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

Pittsburgh, PA - Following an impressive 91-61 win at Saint Francis U on ESPNU Friday night, the Wagner men's basketball team closes out its two-game tour of Western Pennsylvania by taking on the Robert Morris University on Sunday afternoon in a 2:00 p.m. start at PPG Paints Arena in a matchup between teams that are tied for first place in Northeast Conference (NEC). 

 

• 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:

Last Time Out For Wagner: @ Saint Francis U (January 26, 2018): 

All-Time Series Against The Robert Morris University Colonials: 

• The Seahawks and the Colonials are meeting for the 73rd time with Robert Morris 44-28 edge in the head-to-head series.
• Wagner is looking to sweep the season series from the Colonials for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign, in which the Green & White took both meeting regular season meetings (72-69 @ RMU on January 4, 2016 | 62-54 at home on February 27, 2016) as well earning a 59-50 victory in the NEC quarterfinals at home back on March 2, 2016. 
• In the last five meetings, the contest has been decided by an average of six points, while the contests have been, on average, a low-scoring affair, as Wagner has averaged 56.8 points compared to Robert Morris' 50.6 over the last five contests. 
• Wagner is 4-1 in its last five games against RMU. 
• All-time, Wagner is 6-30 against Robert Morris on the road and will be taking on the Colonials for the first-time ever at PPG Paints Arena, where the Colonials are 4-1 this season. 

SERIES BREAKDOWN

Overall Series Record	Wagner 28, Robert Morris 44
Last Five Games	Wagner 4, Robert Morris 1
Last Ten Games	Wagner 6, Robert Morris 4
Most Points Scored By Wagner	101: January 25, 2003 - Wagner 101, Robert Morris 80
Fewest Points Scored By Wagner	48: February 11, 2017 - Wagner 48, Robert Morris 50
Wagner's Largest Win Margin	26: January 5, 2002 - Robert Morris 63, Wagner 89
Most Points Scored By Robert Morris	104: January 17, 2009 - Wagner 56, Robert Morris 104
Fewest Points Scored By Robert Morris	48, (2x), last March 1, 2014 - Robert Morris 48, Wagner 59
Robert Morris Largest Win Margin	48: January 17, 2009 - Wagner 56, Robert Morris 104
Current Wagner Streak Against Opponent	Won, 1
First Meeting	February 13, 1982 - Wagner 70, Robert Morris 84
Last Meeting	January 20, 2018 - Robert Morris 49, Wagner 62
Last Wagner Win	January 20, 2018 - Robert Morris 49, Wagner 62
Last Robert Morris Win	February 11, 2017 - Wagner 48, Robert Morris 50

 

All-Time vs. the Current Members of the Northeast Conference: 

 

2017-18 Northeast Conference (NEC) Standings (including contests through 1/26/2018)

SCHOOL	NEC	PCT	OVERALL	PCT	STREAK
1. WAGNER	7-2	.778	14-6	.700	W3
Robert Morris	7-2	.778	13-9	.591	W1
3. St. Francis Brooklyn	6-3	.667	9-12	.429	W3
4. Saint Francis U	5-4	.556	11-9	.550	L1
Central Connecticut	5-4	.556	12-10	.545	W4
Mount St. Mary's	5-4	.556	11-11	.500	W1
7. LIU Brooklyn	4-5	.444	9-13	.409	L2
8. Fairleigh Dickinson	3-6	.333	6-14	.300	L1
9. Sacred Heart	2-7	.222	7-15	.318	L3
10. Bryant	1-8	.111	2-20	.091	L5

Scouting The Robert Morris University Colonials:

• Robert Morris and Wagner are atop of the NEC standings at 7-2 in the conference with both teams earning victories on Friday evening. 
• The Colonials, who will be playing at PPG Paints Arena against the Seahawks this afternoon, are 4-1 this year at PPG, averaging 76.8 points per game while holding opponents to just 71.8 (+5.0).
• In its five games at PPG, the Colonials are shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from beyond-the-arc and 66.2 percent from the free-throw line. 
• Three Colonials are averaging double-figures at PPG, led by Dachon Burke (team's leading scorer at 17.0 ppg), who is scoring close to 20.0 ppg (19.6) while connecting at a 48.0 percent clip from the field and 37.5 percent from the outside. Koby Thomas is pouring in 17.2 ppg and a team-high 7.8 rebounds at PPG while Leondre Washington is netting 11.7 ppg and converting 47.8 percent from the field. 
• RMU ranks first in three-point field goal defense at 30.6 percent followed by Wagner (32.6%) while the Colonials are second in scoring defense at 70.5 ppg behind Wagner (67.6) 

  


Last Time Out Against Robert Morris University Colonials (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).
• The victory moved Wagner's perfect home record to 10-0, which matches the 2001-02 Seahawks for the best 10-game start in league 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.
• The victory also marked career victory No. 100 for sixth-year head coach Bashir Mason, who is currently the sixth-youngest head coach in Division I. Mason 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.

 
 
 

• 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.

 

• 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 home victory over Robert Morris back on January 20th, 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