Smithfield, RI – Coming off a stirring comeback win at Mount St. Mary's, that was capped by redshirt senior
Romone Saunders' buzzer-beating game winner, the Wagner men's basketball team will be looking for its fourth consecutive win when the Seahawks play at Bryant on Thursday, February 21 in a 7:00 p.m. tip that will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network.
Seahawks In Five-Way Second Place Logjam
The victory at the Mount gave Wagner an 8-6 Northeast Conference (NEC) record and catapulted the Seahawks into a five-way tie for second place in the league standings. In addition to the Green & White, the other 8-6 second-place teams, that sit two games behind first-place Saint Francis U, include Fairleigh Dickinson, St. Francis Brooklyn, Robert Morris and Sacred Heart. The top four teams in the final standings will host quarterfinal round games in next month's eight-team NEC Playoffs.
Second Meeting Between Teams In Three Weeks
The Seahawks will be looking to split the regular season series as Bryant earned a 71-64 victory at the Spiro Sports Center on January 31.
All-Time Series Against The Bryant University Bulldogs
Thursday's matchup vs. Bryant marks the 18th all-time meeting between the schools with Wagner holding an 11-6 edge in the head-to-head series. The Green & White, who are 3-2 in their last five meetings with Bryant saw their three-game winning streak over the Bulldogs come to an end in this season's first meeting. Wagner swept both matchups a year ago. On January 11, 2018, the Seahawks earned a 71-62 win in Smithfield, RI before posting a 96-76 home win on February 8, 2018. Wagner holds hold a 6-2 all-time record home record vs. the Bulldogs in games played at the Spiro Sports Center.
Wagner-Bryant: The Last Time
In the first contest between these teams three weeks ago, freshman guard
Jonathan Norfleet scored a career-high 14 points in matching sophomore guard
Chase Freeman for game-high scoring honors but it wasn't enough to offset a 23-point outing from Bryant's SaBastian Townes as the Bulldogs withstood a late Seahawk rally in recording the 71-64 win. Townes, a 6-5, 260-pound power forward, scored 11 of the Bulldogs' first 13 points of the game during a defensive-minded, halfcourt opening half that saw Bryant build a 31-29 halftime lead.The Bulldogs opened the second half with a 7-2 burst in the first three minutes of the second half in building a 38-31 lead. Bryant eventually built a 13-point advantage at 51-38 following a Patrick Harding layup with 11:24 left to play. Following an exchange of baskets, the lead was again at 13 points, 58-45, with 3:33 to play following a baseline jumper by Townes. Wagner then ran off nine unanswered points on a Norfleet three-pointer, followed by consecutive layups from redshirt senior guard
Romone Saunders, junior forward
Chance Anderson and senior guard
Elijah Davis, the latter coming on a fast-break bucket following a wild scramble for the ball that made it 58-54 with 2:17 remaining. This is as close as the Seahawks would get, however, as Bryant answered with an Adam Grant layup, followed by another Townes jumper, this one coming at 1:36 left, that made it a 62-54 game and the Bulldogs were able to hang on from there. Saunders was the third Seahawk to hit for double figures that night, finishing with 13 points in recording what marked his 19th consecutive double-digit scoring game. For Bryant, Grant and Bryan Hawkins joined Townes in double-digits with 16 points apiece.
Saunders Posts Solid Numbers, Including Game-Winner Despite Despite Tough Shooting
Even on a tough shooting week, redshirt senior guard
Romone Saunders turned in a "
Romone Saunders" week in Wagner's 2-0 week that has vaulted the Seahawks into a five-way tie for second place in the tightly-bunched NEC race, In defeating CCSU at home, 63-57 on Thursday, and the Mount in comeback fashion on Saturday, 58-56, Saunders averaged 15.0 pts/8.0 rebs/3.5 assists. His signature play, of course, the game-winning layup at the buzzer after dribbling the length of the court vs. MSM. That night, Saunders was just 2-of-14 shooing which came on a 5-of-13 effort in an 19-point, nine-round outing in the win over CCSU on Thursday.
All Hands on Deck
In Wagner's 2-0 week, Wagner received important contributions from a host of players who helped make up for tough offensive weeks by the team's top two scorers, Saunders and senior guard
Elijah Davis (6.5 pts). Redshirt senior forward
AJ Sumbry (9.0 pts/6.5 rebs), rapidly-improving freshman guard
Tyrone Nesby IV (7.5 pts/3.5 rebs/two big second-half 3-pters in Mount comeback), unsung senior guard
Devin Liggeons (7.5 pts/7.0 rebs), and sophomore forward
Nigel Jackson (6.5 pt average, 10 important points at the Mount) all played significant roles in the 2-0 week.
Davis On the Glass
Physical and sturdy 6-4, 215-pound senior guard
Elijah Davis is a vital cog in the Wagner machine, even when not contributing as he customarily does on the offense end. Despite averaging some five points below his season average in Wagner's two wins, the Bronx, NY native was constantly in the middle of important action, particularly on the boards. In Wagner's gritty 58-56 comeback win at the Mount on Saturday, Davis mixed it up inside, pulling down a game-high, season-high and career-tying 10 rebounds. And Wagner need all of them in pulling out the win.
Nesby A Factor From Deep
In Wagner's current three-game winning streak, bouncy 6-5 wing
Tyrone Nesby IV, who has gained the start in all three, has averaged 8.0 points and 3.3 rebounds. All eight of the Reading, PA native's made field goals in this three-game stretch have come from beyond the arc.
Nesby From Three Last Three Games
3-PTFG-FGA
(2/9) 68-65 W at LIU Brooklyn: 3-3
(2/14) 63-57 W vs. Central Conn: 3-5
(2/16) 58-56 W at Mount:
2-5
8-13 (.615)
Saunders 22nd in All-Time Scoring
Redshirt senior guard
Romone Saunders is up to 1,265 career points, good for 21
st on the Seahawk all-time list, having passed recent Seahawk standout Jamal Smith (1,260 pts, 2004-08). Next on the list is Seahawk Hall of Famer Frantz Pierre-Louis (1,271 pts, 1994-99).
All-Time Scoring
15. Fred Klittich (1961-64) 1,404
16. Dedrick Dye (1999-03) 1,349
17. Hank Pedro (1962-65) 1,298
18. Art Redmond (1981-86) 1,291
19. Joey Mundweiler (2004-08) 1,281
20. Frantz Pierre-Louis (1994-99) 1,271
21. Romone Saunders (2014-pres.) 1,265
Saunders Ninth in All-Time Three-Pointers Made
Romone Saunders has moved into the Wagner All-Time Top-10 list in career three-pointers made, checking in at ninth place with 191 made three's.
CAREER 3-PT FG MADE
1 Joey Mundweiler (2004-09) 312
2 Dedrick Dye (1999-03) 270
3 Dean Borges (1986-91) 218
4 Chris Martin (2008-12) 199
5 Bobby Hopson (1990-94) 192
6 Tyler Murray (2008-12) 189
7 Lamont Street (1990-1994) 187
8 Jeff Klauder (1998-2002) 185
9 Romone Saunders (2014-pres.) 191
10
Corey Henson (2014-2017) 180
Sumbry Moving Up on All-Time Blocks List
*With his two blocks vs. Mount St. Mary's, redshirt senior forward
AJ Sumbry is up to 129 for his Seahawk career, which places him in fourth place, ahead of all-time Wagner great and 2018 Hall of Fame Inductee Jermaine Hall (1999-2033). For his collegiate career, Sumbry actually has 140 blocks to his credit, including 11 he had during his freshman season of 2013-14 at Quinnipiac.
All-Time Blocks
1 Naofall Folahan (2010-14) 230
2 Frantz Pierre-Louis (1994-1999) 176
3 Mladin Mutavdzic (1991-1993) 135
4. A.J. Sumbry (2016-pres.) 129
5 Jermaine Hall (1999-2003) 124
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).
6-7 Forward Darion Jordan-Thomas Signs Letter of Intent
During the early signing period back in November, 6'7" Massachusetts forward Darion Jordan-Thomas from Woodstock Academy (CT) signed a National Letter of Intent to continue his academic and athletic career at Wagner College. Jordan-Thomas, who scored more than 1,600 career points in his high school career, was a standout at Proctor Academy in Andover, NH, before electing to spend a prep school year at Woodstock Academy. The Brockton, MA native, who will be a freshman in 2019-20.
Up Next
Wagner makes the short trek across the Hudson River to meet Fairleigh Dickinon on Saturday, February 23. Tip-off between the Seahawks and the Knights is set for 4:30 pm.
