SFU 50) | (Feb. 27, 2014, @Wagner, SFU 45, Wagner 74)
- Back on January 18 at the Spiro Sports Center, Wagner trailed by a 32-25 count at halftime before outscoring the Red Flash, 48-32, in the second half en route to a 73-64 home victory.
- The teams have split their last four head-to-head meetings, which have been decided by an average of four points.
- All-time, Wagner is 11-21 against the Red Flash in Loretto, PA
- Seahawk sixth-year head coach Bashir Mason holds a career record of 7-4 against Saint Francis U and is 3-2 when facing the Red Flash at DeGol Arena.
SERIES BREAKDOWN
| Overall Series Record |
Wagner 35, Saint Francis U 36 |
| Last Five Games |
Wagner 3, Saint Francis U 2 |
| Last Ten Games |
Wagner 7, Saint Francis U 3 |
| Most Points Scored By Wagner |
108: January 12, 1985 - Saint Francis U 91, Wagner 108 |
| Fewest Points Scored By Wagner |
42: December 3, 2009 - Wagner 42, Saint Francis U 69 |
| Wagner's Largest Win Margin |
29: February 27, 2014 - Saint Francis U 45, Wagner 72 |
| Most Points Scored By Saint Francis U |
98: December 12, 1998 - Wagner 66, Saint Francis U 98 |
| Fewest Points Scored By Saint Francis U |
45: February 27, 2014 - Saint Francis U 45, Wagner 72 |
| Saint Francis U Largest Win Margin |
38: January 13, 1992 - Wagner 58, Saint Francis U 96 |
| Current Wagner Streak Against Opponent |
Won, 1 |
| First Meeting |
1956-57 - Saint Francis U 75, Wagner 70 |
| Last Meeting |
January 18, 2018 - Saint Francis U 64, Wagner 73 |
| Last Wagner Win |
January 18, 2018 - Saint Francis U 64, Wagner 73 |
| Last Saint Francis U Win |
March 4, 2017 - Saint Francis U 71, Wagner 70 |
All-Time vs. the Current Members of the Northeast Conference:
- Against the current members of the Northeast Conference (NEC), Wagner is 246-230 (.517).
- Under head coach Bashir Mason, the Seahawks are 62-34.
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 |
28-44 |
1/20/2018 |
Won, 62-49 |
| Sacred Heart |
22-14 |
1/21/2017 |
Won, 67-62 |
| St. Francis Brooklyn |
43-51 |
12/31/2017 |
Lost, 82-75 |
| Saint Francis U |
35-36 |
1/18/2018 |
Won, 73-64 |
2017-18 Northeast Conference (NEC) Standings (including contests through 1/20/2018)
| SCHOOL |
NEC |
PCT |
OVERALL |
PCT |
STREAK |
| 1. WAGNER |
6-2 |
.750 |
13-6 |
.684 |
W2 |
| Robert Morris |
6-2 |
.750 |
12-9 |
.571 |
L1 |
| 3. Saint Francis U |
5-3 |
.625 |
11-8 |
.579 |
W1 |
| St. Francis Brooklyn |
5-3 |
.625 |
8-12 |
.400 |
W2 |
| 5. Central Connecticut |
4-4 |
.500 |
11-10 |
.524 |
W3 |
| Mount St. Mary's |
4-4 |
.500 |
10-11 |
.476 |
L2 |
| LIU Brooklyn |
4-4 |
.500 |
9-12 |
.429 |
L1 |
| 8. Fairleigh Dickinson |
3-5 |
.357 |
6-13 |
.316 |
W1 |
| 9. Sacred Heart |
2-6 |
.250 |
7-14 |
.333 |
L2 |
| 10. Bryant |
1-7 |
.125 |
2-19 |
.095 |
L4 |
Scouting The Saint Francis U Red Flash:
- Saint Francis U is 11-8 on the season and currently tied with St. Francis Brooklyn for third place in the NEC standings at 5-3. The Red Flash trail both Wagner and Robert Morris by one game, as the Seahawks and Colonials own matching 6-2 marks in league action.
- The Red Flash are 6-1 at DeGol Arena this season, averaging nearly 93.0 points per game in their last seven home games (92.7).
- SFU is the top ranked scoring offense in the NEC, averaging 82.0 points per game and 79.5 points per game in league contests. The Red Flash also pace the conference in free-throw percentage (.777) field-goal percentage (.478) and three-point field goal percentage (.374).
- Jamaal King, who is the team's leading scorer at 17.5 ppg, ranks fifth in the NEC this season in scoring and has averaged 21.8 in eight league games. King was held to just two points on 0-of-6 shooting from the field in 17 minutes back on January 18 against the Seahawks.
Last Time Out Against Saint Francis U (January 18, 2018):
- Senior guard JoJo Cooper recorded 17 points and 10 assists, junior guard Devin Liggeons added 15 points to go with a game-high 12 rebounds, and Wagner held the Northeast Conference's (NEC) top offensive team 20 points below its season scoring average in running past Saint Francis U 73-64 at the Spiro Sports Center.
- Redshirt junior guard Romone Saunders was the third Seahawk in double figures hitting for 14 points, along with seven rebounds and four assists. Senior forward Shack Scott and freshman guard Chase Freeman, who was pressed logging a career-long 34 minutes of action in Francis' absence, wound up with eight and six points, respectively.
- With Wagner on top 60-48 after a one-of-two trip to the foul line by Cooper with 5:18 to play, the Red Flash had one last gasp in them, going on an 11-4 run, capped by a Keith Braxton three-pointer that made it a 64-59 game with 1:31 left.
- After Liggeons split a pair from the line to increase the lead to 65-59, Wagner forced Mark Flagg into a missed layup in traffic which was rebounded by redshirt junior forward AJ Sumbry, who was fouled in the process. Just a 55 percent foul shooter entering the game, the 6-8 Sumbry calmly swished both clutch free throws, pushing the lead to eight at 67-59 with 55 seconds to go.
- Saunders and Cooper then combined to make five of their final six free throws to seal the win.
- For Cooper, the double-double was his fifth of the season and eighth of his career. In 109 career games as a Seahawk, the 6-0 Delaware native has led or tied for the team lead in assists and astounding 70 times, including 16 of 18 this season.
- Liggeons, meanwhile, registered the first double-double of his career, with his 12 rebounds tying a career high which he set on February 18, 2017 at St. Francis Brooklyn.
- Three Red Flash players finished in double-figures, led by Mark Flagg's team-high 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor and 6-of-9 from the free-throw line in 15 minutes of play. Andre Wolford added 13 points in 29 minutes while Keith Braxton ended with 11 points.
Cooper Earns Northeast Conference (NEC) & Metropolitan Basketball Writers' Association Player Of The Week:
- Senior guard JoJo Cooper was named the Northeast Conference (NEC) Player of the Week for the second time this season, the league office announced on Monday.
- The awards for Cooper continued into Tuesday, as he was tabbed by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers' Association (MBWA) Division I Player of the Week.
- For Cooper, this marks the first MBWA citation of his career as he becomes the first Seahawk to earn the weekly award since his former Seahawk teammate, Marcus Burton ('15), earned the distinction for the week of January 12-18, 2015.
- The 6-0 Wilmington, DE native led Wagner to a perfect 2-0 record for the week which propelled Wagner into a first-place tie in the conference standings. In home victories over Saint Francis U and Robert Morris, the versatile Cooper nearly averaged a triple-double with 14.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, and 9.0 apg, while also contributing 1.5 spg and shooting at 43.0 percent clip from the floor.
- The veteran point guard opened the week on Thursday night with a 17 point, 10 assist, five rebound performance against Saint Francis U as Wagner came back from an early nine-point deficit in recording its ninth home victory of the season, 73-64.
- Two days later, in a first-place showdown with Robert Morris on Saturday afternoon, Cooper notched his sixth double-double of the season, finishing the contest with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while falling just two assists shy of posting a triple-double.
Coach Mason Approaching The Century Mark For Career Wins:
- Head coach Bashir Mason, who is currently the sixth-youngest active head coach in Division I, reached a coaching career milestone on Saturday, January 20.
- In Wagner's 62-49 victory over Robert Morris, Coach Mason earned his 100th career coaching victory.
- In the process, Coach Mason became just the third Seahawk bench boss to eclipse the 100 career wins, joining former coaches Herb Sutter (352) and Tim Capstraw (117).
- Additionally, Coach Mason and Capstraw are the only two Seahawk coaches to reach 100 wins in the Division I era, which began in the 1976-77, under Wagner Hall of Famer and 3x-time NBA Champion, P.J. Carlesimo
| Wagner Coach |
Career Record |
Years Coached |
| Herb Sutter |
352-252 |
1937-1965 |
| Tim Capstraw |
117-164 |
1989-1999 |
| BASHIR MASON |
100-75 |
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 |
NEC Triple-Double Watch:
- On the cusp of reaching the triple-double threshold all year, it's worth noting some of the stellar all-around performances turned in by NEC ballers this season.
- LIU Brooklyn sophomore Julian Batts and Wagner senior guard JoJo Cooper had the latest near misses last week.
- Batts recorded a 17-point, eight-rebound, nine-assist effort in the Blackbirds' 83-79 win over Bryant on Thursday.
- Cooper registered 11 points, 12 boards and eight dimes in a 62-49 victory over RMU on Saturday.
