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Elijah Ford

Men's Basketball

Men’s Basketball To Host Fairleigh Dickinson On Thursday

Staten Island, NY – The Wagner College men's basketball team will look to extend its winning streak to four games on Thursday night, when the Seahawks welcome Fairleigh Dickinson to the Spiro Sports Center, with tip-off set for 5:00 pm.
 
Morales And Hunt Sweep Weekly Awards
 
Senior Alex Morales and freshman DeLonnie Hunt swept the Northeast Conference (NEC) weekly awards, the conference announced on Monday.
 
Morales was named NEC Player of the Week for the second time this season, while Hunt earned Rookie of the Week honors following Wagner's sweep of St. Francis Brooklyn last week.
 
Morales ranks in the NEC top-10 in scoring (17.7, sixth), rebounding (7.6, eight), assists (4.9, third) and steals (1.9, seventh). He has scored 20+ points in four of his last five games, averaging 21.4 points per game in that span. Morales has a chance to become only the third NCAA player since 1992 to finish a season with at least 17.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 5.0 apg and 2.0 spg.
 
One is Memphis legend and 4x NBA all-star Penny Hardaway, who averaged 22.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 6.4 apg and 2.4 spg in earning All-America honors in 1992-93. The other is IPFW star and current member of the Memphis Grizzlies John Konchar, who put up 19.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 5.4 apg and 2.0 spg as a senior in 2018-19.
 
Throughout the last three games, Hunt is averaging 16.3 points per game on 48.8 percent shooting, as he leads all NEC freshmen with 10.3 points per game.
 
Similar Offense
 
Thursday night's matchup will feature similar offensive styles, which sets the stage for a physical battle in the paint. Looking at the NEC's shot selection percentages, Wagner is the leader in percentage of shots at the rim at 46.9%, while Fairleigh Dickinson sits in second at 46.3%. 
 
Boog Is Back
 
Senior Elijah Ford returned to the court against St. Francis Brooklyn after missing the month of January, but immediately provided a spark off the bench. In two games, Ford averaged 13.5 points per game while corralling eight rebounds apiece in both games. On the season, Ford's 18.7 points per game are good for second in the NEC. 
 
Coach Mason Finds His Rotation
 
Throughout Wagner's three-game winning streak, head Coach Bashir Mason has used the same starting five while limiting his rotation to eight players in two of the three wins. During the last three games, five players are averaging more than 30 minutes per contest in Morales, Hunt, Ford, and seniors Will Martinez and Nigel Jackson. 
 
Dominating The Glass
  
The Seahawks lead the NEC with 13.67 offensive rebounds per game while sitting second in the conference in defensive rebounding percentage with a mark of 0.726. Through the last three games, Wagner is outrebounding its opponents by an average of 36 - 32.7 rebounds per game.
 
Conference Standings Tightening Up 
 
In a truly unique season, the NEC playoff race is tightening, especially since only four teams will qualify for the postseason tournament this year. After a 1-4 start, the Green & White are in seventh place but remarkably just one game out of first place following the road sweep at St. Francis Brooklyn, as just one win separates first place and seventh place in the conference. 
 
 
Scouting The Knights
 
FDU enters Thursday night's contest on a four-game winning streak after consecutive sweeps over Bryant and LIU. The Knights are 7-9 overall and 6-4 in conference play. Jahlil Jenkins and Elyjah Williams lead Fairleigh Dickinson with 17.1 and 14.8 points per game, respectively. 
 
The Series

Thursday's contest marks the 114th all-time meeting between the schools with the Knights holding a 57-56 edge in the long and competitive head-to-head series between schools separated by just 31 miles. Last season, FDU earned the sweep over the Seahawks.
 
Next Up For Wagner 
 
Following Thursday night's contest, both teams are scheduled to meet again two days later, with game two set to take place at FDU on Saturday, February 13, at 7:00 pm.
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Elijah Ford

#4 Elijah Ford

G
6' 5"
Senior
Nigel Jackson

#0 Nigel Jackson

F
6' 7"
Senior
Will Martinez

#11 Will Martinez

G
6' 5"
Senior
Alex Morales

#2 Alex Morales

G
6' 6"
Senior
DeLonnie Hunt

#3 DeLonnie Hunt

G
6' 0"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Elijah Ford

#4 Elijah Ford

6' 5"
Senior
G
Nigel Jackson

#0 Nigel Jackson

6' 7"
Senior
F
Will Martinez

#11 Will Martinez

6' 5"
Senior
G
Alex Morales

#2 Alex Morales

6' 6"
Senior
G
DeLonnie Hunt

#3 DeLonnie Hunt

6' 0"
Freshman
G

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