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Staten Island, NY – The Wagner men's basketball team will open the 2021 calendar year with two consecutive contests against LIU on Thursday and Friday, January 14-15, at the Spiro Sports Center. Both games will tip off at 7:00 pm and will be broadcast on NECFrontRow.
Projecting A Defensive Battle
This week's series will feature two of the top three scoring defenses in the Northeast Conference (NEC). Head coach
Bashir Mason's signature defense is holding opponents to 73 points per contest, which is good for third in the NEC, while LIU is second at 68.8 points per game.
Dominating The Glass
The Seahawks lead the NEC in both rebounding margin with a mark of +5.4 and offensive rebounds with 14.6 per game. The Seahawks have outrebounded their opponents in all four conference games so far this season.
Morales' Versatility
Senior
Alex Morales has emerged as one of the top players in the NEC, showing tremendous versatility through Wagner's first five games of the season. Morales is 12
th in the NEC in scoring at 14.4 points per game, fifth in rebounding (8.4 per game), fourth in assists (4.8 per game), and 12
th in steals (1.6 per game). During the last week of December, Morales was the only player in the country averaging at least 14 points, 8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
Ford's Career Week
Senior
Elijah Ford scored 91 points across Wagner's first four conference games, pouring in 29 points each in the second game of the series against Bryant and Sacred Heart. Ford is the only player in the Northeast Conference to currently average more than 20 points per game, leading the league at 20.8 points per contest.
Freshman Success
Freshmen
DeLonnie Hunt and
Elijah Allen continue to make a big impact in their first season on Grymes Hill. Hunt is second in the conference with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.14 and seventh in the conference in minutes played with 34.40 per game, while Allen is sixth in the league in three-point field goals (2.4 per game) and 21
st in minutes played (30.2 per game). The Seahawks' season-opening loss to Seton Hall marked the first time ever that head coach
Bashir Mason has started two first-year players in Wagner's season-opener. Allen and Hunt also became the first freshmen to start a season-opener since
Nigel Jackson made his Seahawk debut in 2017.
Starting Consistency
With Allen, Hunt, Morales, and sophomore JaMier Fletcher, four Seahawks have started every game so far this season.
Scouting The Sharks
LIU comes into the series with a 3-1 overall and conference record. Just like the Seahawks, the Sharks earned a split in their series against Sacred Heart, while sweeping Saint Francis U last week.
Last Time Out
In a back-and-forth thriller that featured eight ties and five lead changes, the Wagner College men's basketball team dropped a memorable 86-85 overtime thriller to Sacred Heart in the Seahawks' final game of the 2020 calendar year. Senior
Elijah Ford once again led Wagner with 29 points on 10-15 shooting. Fellow senior
Alex Morales recorded another strong performance with 20 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while freshman
DeLonnie Hunt was the third Seahawk in double figures with 12 points.
The Series
Wagner has won three out of its last four games against LIU, including a 72-64 victory against the Sharks at the Spiro Sports Center last season. Head coach
Bashir Mason holds a career record of 11-8 against LIU after splitting the season series last season.
Next Up For Wagner
Following this week's series against LIU, Wagner is scheduled to travel to Mount St. Mary's on January 26 and 27.
