Staten Island, NY - After opening the 2018-19 season with losses at Seton Hall and UMass Lowell, the latter a tough overtime decision, Wagner has reeled off consecutive wins over SUNY Cortland (90-58) and at Fairfield (79-73) on Saturday, in evening its season mark at 2-2 as the Seahawks now turn their attention to the 4-1 Highlanders of NJIT.
All-Time Series
*Tuesday's contest is the 21st all-time meeting between these schools with the Highlanders leading the head-to-head series, 16-4.
*These teams met last season, in the season opener for both teams on November 11 and, in the first-ever game played at the Wellness and Events Center, NJIT's spacious new 3,500-seat home, the Seahawks gutted out a 60-49 victory with guard
Blake Francis tossing in a game and career-high 22 points.
*Then freshman guard
Tyler Plummer signaled his collegiate basketball arrival by adding 11 points in 21 minutes in his Seahawk debut while
Elijah Davis corralled a team-high 10 rebounds while scoring five points in 27 minutes of play.
*The Highlanders were paced by Anthony Tarke, who scored a team-high 13 points while Abdul Lewis notched a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
*Last year's matchup marked the first meeting between the schools since December 28, 2009, when the Seahawks fell to NJIT, 65-56 at the Spiro Sports Center.
About the Highlanders
*NJIT galloped out of the gate with its first 4-0 start since transitioning to Division I in 2006-07, and for the first time overall since 1996-97, the program's final campaign at the D-III level, with wins over Colgate (81-78, in OT), Binghamton (74-57), Brown (63-60) and Division III Kean.
*The Highlanders dropped an 83-76 decision to Cornell last time out.
*Under third-year head coach Brian Kennedy, NJIT, which competes in the ASun Conference, is led in scoring by Zach Cooks, who checks in at 15.6 ppg., while Diandre Wilson and Shyquan Gibbs average 14.0 and 12.0 ppg., respectively.
Last Time Out
*Senior
Elijah Davis scored 17 points off the bench to lead four players in double figures and redshirt seniors
Romone Saunders and
AJ Sumbry each came through with double-doubles in leading.
*While Davis' 17 points came on 8-of-17 shooting, equally as important in this hard-fought win were the 16 points and 12 rebounds by Saunders, along with a 15-point, career-high 14-rebound effort by Sumbry, Wagner's 6-8 inside force. Senior guard
Devin Liggeons was the fourth Seahawk in double figures with 11.
*Wagner's 49-26 rebounding advantage led to a huge edge in points in the paint (50-30) and second-chance points (15-0), all statistical areas that reflect toughness and tenacity, traits that have become the norm under seventh-year and two-time Northeast Conference (NEC) Coach of the Year
Bashir Mason.
*"Great win for my young group," said Mason. "We preach defending, rebounding and playing with unbelievable toughness were in a situation before at UMass Lowell (78- 74 overtime loss on November 10) where we led by double figures and we let it slip away. My guys went up and gutted out a good win against a really good team."
*Led by Davis, the Seahawks received an important lift from their bench, outscoring the Stags' reserves by a whopping 37-9 count, as the Green & White also received production from junior guard
Jeff Coulanges (8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists), junior forward
Chance Anderson (6 points, 5 rebounds, and freshman guard
Jonathan Norfleet (season-high 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists).
Saunders Named #NECPrimePerformer
*Redshirt senior guard
Romone Saunders put up 21.0 ppg and 9.5 rpg in a 2-0 week for the Seahawks in earning NECPrimePerfromer. His 16 points and 12 rebounds at Fairfield marked his fourth career double-double. He hit four straight free throws in the final 17 seconds to seal the victory and shot 12-12 from the stripe on the week.
Did You Know?
*
Romone Saunders is shooting a league-best 92.6 percent from the stripe (25-of-27) and he's doing it with high volume as his 6.25 makes per game also tops the league.
