WATCH | Live Stats | Game Notes

Staten Island, NY - The Wagner College men's basketball team will travel to FDU on Thursday night, with tip-off set for 7:00 pm at the Bogota Savings Bank Center.
 
The Wagner DNA
 
At 62.9 points per game, Wagner is 10th in the country in scoring defense while also leading the Northeast Conference (NEC).
 
Council Continues To Impress
 
After averaging 20 points per game last week, junior Melvin Council Jr. was once again named an NEC Prime Performer.  Council dropped 21 points in Wagner's convincing 80-57 win over Le Moyne on Thursday, then added 19 more at Stonehill on Saturday. The first-year Seahawk has scored in double figures in 11 of the last 12 games and ranks among league leaders in a host of categories, including scoring (14.7, seventh), rebounding (5.7, ninth) and assists (3.5, eighth).
 
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 / 2.50) and Council (3^rd / 2.21).
 
Downtown Staten Island
 
The Seahawks hit 13 threes against Le Moyne. Wagner already has five games with 10+ threes on the season, the most since the 2018-19 season.
 
Defensively, the Green and White entered the week holding opponents to 30.4% shooting from long range, which leads the NEC and was good for 35^th in the nation.
 
Weekday Happy Hour
 
The Seahawks are 3-1 in their last four games played on weekdays compared to 0-3 in their last three games played on a weekend.
 
Brown's Big Night
 
Sophomore Julian Brown led all scorers with 23 points last Thursday night against Le Moyne. Brown, who poured in a new career-high, connected on seven three-pointers. Overall, the Middletown, NY, native shot 7-for-10 (70%) from beyond the arc, moving him into a tie for fourth place on the all-time Wagner single-game three-pointers made list. 
 
20/20 Vision
 
Wagner's win over Le Moyne marked the first time since 2022 that two Seahawks scored 20-plus points, as Alex Morales (25) and Will Martinez (21) achieved the feat on February 24, 2022, against FDU.
 
Dame Time
 
Just a few hours prior to Wagner's game against Le Moyne, head coach Donald Copeland announced the addition of football player Damien Mazil. Mazil checked into the game with 1:03 left on the clock and scored his first career points moments later.
 
A two-sport standout at Atlantic Shores Christian High School in Virginia, Mazil signed with the Seahawks prior to the 2022 season and has appeared in nine games as a quarterback for the Green and White. Mazil threw for a touchdown in his first collegiate start at Stonehill as a freshman while totaling 115 yards through the air.
 
The Series
 
Thursday's contest marks the 120th all-time meeting between the schools with Wagner holding a tight 60-59 edge in the long and competitive head-to-head series between schools separated by just 31 miles. 
 
Wagner has won four of the last six meetings between the two schools, with the teams splitting the regular season series for two consecutive years.
 
Despite trailing by 11 points just six minutes into the game, Wagner stormed back to earn a thrilling 83-79 victory the last time the two teams met in New Jersey.
 
Scouting The Knights
 
The Knights enter Thursday's matchup with an 11-12 record, including a 5-3 mark in NEC action. FDU has won two straight games and is 6-5 on the year at the Bogota Savings Bank Center.
 
Next Up
 
The Seahawks will travel to Saint Francis U on Thursday, February 15, with tip-off set for 7:00 pm.