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Staten Island, NY - The Wagner College men's basketball team will travel to Long Island on Saturday, December 4, to take on Stony Brook, with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 pm on SNY and ESPN3.
Mason Returns
In Wednesday's contest against #25 Seton Hall, Wagner was coached by assistant coach
Bobby Jordan and limited to just nine players on the night. Head coach
Bashir Mason is scheduled to return for Saturday's game at Stony Brook.
Last Time Out
The Seahawks trailed 35-33 at the half and tied the game at 35-35 to start the second half before falling 85-63 to #25 Seton Hall on Wednesday night at the Prudential Center. Down 13-4 early, the Seahawks fought their way into the game, as a Price Noel three with 6:57 to play in the first half cut the deficit to 23-19.
In the final four minutes of the first half, the Seahawks went on an 8-2 run, as buckets by Rogers, Ford, and freshman
Zaire Williams made it a one-possession game at the midway mark.
Coming out of the half, Rogers tied the game at 35-35, but it wasn't enough, as the Pirates pulled away for the victory late.
Newcomers Make An Impact
The shorthanded Seahawks featured four newcomers in the starting lineup on Wednesday against Seton Hall. Apart from graduate student
Elijah Ford, transfers
Raekwon Rogers and
Jahbril Price Noel joined freshmen
Javier Ezquerra and
Zaire Williams to start the game.
Through three games, Rogers is averaging 10.7 points per game and was the leading scorer against the Pirates with a season-high 15 points.
Williams has started every game so far this season after becoming just the fifth freshman under
Bashir Mason to start in the season-opener earlier this season.
Ezquerra earned the first start of his collegiate career and scored his first points in a Seahawk uniform in Wednesday's loss, while Price Noel added a season-high 11 points on 4-9 shooting.
Signature Defense
Through three games, Wagner leads the Northeast Conference in scoring defense, holding opponents to an average of 62.7 points per game. The Seahawks are also first in the conference in forcing turnovers, generating an average of 16.33 turnovers per game, and steals per game (8.3).
Scouting The Seawolves
Stony Brook enters Saturday's game with a 3-3 mark after two straight 80-point performances in victories over Yale and American. Earlier this season, the Seawolves earned a 75-72 victory over fellow Northeast Conference (NEC) member Sacred Heart.
The Series
Saturday's matchup marks the ninth meeting between Wagner and Stony Brook, with the Seahawks holding a 5-3 advantage in the series.
The two teams last met during the 2019-20 season, with Stony Brook earning a last-second 87-84 overtime victory at the Spiro Sports Center.
Fast Start
Prior to Wednesday's loss, the Seahawks opened the season 2-0 for the first time since the 2005-2006 season.
Wagner's two victories also came against two teams that qualified for the NCAA tournament last year, marking the first time since 2011-12 that the Seahawks have earned two non-conference victories over NCAA Tournament teams in the same season.
Bashir Mason Named To The Athletic's 40 Under 40 List
Head men's basketball coach
Bashir Mason was named to the Athletic's "40 Under 40 – Rising Stars In Men's College Basketball" list.
According to the article, which features Mason at #15, Mason "has established himself as one of the top mid-major coaches in America."
Last season, Mason entered elite territory, becoming just the second coach in the conference's 40-year history to win three Jim Phelan Coach of the Year honors, joining NEC Hall of Fame coach Howie Dickenman, who earned the distinction four times in his storied career at CCSU.
Following the 2020-21 season, Mason was also a finalist for the 2020-21 Hugh Durham Award, which is presented annually to the top Division I mid-major coach in college basketball.
Wagner's head coach was also a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award, which is presented annually to the top Division I minority coach.
Now in his 10th season as the Seahawks' head coach, Mason earned his 146th career victory in Wagner's statement victory over VCU on November 13, as he continues closing in on 150 career victories.
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 and is the fastest coach to win 100 games in Seahawk history.
Wagner's win over VCU was the 146th of head coach
Bashir Mason's head coaching career, as he continues to inch closer to 150 career wins.
The Schedule
Wagner will travel to Penn State on December 8 to close out the road trip. The Seahawks will host Immaculata on December 16 and Delaware State on December 20, before closing out the non-conference schedule at Fairfield on December 23.
The Seahawks will open conference play on December 29 at Saint Francis U.