More Saunders
* Last Tuesday, Saunders played a huge role in Wagner's first win of the season, pouring in a game-high 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting, and 5-of-5 marksmanship from the charity stripe, in leading the Green & White to a 90-58 victory over SUNY-Cortland
*In what was Wagner's 2018-19 home opener, the Temple Hills, MD native also dished out three assists and came up with a steal in a spirited 33-minute stint.
AJ an Inside Force
*Wagner's rugged 6-8, 230-pound redshirt senior forward
AJ Sumbry averaged 11.0 points and 12.0 rebounds in helping the Seahawks' to a 2-0 week, evening the Seahawks' season mark at 2-2
*Following a 7-point, 10-rebound effort in Wagner's first win of the season, a 90-58 home-opening victory over SUNY-Cortland last Tuesday, the Garden State native came up particularly big in helping the Seahawks earn a gutsy 79-73 win at Fairfield on Saturday.
*Against the Stags, Sumbry recorded his second double-double of the season, and sixth of his career, when he tossed in 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, with the 14 rebounds marking a career high.
*For the season, Sumbry is averaging 12.5 points (No. 3 on the team) and a team-high 9.5 rebounds per game. Through Wagner's first four games, Sumbry has scored in double figures three times and grabbed 10 or more rebounds three times, including the last three games. He is also shooting 51 percent from the floor on the year (21-of-41), to go with seven blocked shots.
Davis a Sparkplug As Sixth Man
*Though he hasn't started a game yet this season for Wagner, senior guard
Elijah Davis has been a true sparkplug as a sixth man for the Seahawks through Wagner's first four games
*The 6-3 Bronx, NY native led Wagner with 17 points in the Seahawks' oad victory over Fairfield on Saturday, with those 17 points coming on 8-of-17 accuracy from the floor. In a productive and efficient 26 minutes of playing time off the bench against the Stags, Davis added four rebounds, one assist and one steal.
*This marked Davis' second 17-point outing of the week, has he hit for that same figure during Wagner's home-opening 90-58 victory over SUNY-Courtland last Tuesday
*Against the Red Dragons, Davis hit 7-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, in addition to dishing out a career-high five assists in just 21 minutes of action.
*For the season, Davis is second on the team with s 13.0 scoring average, to go with 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Liggeons Making His Presence Felt
*The fourth member of a battle-tested Seahawk quartet bent on ending their respective Seahawk careers on a high note is senior guard
Devin Liggeons, Wagner's fourth double-figure scorer at 10.8 ppg.
*The rugged Philly guard has also been a factor on the glassing, grabbing an average of 5.5 rebounds per game.
Wagner Picked Fourth in NEC Preseason Poll
*The Northeast Conference (NEC) preseason coaches' poll was announced on October 24 at the league's Social Media Day at Barclays Center, and the defending regular season champion Wagner men's basketball team was predicted to finish fourth by the coaches for the upcoming 2018-19 season.
*Saint Francis U was tabbed the preseason favorite, securing eight first-place votes. Fairleigh Dickinson was predicted to finish second while defending league champion LIU Brooklyn was picked third, with both the Knights and Blackbirds securing one first-place preseason vote apiece.
*Wagner checked in at fourth, Robert Morris was chosen fifth, with Central Connecticut and St. Francis Brooklyn taking the sixth and seventh spots, respectively. Bryant (8th), Sacred Heart (9th) and Mount St. Mary's round out the 10-team poll.
2018-19 NEC Men's Basketball
Preseason Poll
1. Saint Francis U (8)
2. Fairleigh Dickinson (1)
3. LIU Brooklyn (1)
4. Wagner
5. Robert Morris
6. Central Connecticut
7. St. Francis Brooklyn
8. Bryant
9. Sacred Heart
10. Mount St. Mary's
Next Up for Wagner
The Seahawks are next in action on Saturday, November 24 when they host the Rider University Broncs of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in a 2:00 p.m. start.
