WATCH | Live Stats | Game Notes
State College, PA - The Wagner College men's basketball team will travel to Big 10 member Penn State on Wednesday, December 8, with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 pm on B1G+.
Last Time Out
The Seahawks started the second half with a 22-2 run on their way to a dominant 78-49 victory over Stony Brook on Saturday. Wagner held a 43-27 advantage on the glass, 20-10 edge in assists, and outscored Stony Brook 42-18 in the paint. On the defensive end, head coach
Bashir Mason's squad held the America East preseason favorite to 30.9% (17-55) shooting throughout the contest.
Morales Shines Once Again
In his return to the lineup, graduate student
Alex Morales shined once again. The reigning Northeast Conference (NEC) Player of the Year led all scorers with 19 points, nine rebounds, and six assists against Stony Brook. Morales has recorded at least 15 points and five rebounds in each game he has played in and is shooting 65.6% (21-32) from the field this season.
Fast Start
Wagner is 3-1 for the third time under
Bashir Mason and first time since the 2017-18 season, when the Seahawks beat NJIT, American, and CSI on their way to an NEC regular season title and a spot in the NIT.
In the NCAA's first NET rankings, the Seahawks are ranked 23rd in the nation following impressive road victories over VCU and Stony Brook. Wagner is also ranked 133rd in the KenPom rankings, the highest ranking for an NEC team since February 2018.
Two of Wagner's 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.
Program DNA
Through four games, the Seahawks are playing true to their program DNA. Wagner ranks first in the NEC in field goal percentage defense at 40.7% and rebounding margin (6.8). The Seahawks are also first in the conference in scoring defense at 59.2 points per game, which ranks 31
st in the country.
Big Victories
The Seahawks lead the NEC with a scoring margin of 9.8. The Green and White's three victories of the season have been by an average of 20.8 points.
The Series
Saturday's contest marks the fifth all-time meeting between the two teams, as Penn State holds a 4-0 advantage in the series. In the last meeting during the 2019-20 season, Wagner trailed just 37-30 at the halfway mark, but the short-handed Seahawks came up short in a 91-64 loss.
Sharing The Basketball
The Seahawks average 15.2 assists per game, which is first in the NEC and 67
th nationally. Against Stony Brook, freshman
Javier Ezquerra led Wagner with seven assists in his second career start. With Ezquerra, Morales, graduate student
Will Martinez, and freshman
DeLonnie Hunt, four Seahawks average three or more assists per game.
Scouting The Nittany Lions
Penn State enters Wednesday's matchup with a 4-4 record, most recently dropping games against Ohio State and Miami. On November 18, the Nittany Lions earned a 74-59 victory over fellow NEC opponent St. Francis Brooklyn.
It's Miller Time
Junior
Ashton Miller scored his first points in a Seahawk uniform against Stony Brook. The transfer from Duquesne saw his first action at Wagner in the Green and White's loss against Seton Hall before contributing eight points in 16 minutes of action against the Seawolves on Saturday.
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 Stony Brook was the 147
th of head coach
Bashir Mason's head coaching career, as he continues to inch closer to 150 career wins.
The Schedule
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.