NEC Near Triple-Doubles
JoJo Cooper (WC): 11 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists vs. RMU (1/20)
Julian Batts (LIU): 17 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists vs. BRY (1/18)
Keith Braxton (SFU): 29 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists vs. BRY (12/31)
JoJo Cooper (WC): 10 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists vs. MSM (12/29)
Keith Braxton (SFU): 20 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists vs. Lehigh (12/21)
Tyler Kohl (CCSU): 20 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists vs. ECU (11/17)
- How rare is a triple-double in the NEC? Only eight players have hit the milestone in the last 20 years, the last being former Fairleigh Dickinson guard Stephan Jiggetts, who tallied 16 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists vs. Lipscomb on November 19, 2016.
- The last player to secure a triple-double in a league outing was Quinnipiac's James Feldeine, who went for 19 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists vs. Monmouth on February 25, 2010.
Wagner's Sultan Of Swat:
- Drive down the lane against Wagner and you're bound to run into junior forward AJ Sumbry, the league's premier shot blocker.
- In fact, Sumbry is the current runaway leader in the NEC in rejections with 2.3 per game, more than a block more than any other player on the circuit. He's been even better in league play with 3.0 per contest, including six in two games last week.
- Sumbry has been so good that he also ranks 13th nationally in block percentage (13.20), meaning he swats over 13 percent of two-point shot opportunities taken by Wagner opponents.
Perfect 10:
- After earning a 62-49 home victory over the Robert Morris Colonials, Wagner remained undefeated at the Spiro Sports Center, as they stand at 10-0 this season.
- This marks the first time since the 2007-08 season in which the Seahawks have strung together at least 10 straight home victories as that 07-08 squad rattled off 11 straight from December 8, 2007 (64-59 win over St. Francis Brooklyn) until March 6, 2008 (71-62 victory over LIU Brooklyn in the Northeast Conference Quarterfinals).
- The Green & White dropped a 55-49 decision to Sacred Heart in the semifinals round, that was played at the Spiro Sports Center.
- The 10-0 home start marks the first time that the Seahawks have done so since the 2001-02 season, in which that squad, coached by former NC State standout, Dereck Whittenburg, opened the year with 88-73 home victory over Iona on December 4, 2001.
- The Green & White rattled off nine more home victories, concluding with a 99-88 win over St. Francis Brooklyn on February 11, 2002.
- The Seahawks streak ended on February 15, 2002, when they fell, 83-69, to the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils. The 2017-18 Seahawks will go for its 11th straight home victory on February 1, as they welcome, the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils to the Spiro Sports Center for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff.
Pair of Seahawks Moving Up The Career Charts:
- A pair of Wagner players have ascended on the career charts, in both assists and blocks.
- Senior guard JoJo Cooper has moved into sole possession of eighth place on the Wagner all-time career assist list, as he has dished out 430 career helpers, passing former three-time NEC Defensive Player of the Year, Kenneth Ortiz. Next up for Cooper is Tony Rice, at 455.
Wagner All-Time Career Assists List
5. Arvie Powell 520
6. Billy Kurisko 496
7. Tony Rice 455
9. Kenneth Ortiz 429
- Redshirt junior forward AJ Sumbry has moved up on the Wagner all-time career blocks list, as the East Windsor, NJ native now has 82 rejections as a member of the Wagner basketball program.
- Sumbry is in sole possession of 10th-place and has a chance to move into eighth over the next two games, by surpassing the likes of Mark Porter (84), and Dave Smolka (86).
Wagner All-Time Career Blocks List (min. 75)
6. Nick Frederick 105
7. Nigel Wyatte 94
8. Dave Smolka 86
9. Mark Porter 84
11. Largest Agberhemsin 79
- 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.
2018 Off to Great Start for Seahawks:
- Wagner is 5-1 in the month of January, averaging 69.2 points per game while shooting 42.4 percent from the floor, 37.4 percent from beyond-the-arc and converting 62.3 percent from the free-throw line.
- The Seahawks are averaging 7.7 made three-pointers per game, down from their December numbers (8.3) but a 22.2 percent increase from the month of November, when the Seahawks were averaging 6.8 made three-pointers a contest.
- Three Seahawks are tallying double-figures in the month of January, led by JoJo Cooper, who is averaging 16.7 ppg in six games this month. Cooper is logging 37.7 minutes a contest while shooting 48.6 percent from the field, a blistering 57.9 percent from beyond-the-arc while pulling down 6.5 rebounds a contest and dishing out 6.2 helpers per game.
- Playing in five games this month, sophomore guard Blake Francis is netting 14.4 points per game in 33.4 minutes per contest.
- Romone Saunders is next at 14.3 points per game in January, pulling down a team best 7.7 caroms a contest while averaging 34.3 minutes a contest. Saunders has connected on 40.5 percent from the field.
- AJ Sumbry, who has contributed 6.3 ppg and 7.2 rpg, has rejected 17 shots this month so far in 20.8 minutes.
Wagner Basketball On Thursdays:
- The Seahawks are a perfect 3-0 on Thursdays.
- Averaging 71.0 points per games, Wagner is outscoring their opponents by a margin of eight points per game (71-63) on the penultimate work day,
- On the boards, the Green & White are pulling doing 41.3 caroms a contest while boxing out their opponents by a 7.7 advantage (41.3-33.7)
- JoJo Cooper, Romone Saunders and Blake Francis are all in double-figures on Thursdays, with Cooper leading the bunch at 18.0 ppg. Cooper is dishing out 6.0 assists per game on Thursday while grabbing 5.0 rebounds a contest.
- Saunders is netting 16.3 ppg to go along with a team-best 9.0 rebounds in 35.3 minutes.
- Francis is tallying 14.5 points while logging 33.0 minutes a contest.
Rewinding The Last Ten Games:
- The Seahawks are 6-4 in its last ten games.
- The team is averaging 70.1 ppg, shooting 42.6 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from three-point range and 65.1 percent from the free-throw line.
- Wagner is holding opponents to 67.9 points per game, 40.3 percent from the field, 33.3 from beyond-the-arc and 69.5 percent from the charity stripe.
- The Green & White are a +3.7 on the boards, outmuscling opponents 39.1 to 35.4.
- Blake Francis is averaging 16.0 ppg over his last ten contests while playing in 33.2 mpg.
- JoJo Cooper is chipping in 14.8 ppg over his last ten games, while dishing out 5.9 apg, and grabbing a team-best 7.6 rebounds.
- Romone Saunders is the third Seahawk to pour in double-figures over the last ten games, adding 11.8 ppg while helping out on the boards with 5.8 per game.
Over The Last Five Games:
- The Seahawks are 4-1 in its last five games.
- The team is averaging 69.2 points per game while the opposition is averaging 61.8 (+7.4)
- On the boards, Wagner is a +4.2 over the last five games, outmuscling their opposition, 39.0-34.8 (195-174).
- Three Seahawks are scoring in double-figures over the last five contests, led by JoJo Cooper, who is averaging 17.2 points per game to go along with 6.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists over the last five games.
- Playing in four of the last five games, Blake Francis has netted 14.8 ppg in 34.0 minutes.
- Romone Saunders has averaged 12.4 ppg to go along with 7.4 rebounds a contest in his last five games. Averaging 34.2 minutes over the last five games, Saunders has shot close to 40.0 percent from the field (38.3).
- AJ Sumbry continues to give the Seahawks production from the low-post, as over the East Windsor, NJ native's last five contests, Sumbry is netting 5.8 ppg, 6.4 rebounds per contest while swatting away 2.6 shots in 19.8 minutes of action.
Cleaning Up On The Glass:
- Four times this season (@ Missouri | @ Seton Hall| | @ St. Francis Brooklyn) and once at home (vs. Robert Morris) were the Seahawks outworked on the boards and once (@Hartford) that both teams finished with exactly 32 caroms.
- In eight Northeast Conference (NEC) games, Wagner is a +4.4 on the glass, averaging 39.5 caroms while allowing conference foes to grab 35.1 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.
Saturday Seahawks:
- Wagner is 4-3 in Saturday games this season, averaging 69.1 ppg while shooting 38.8 percent from the field and 34.0 percent from beyond-the-arc in five games.
- The Green & White is a +5.1 on the boards on Saturday, outrebounding its opponents 40.1-to-35.0.
- Blake Francis is averaging 19.7 ppg on Saturday while shooting 42.0 percent from the floor and 42.1 percent from beyond-the-arc.
- JoJo Cooper is the only other Seahawk netting double-figures at 12.0 ppg while dishing out 6.3 assists in Saturday contests.
Capitalizing Off Turnovers:
- Wagner is averaging 15.2 points off turnovers while its opponents are logging just 13.3 ppg (289-253).
Good Basketball Always Starts With Good Defense:
- Four times this season, Wagner's tenacious defense has held its opponents to 50 points or less, which includes a 62-49 performance over Robert Morris last Saturday in a first-place showdown.
- Five times this year, the Seahawks have held opponents to under 35.0 percent shooting from the floor, while holding three teams, Robert Morris (27.3%), Mercy College (24.1%), and Hartford (27.5%) to under 30.0 percent shooting.
Ready & Break:
- The Seahawks have shown the ability to run up and down the court as Wagner is averaging 11.0 points a game via fast break while limiting their opponents to just 6.2 points (206-117) 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.
