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Staten Island, NY - The Wagner College men's basketball team will conclude its four-game homestand on Monday, when the Seahawks take on Fairleigh Dickinson at 7:00 pm at the Spiro Sports Center.
Last Time Out
Wagner extended its win streak to six games with an 81-76 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn in a hard-fought battle on Saturday at the Spiro Sports Center.
After the Terriers cut their deficit to one with 2:05 to play on a three-pointer by Rob Higgins that made it 73-72, Wagner took a two-possession lead on a traditional three-point play by redshirt-senior
Raekwon Rogers, who led all scorers with 22 points on 8-12 shooting.
Winning Ways
With Saturday's win over St. Francis Brooklyn, the Seahawks moved to 9-2 on the season and 5-0 in NEC play. The Seahawks have now won six straight contests and are a perfect 5-0 at home at the Spiro Sports Center. Wagner is also the only undefeated team in Northeast Conference (NEC) play and currently sits in first place in the conference standings.
Last season, Wagner won 10 straight contests en route to an NEC regular season title.
In 2017-18, the Seahawks finished the regular season with a 16-0 record at the Spiro Sports Center.
Morales Continues To Dominate
Last week, graduate student
Alex Morales was named to the 2022 Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List. The award, which is presented annually to the top mid-major player in division I college basketball, honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons. Morales is the only Northeast Conference (NEC) player featured on the list.
The reigning NEC Player of the Year is the only player in the conference to have earned three NEC Player of the Week awards so far this season after picking up the honor once more last Monday.
Morales led the Seahawks to a thrilling overtime victory over Bryant last Thursday, contributing 24 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two blocks, one steal, with no turnovers. Morales went 7-14 (50%) from the field and a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line in the contest, while scoring four of Wagner's nine points in the overtime period.
Morales became the first player in the nation this season to finish with at least 24 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and, two blocks in a contest in Wagner's win over the Bulldogs.
Seahawks Soar In The Rankings
The Seahawks checked in at #25 in the latest Mid-Major Top-25, released by Collegeinsider.com, last week.
This marks the Seahawks' first appearance in the poll this season. Wagner is the only Northeast Conference (NEC) team ranked in the poll.
The Seahawks are 9-2 this season and have started conference play with a 5-0 mark.
Nationally, Wagner entered the week ranked 121
st in the KenPom rankings and 63
rd in the NCAA's NET rankings.
Toughness Wins
Wagner's style of play has been rewarded many times this season and reflects well by the numbers.
Coming into last week, Wagner ranked 23
rd nationally in scoring defense (60.3 ppg), 24th in steals per game (+9.4), 27th in rebound margin (+7.7), 26th in scoring margin (+14.3), 31st in turnovers forced (16.7/game), 40th in 3P percentage defense (.292), and 45th in field goal percentage (.475).
Successful Non-Conference Slate
Wagner concluded its non-conference season with a 6-2 record.
The Seahawks, who posted double-digit road wins at VCU, Stony Brook and Fairfield, and fell only at Seton Hall and Penn St., tied Monmouth for the fifth-highest win percentage in NEC history.
Wagner has accounted for three of the top-five non-conference campaigns in NEC annals, highlighted by a 9-2 mark in 2011-12.
The Series
Monday's contest marks the 116th all-time meeting between the schools with Wagner holding a tight 58-57 edge in the long and competitive head-to-head series between schools separated by just 31 miles.
Last season, Wagner earned the sweep over FDU with a 76-72 win at home followed by a 95-86 road victory.
Scouting The Knights
FDU enters Monday's contest with a 1-11 overall record and 2-3 mark in NEC play. The Knights most recently fell to Sacred Heart 77-71 on Saturday.
Mason's Milestone Victory
The victory over Fairfield marked the 150
th win of head coach
Bashir Mason's coaching career. Mason is already Wagner's winningest coach in the Division I era and reached the milestone in 276 games, winning more than 54% of his games
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.
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.
The Schedule
Next up, Wagner will take the road and play at LIU on Friday, January 21, with tip-off set for 7:00 pm.
