Staten Island, NY - After posting the lone Northeast Conference (NEC) road win of the night at Central Connecticut on Thursday thanks in large part to a season-high 15 made three-pointers, the Wagner men's basketball teams looks to make it a 2-0 league start when the Seahawks host St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday in a 4:00 p.m. tip at the Spiro Sports Center.
NEC's Two Best Records
*The battle between Wagner and St. Francis Brooklyn, whose campuses are separated by just 11.5 miles, is a matchup of the only two NEC schools to currently boast a .500 or better overall record. The Seahawks are 6-6 on the season while the Terriers, following
Thursday night's 76-66 loss at Bryant, check in at 8-6.
All-Time vs. St. Francis Brooklyn
*Saturday's contest will mark the 95th time these teams are squaring off with the Terriers holding a 51-44 advantage in the head-to-head series.
*Wagner is 23-21 all-time against St. Francis Brooklyn at home.
*The Seahawks split their two meeting with the Terriers last season, dropping an 82-75 road decision on December 31, 2017, before earning a 79-61 home victory on February 3, 2018
*Wagner seventh-year head coach
Bashir Mason is 3-2 all-time against the Terriers at the Spiro Sports Center.
Northeast Conference Launches New Branding Initiative
*The NEC launched its "All In, Ball Out" branding campaign at the league's "Social" Media Day in Brooklyn on Oct. 24, 2018.
*The campaign is meant to capture the essence and attitude of the NEC's basketball-centric nature, and convey a host of traits common to its student-athletes, teams and the Conference itself.
*A series of hoops theme nights were announced to take place during league play and enhance the fan experience through coordinated marketing efforts within the conference. The theme nights are NECNewYear (Jan. 3 & 5), MLK Day (Jan. 21) and Love & NEC Basketball (Feb. 14 & 16).
About the Seahawks
*Wagner is coming off an impressive 80-58 win at CCSU in a contest that saw the Seahawks knock down a season-high 15 three-pointers.
*The Green & White are guided by two-time and reigning Northeast Conference (NEC) Coach of the Year
Bashir Mason (116-85, .576), the fastest coach to win 100 games in Seahawk history, who has developed 12 All-NEC selections during his tenure,
*Now in his seventh season at the helm of the Seahawk ship, Mason was the youngest head coach at the Division I level when he was named the 18th head men's basketball coach in school history on March 26, 2012. At age 34, he remains one of the nation's youngest head coaches, checking in as the sixth-most youthful head coach heading into the 2018-19 campaign.
*Defense and rebounding have been at the forefront of Wagner's success throughout Mason's tenure and the 2018-19 season has been no different. Heading into NEC play, the Seahawks top the league in both field goal percentage defense (.432) and rebounding margin (+8.2).
*The Green and White, who were picked fourth in the 2018-19 NEC Preseason Poll, are paced in scoring by redshirt senior guard, and captain,
Romone Saunders who checks in with a 17.3 points per game average, a figure that ranks fourth in the NEC. Saunders is also the Seahawks' leading rebounder at 7.0 rpg. (5
th in NEC). Additionally, the 6-3 Saunders also ranks No. 1 in the NEC in free throw percentage (.887).
*Senior guard
Elijah Davis responded to his first start of the season by pouring in a season-high 19 points to lead a balanced Wagner effort in the Seahawks' 80-58 win at Central Connecticut. The 6-3 Davis, who had been supplying instant offense off the bench in Wagner's first 11 games, is now the Seahawks' second-leading scorer at 11.4 points per game.
*Sumbry, a physical 6-8, 230 inside force, in addition to quarterbacking the Wagner defense, is averaging career-best numbers with 9.5 ppg. and 6.7 rpg. (8
th in NEC). Sumbry is also 5
th in the league at 1.08 blocks per game.
*Sophomore
Chase Freeman checks in at 9.5 ppg. and a team-best 4.2 assists per game. The 5-10 Tennessean played a steady floor game in the win at CCSU, finishing with 10 points (3-of-5 from three-point range), to go with five assists, while playing 30 minutes of turnover-free basketball from his point guard spot.
About the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers
*Picked sixth in the NEC Preseason Poll, St. Francis Brooklyn went 8-5 in non-conference play before dropping their NEC opener at Bryant, 76-66, on Thursday.
*With the loss to the Bulldogs, the Terriers enter Saturday contest with Wagner at 8-5 overall, 0-1 in NEC play.
*Under ninth-year head coach Glenn Braica, St. Francis Brooklyn features three players averaging in double figures in 6-3 sophomore guard Jalen Jordan (14.4 ppg.), 5-8 sophomore guard Chancy Hawkins (12.1 ppg.) and 5-11 fifth-year senior guard Glenn Sanabria (11.2 ppg.), a local product from St. Peter's High School here on Staten Island.
Last Time Out
*Senior guard
Elijah Davis responded to his first start of the season by pouring in a season-high 19 points to lead a balanced Wagner effort as the Seahawks earned an 80-58 road victory at Central Connecticut State in the Northeast (NEC) Conference opener for both teams on Thursday night at Detrick Gymnasium.
*In addition to getting off to a 1-0 start in league play by posting the league's lone road win on this night, the Seahawks even their season record at 6-6 while the Blue Devils fall to 6-8 and 0-1 in the NEC.
*Davis' 19-point effort was one shy of his career high and was highlighted by 3-of-6 accuracy from three-point range. Four different Seahawks hit a trio of three-pointers as Wagner knocked down a season-high 15 three-pointers.
*Senior guard and captain
Romone Saunders (3-of-8 from three-point range) matched his average of 17 points while also equaling his career high of six assists on the evening, in addition to tying for team-high honors in rebounding with six.
*Sophomore
Chase Freeman played a steady floor game, finishing with 10 points (3-of-5 from three-point range), to go with five assists, while playing 30 minutes of turnover-free basketball from his point guard spot.
*Sophomore forward
Nigel Jackson added nine points, all coming in the first half on three long-range jumpers, while senior guard
Devin Liggeons chipped in with eight points and six rebounds.
*Entering the game as the NEC's top team in field goal percentage defense and turnover margin, Wagner was solid in both of those areas tonight, limiting the Blue Devils to 37.3 percent shooting while holding a 36-30 edge on the glass.
Saunders Climbing In All-Time Scoring
*With his 17 points at Central Connecticut,
Romone Saunders moved up to 1,049 for his career remains in 40th-place all-time, just one-point shy of the 39th spot currently held by Kenneth Ortiz (2011-2014), who tallied 1,050 career points.
5. John DiMaggio (1962-65) 1,088
36. Arnold Obey (1965-68) 1,081
37. Lamont Street (1990-94) 1,063
38. Nigel Wyatte (2000-04) 1,060
39. Kenneth Ortiz (2011-2014) 1,050
40. Romone Saunders (2014-pres.) 1,049 |
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.
Up Next
The Seahawks will host the Sacred Heart University Pioneers on Thursday, January 10 in a 7:00 p.m. tip that will be seen live on ESPN3.
Follow Us: #CHAOSonthehill
Wagner Athletics
Men's Basketball:
Head Coach
Bashir Mason:
