STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The Wagner College men's basketball team continues NEC play at home on Thursday, January 8, welcoming defending NEC Champion Saint Francis for a 7:00 p.m. matchup inside the Spiro Sports Center. The game will be streamed on NEC Front Row with Joey Wahler and Ryan Peters on the call.
Thursday's contest marks the 87th all-time meeting between the programs, with Wagner holding a 46–40 edge in the series. The Seahawks swept the regular-season series last year before falling to the Red Flash in the opening round of the NEC Tournament.
Saint Francis (3–12, 1–1 NEC) opened conference play with an 84–58 home loss to Le Moyne before rebounding with an 85–82 victory over FDU on a buzzer-beating three-pointer. The Red Flash are led by first-year head coach Luke McConnell and return just one player from a season ago following their 2025 NEC Championship run. Saint Francis currently ranks sixth in the NEC in scoring offense (68.9 ppg) while allowing a league-high 83.7 points per game. Redshirt senior Skylar Wicks leads the team with 18.7 points per contest, second in the conference, and ranks fourth in rebounding at 7.2 boards per game.
Saint Francis was selected to finish seventh in the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll. Last season, the Red Flash earned the No. 3 seed in the NEC Tournament and upset top-seeded CCSU in the championship game to claim their first league title since 1991. Saint Francis advanced to the NCAA Tournament First Four before falling to Alabama State.
Wagner (6–7, 1–1 NEC) enters Thursday's matchup following a 69–60 setback to Stonehill in its NEC home opener. Sophomore
Binael Basil led the Seahawks with 12 points off the bench, while sophomore
Zavier Fitch and redshirt senior
Jaden Baker added nine points apiece. Junior
Nick Jones contributed nine points, four assists, and four rebounds.
The Seahawks lead the NEC in rebounds per game (39.9), with Fitch pacing the team at 6.8 rebounds per contest, ranking seventh in the league. Wagner also ranks third in the conference in scoring offense (75.8 ppg) and fifth in assists per game (14.3).
Jones leads Wagner in scoring at 14.5 points per game, seventh in the NEC, while Baker averages 3.8 assists per contest, ranking third in the league.
Following Thursday night's game, the Green & White will continue conference play on Saturday, January 10, hosting Mercyhurst for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off at the Spiro Sports Center.
