WATCH | Live Stats | Game Notes
Staten Island, NY - The Wagner College men's basketball team will take on Sacred Heart on Saturday at 4:00 pm on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
Junior
Melvin Council Jr.'s game-winner with two seconds remaining in overtime led the Seahawks to a 65-63 overtime win at Saint Francis U on Thursday night.
Council played with a heavy heart after attending his grandfather's funeral on Wednesday and arrived in Loretto separately from the rest of the team.
"This win was bigger than basketball," head coach
Donald Copeland commented after the game. "We are all here to support Melvin through this tough time in his life and couldn't be happier that the ball found him on the final play of the game. I'm proud of Melvin and our entire team tonight as we fought and earned another tough road win."
Council led the Seahawks with 20 points and eight rebounds, while junior
Tahron Allen added 12 points. Sophomore
Keyontae Lewis was the third Seahawk in double figures with 10 points.
Allen Heating Up
Junior
Tahron Allen led the Seahawks with 22 points at FDU last week, his most in a Wagner uniform, before adding 12 points against Saint Francis U for his fourth straight double-digit performance. The first-year Seahawk ranks second on the team with 10.2 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game, and entered the week shooting 54.5 percent (18-33) from three-point range on the year. For his efforts, Allen was named a Northeast Conference (NEC) Prime Performer going into the week.
The Wagner DNA
At 62.8 points per game, Wagner is 9
th in the country in scoring defense while also leading the Northeast Conference (NEC).
Council Continues To Impress
Junior
Melvin Council Jr. has now scored in double figures in 13 of Wagner's last 14 games and is Wagner's leading scorer at 14.7 points per game, which is sixth in the NEC. Council also came into the week in the Top-10 in the circuit in rebounding (8
th / 5.3), assists (7
th / 3.55) while leading the league in minutes played at 34.68 minutes per game. His 20-point outing against the Red Flash on Thursday was his fourth 20-point game of the season.
Taking Care Of The Ball
Wagner's 9.8 turnovers per game are 24
th in the country and first in the NEC. As a team Wagner's assist/turnover ratio of 1.38 leads the NEC. Individually, the Seahawks have two of the top three players in the NEC in assist/turnover ratio in junior
Javier Ezquerra (2
nd / 2.33) and Council (3
rd / 2.23).
Weekday Happy Hour
The Seahawks are 5-1 in their last six games played on weekdays compared to 0-3 in their last three games played on a weekend.
Scouting The Pioneers
Sacred Heart enters Saturday's matchup with a 6-5 mark in conference action. The Pioneers have lost two straight games and are 2-11 on the road this season. In the first meeting between the two teams, Sacred Heart came away with a 66-61 victory.
Marketing Giveaway
The first 75 fans in attendance at the game will receive a FREE Wagner beanie!
Next Up
Wagner will take on CCSU on Thursday, February 22.
