WATCH | Live Stats | Game Notes
Staten Island, NY - The Wagner College men's basketball team will face-off against Northeast Conference (NEC) newcomer Mercyhurst at the Spiro Sports Center on Saturday, January 18. Tip-off is set for 1:00 pm.
Since The New Year
Senior guard Zaire Williams ranks third in the NEC in points per game since conference play began on January 3. Williams is averaging 17.3 points per game during his last three showings The senior from Brooklyn is 7-15 from beyond-the-arc during that same span. Williams ranks first in the conference in steals per game with 2.7 swipes per contest across his last three games. Graduate student Zae Blake sits in seventh within the NEC at 14.7 points per game including 20 against FDU on January 5. Blake is third in the conference in shooting percentage at 55.2%. Senior Javier Ezquerra's 4.0 assist per conference game ranks him third in the NEC. Ezquerra ranks 12th in the circuit in steals per game with 1.2.
Next Man Up
Graduate student Ja'Kair Sanchez, junior R.J. Greene, and Blake average the second, third, and fourth most points on the Seahawks roster, with only eight total starts among the trio. Sanchez scored 19 points on an efficient 8-11 from the field against CCSU, leading Wagner in points scored. Redshirt senior Churchill Bounds played a season-high 20 minutes against the Blue Devils, scoring four points, grabbing three rebounds, and a crucial block on CCSU guard Devin Haid within the last minutes of the game. The Green & White's bench unit was responsible for 35 of the team's 62 points in the win at CCSU.
Wagner DNA
The Seahawks have been ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense since December 3. Currently, Wagner is fourth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 57.9 points per game. The Green & White rank in the top 50 nationally in turnovers forced per game with 14.50. On the season, Williams averages 2.08 steals per game which ranks him 43rd in the nation.
Last Time Out
The Green & White won their first conference game of the season against CCSU on January 10. Wagner won, 62-57, behind 19 points from Sanchez and 18 from Williams. Blake added in 12 points. Late-game layups from Sanchez and Ezquerra coupled with defensive stops by Bounds and freshman Zavier Fitch helped Wagner fend off CCSU towards the end of the matchup. The Seahawks are now 1-2 in NEC action, tied for sixth in the circuit.
The Series
Saturday's game marks the first between these two teams in either program's history. Mercyhurst joined the NEC as a full-time member on July 1, 2024, after spending over a decade in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). The only similar opponent between Wagner and Mercyhurst this year has been CCSU. Wagner defeated CCSU by a score of 62-57 on January 10 after the Blue Devils took down the Lakers by a score of 62-50 on January 5.
Scouting The Lakers
Mercyhurst comes into Saturday's game with a 7-12 overall record and a 1-3 record in the NEC. The Lakers won their first Division I conference matchup against Stonehill, 76-69, in Erie back on January 3. Since then, Mercyhurst has dropped matches to CCSU, Saint Francis U, and Le Moyne. The Lakers are first in the conference in turnover margin with +3.58. Graduate student forward Jeff Planutis leads the Lakers in points per game with 14.2, highlighted by a 23-point showing against the Skyhawks earlier this month. Planutis has scored 20+ points in four games this season. Freshman forward Qadir Martin returns to his hometown of Staten Island. A St. Peter's prospect, Martin is averaging 1.8 points and 1.4 rebounds during his 11 games as a Laker.
Next Up
Wagner will host fellow Pennsylvania-NEC member Saint Francis U at the Spiro Sports Center on Monday, January 20. Tip-off is set for 1:00 pm.
