WATCH | Live Stats | Game Notes
Staten Island, NY - The Wagner College men's basketball team will travel to Merrimack to kick off a two-game road trip on Friday night at 7:00 pm.
Last Time Out
Wagner earned a 64-54 victory over Stonehill at the Spiro Sports Center on Monday afternoon for the Seahawks' second consecutive victory. The Seahawks tallied nine first half assists and five threes in the first period, helping spark a 20-8 run to end the half en route to the victory.
The Floor General
Junior
Javier Ezquerra earned Northeast Conference (NEC) Prime Performer honors after scoring a season-high 16 points against Stonehill. Ezquerra is averaging 12.7 points per game, a league-best 6.7 assists per game, and two steals per game vs. NEC competition. Overall, the junior is second in the NEC in assists (4.1), eighth in steals (1.5) and third in A/TO ratio (2.35). Ezquerra has recorded five or more assists in five straight games going into the weekend.
Downtown Staten Island
Offensively, Wagner has converted an NEC-best 37.7 percent of its three-point opportunities in conference play this season. Wagner already has four games with 10+ threes on the season, the most since the 2019-20 season.
Defensively, the Green and White is holding opponents to 29.4% shooting from long range, which leads the NEC and is 33
rd in the nation.
Allen Heating Up
Junior
Tahron Allen has scored in double figures in six of Wagner's last seven games after adding 12 points against Stonehill. Allen is Wagner's leading scorer in conference play with 15 points per game and is Wagner's second-leading rebounder in NEC action at 6.3 rebounds per game.
Council Continues To Impress
Wagner's leading scorer on the season at 14.3 points per game, junior
Melvin Council Jr. ranks fourth in the NEC in scoring and has scored in double figures in all but three games on the season. Council is also in the top-10 in the league in rebounding at 5.3 boards per game. Council's assist/turnover ratio of 2.45 is second in the NEC and 72
nd in the country.
The Wagner DNA
At 62.1 points per game, Wagner is 9th in the country in scoring defense while also leading the NEC. The Seahawks are undefeated when holding opponents to 62 points or less on the season.
Taking Care Of The Ball
Wagner's 9.5 turnovers per game are now up to 16th in the country and first in the NEC. The Seahawks' turnover margin of 3.3 is good for 45
th nationally.
Scouting The Warriors
Merrimack enters Friday's contest with a 9-9 overall record and 3-1 mark in NEC play. Most recently, the Warriors fell 75-70 at Central Connecticut. The Seahawks and Warriors will face each other in two of their next three games, with the rematch on Staten Island scheduled for January 25.
The Series
Wagner leads the series against the Warriors 4-3 after splitting the season series for two straight seasons. Last year, Wagner earned a 62-57 road victory at Merrimack while falling at home.
The Warriors ended Wagner's historic 14-game win streak with an 80-65 overtime victory at the Spiro Sports Center in the last meeting between the two teams.
Next Up
The Seahawks will travel to Sacred Heart on Sunday, with tip-off set for 2:00 pm on ESPN+
