Staten Island, NY – After splitting its first two Northeast Conference (NEC) games, the Wagner men's basketball is right back at it on Thursday when the Seahawks host a Sacred Heart team that is 2-0 in league play.
All-Time Series vs. The Sacred Heart University Pioneers
*Thursday evening's contest marks the 39th all-time meeting between the schools with Wagner holding a 24-14 edge in the head-to-head series. In the last five meetings, Wagner is 5-0 against Sacred Heart.
About the Seahawks
*Following an impressive 80-58 win at CCSU in a contest that saw the Seahawks knock down a season-high 15 three-pointers, Wagner had a tough shooting night from long range in its second NEC contest on Saturday, hitting just 2-of-17 from deep in a 66-59 home loss to St. Francis Brooklyn.
*The Green & White are guided by two-time and reigning Northeast Conference (NEC) Coach of the Year
Bashir Mason (116-86, .574), 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 (.889).
*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. In Saturday's NEC home opener vs. St. Francis Brooklyn, Sumbry recorded his team-best third double-double of the season (seventh of his career) with a 13-point, 11-rebound effort vs. the Terriers. Earlier in the season, the 6-8 Garden State native had 16 points and 10 rebounds at UMass Lowell (11/10), and at Fairfield (15 points, career-high 14 rebounds (11/17).
*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 Sacred Heart Pioneers
*Picked ninth in the NEC Preseason Poll, Sacred Heart improved to 2-0 in NEC play,and 6-9 overall, with a 73-61 win over Central Connecticut State at home on Satrurday.
*The win improved the Pioneers record to 6-9 overall and 2-0 in league play, while the Blue Devils fell to 6-9 on the season and 0-2 in NEC play.
*The win came on the heels of Thursday's 79-75 home win over LIU Brooklyn.
*Against CCSU, SHU finished with four players in double figures on the afternoon. E.J. Anosike led the Pioneers with 20 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Sean Hoehn scored 17 while Jare'l Spellman added 11 and Kinnon LaRose finished with 10.
Romone Saunders Garners Third NEC Weekly Honor Roll Citation
*In Wagner's two NEC games combined, against Central Connecticut (1/3) and St. Francis Brooklyn (1/7), 6-3 redshirt senior and captain
Romone Saunders shot 50 percent (13-of-26) from the floor, averaging 22.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists, while sinking 14-of-14 free throws in copping his third NEC Honor Roll appearance. He was also named to the Met Basketball Writers Association Honor Roll.
*In the Seahawks' 80-58 NEC opening night win at CCSU, tossed in 17 points, grabbed six rebounds, and matched his career high of six assists.
*From the free throw line, he was a perfect 6-of-6.
*Two days later, in the league home opener vs. St. Francis Brooklyn, Saunders poured in a season-high 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting, with nine rebounds , again matching his career high of six assists, while also going perfect at the foul line (8-of-8 ).
More Saunders
*Senior guard and captain
Romone Saunders is Wagner's leading scorer (18.1 ppg.- 2nd in the NEC) and rebounder (7.2 rpg.-5th in the NEC) and leads the conference with an 89.9 percent (71-of-79) average from the free throw line (29th in the nation entering the week).
Saunders Streaking at the Foul Line
*
Romone Saunders is the NEC's leading free throw shooter at 89.9 percent (71-of-79), and has a current streak of 25 consecutive made free throws.
*Since missing his first foul shot at the 17:35 mark vs. Hartford (12/22), Saunders has not missed. After making his final 11 free throws against Hartford, Saunders did not attempt a free throw at Saint Joseph's (12/29).
*The streak resumed on 1/3 at Central Connecticut (6-of-6) and continued at home vs. St. Francis Brooklyn on 1/5 (8-of-8).
Saunders' Last Four Games from the Charity Stripe
Hartford (12/22) 11-12
At Saint Joseph's (12/29) 0-0
At Central Connecticut (1/3) 6-6
St. Francis Brooklyn (1/5) 8-8
Saunders Climbing in Wagner All-Time Scoring
33. Tony Rice (1992-95) ........................ 1,101
34. Greg Clay (1980-85) ........................ 1,099
35. John DiMaggio (1962-65) ................ 1,088
36. Arnold Obey (1965-68) ................... 1,081
37. Romone Saunders (2014-pres.)…… 1,076
Former Sixth-Man Davis Enters Starting Lineup
*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 NEC opener for both teams on Thursday.
*Davis was 6-of-10 from the floor vs. CCSU and 4-of-5 from the free throw line in a productive 31-minute stint.
*The 6-3 Bronx, NY native followed that performance with nine points on 4-of-9 shooting vs. St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday. Averaging 10.1 ppg. entering the CCSU game, in two games as a starter, Davis is averaging 14.0 ppg.
Former Seahawk Standout Jojo Cooper Named Germany Pro-B Player Of The Month
*In his first season of playing professional basketball, former All-Northeast Conference (NEC) guard and Seahawk standout Jojo Cooper has been named the Germany Pro-B Player of the Month.
*In the month of December, Cooper averaged 14.75 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.25 assists for WWU Baskets Münster, running the point for a team that is currently in third place after a 9-6 start to the season.
*For the season, Cooper is averaging 12.9 points and 7.2 assists following a stellar Seahawk career that saw him earn First Team All-NEC honors during the 2017-2018 campaign.
*Most recently, the Wilmington, DE native came up huge in Münster's 77-76 victory over Iserlohn, scoring a game-high 20 points, including the game-winning basket with time winding down, along with seven assists and six rebounds.
*While a vital cog in the Seahawks' machine during his first three seasons on Grymes Hill, the physical 6-1 guard enjoyed a breakout senior season for the Seahawks in 2017-18, leading Wagner to its second NEC regular season title and National Invitational Tournament (NIT) bid in a three-year span.
*Cooper was tabbed the 2017-18 All-Met Second Team, the
2018 All-Northeast Conference (NEC) First Team, the 2018 All-NEC Tournament Team, as well as the
National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I All-District 18 First Team.
*Cooper, who was named the Seahawks' Most Valuable Male Athlete, was also a participant in the inaugural 3X3U National Championship, presented by Dos Equis, held in San Antonio, TX.
*Regarded as one of the NEC's top defensive guards during his first three collegiate seasons, Cooper averaged 14.3 points, 6.1 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game in 2017-18, scoring in double figures 28 times (45 times for his career), while hitting for 20 or more points on six different occasions.
*His final 20-point plus outing came in the NEC semifinals against Robert Morris, when he finished with 20 points in 39 minutes of action.
*Cooper wrapped up his four-year Seahawk career with 1,018 points career points (43rd all-time) while dishing out 517 assists (sixth all-time time).
*In addition, the versatile guard grabbed 491 career rebounds in 124 games, setting a program record for games played, surpassing the previous mark of 123. The former Concord High School standout was also a three-time NEC Player of the Week selection this past season.
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).
*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.
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 Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights on Saturday, January 12. The 4:00 p.m. tip can be seen live on necfrontrow.com. The Wagner-FDU game will be the second game of a doubleheader at the Spiro Sports center as the Seahawk and Knight women's team's will clash at 1:00 p.m.
Follow Us: #CHAOSonthehill
Wagner Athletics
Men's Basketball:
Head Coach
Bashir Mason:
