Pioneers Look For Third Straight Win at Wagner Thursday
1/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game 22: Sacred Heart (9-12, 3-5 NEC) at Wagner (6-13, 4-4 NEC)
January 29, 2015 7:00 pm - Spiro Sports Center (2,100) - Staten Island, N.Y
Setting the Scene... The Sacred Heart University men's basketball, winners of two straight, will look for its third win in a row as it travels to Wagner on Thursday night for a 7 pm tip.
NEC Standings... With the two game winning streak, SHU has positioned itself in a tie for seventh place with a 3-5 record, one game behind fifth place. Wagner is one of those teams who sits in fifth place, along with Saint Francis U, who both have even 4-4 marks to begin the year.
2014-15 Preseason NEC Poll... The matchup will feature two teams predicted to finish in the bottom half of the league. The Pioneers were slated last, while Wagner was chosen seventh. .
1. St. Francis Brooklyn (6) 6. Bryant
2. CCSU (3) 7. Wagner
3 Robert Morris 8. LIU Brooklyn
4. Saint Francis U (1) 9. Fairleigh Dickinson
5. Mount St. Mary's 10. Sacred Heart
Series History... These two teams first took the court together back in 1974. After meeting again two years later, the series went on a hiatus until SHU joined the Northeast conference in 1999-2000. Wagner, who is currently on a four game winning streak in the series, has extended its all-time edge to 18-12. The four in a row is the second longest streak all-time, behind seven unanswered the Seahawks put together from 2000-2003 after the Pioneers had won the first ever three meetings. Winning those first three is tied for the longest unbeaten stretch for SHU, who also won three straight 2008-10. Wagner also holds an advantage in Staten Island, where they have beaten Sacred Heart 10 out of 15 times and twice in a row. SHU has however split the past six meetings. In Fairfield the matchup is much more even, with the Seahawks holding only a slight edge, 8-7, including having won three straight. The Pioneers lone edge in the series is an important one. SHU was victorious in both postseason meetings. First in the 2007 NEC Quarterfinals and then again the next year in the semifinals.
Last Meeting... Wagner Seahawks closed out the first half on a 17-3 run and never looked back on February 20, 2014, defeating the Sacred Heart, 74-62, at the Spiro Sports Center. Louis Montes (Brockton, MA) led the way for the Pioneers, scoring a game-high 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Evan Kelley (Norwalk, CT) and Steve Glowiak (New Britain, CT) each chipped in with 12 points apiece. Tevin Falzon (Newton, MA) tied a career-high with ten rebounds. Wagner had four players in double digits, with Marcus Burton leading the bunch, scoring 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Orlando Parker notched a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Scouting Wagner... After a 2-9 mark in the non-conference play, the Seahawks have fared better in the Northeast Conference, going 4-4 through the first eight contests, with all four of those losses coming by eight points or less. This includes a buzzer-beating loss at Central Connecticut State, 53-50, last Saturday evening, to drop their road record to 1-10. Wagner will be happy to return home to face SHU, where it is two games over .500 at 5-3. The Seahawks play at an up-tempo pace, which has them averaging second in the league in scoring (68.4) and last in opponent's points per game (73.9). Foes are almost making half of their shots against Wagner, shooting 48.5 percent, which ranks last in the NEC. The Seahawks are one of only three NEC teams with a positive rebounding margin, outrebounding opposing teams by 2.3 per game. They are also second in turnover margin, at + 0.9, despite turning the ball over more than any other team in the conference, with an average of 14.7. The Seahawks also rank in the top four in the league in assists per game (11.6), rebounding (35.4), and steals per game (6.8). Leading Wagner is Marcus Burton, who pours in a conference high 18 points per contest. Burton ranks in the top 12 in the league in minutes, three pointers made per game, three point percentage, and free throw percentage. No other Seahawk is in double figures, as Corey Henson is second on the team scoring 9.7 each time out. JoJo Cooper leads the team in assists, averaging 4.5, good for third in the NEC. The leading rebounder is Greg Senat, who pulls down 5 per contest.
Career Numbers vs. Wagner...
NAME (GP-GS) PPG RPG APG MPG
Kelley (5-3) 10.6 3.4 1.8 28.8
Phil Gaetano (4-4) 5.5 2.8 4.0 28.5
Glowiak (4-2) 9.3 4.0 0.8 27.8
Falzon (3-0) 4.3 5.0 1.0 15.0
De'von Barnett (1-1) 4.0 3.0 2.0 25.0
Eyimofe Edukugho (2-0) 0.5 5.5 0.5 11.5
- Gaetano's only career double double came against the Seahawks, as he scored 12 points and dished out 11 assists on January 31, 2013. His only career game without an assist also came against Wagner, on February 8, 2014.
-Kelley has scored in double figures in four of his five games against Wagner.
-Over the past three contests against WC, Glowiak is averaging 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds.
-Falzon pulled down ten boards in the February 20 meeting last year.
-Edukugho's career high in rebounds came in the February 8 meeting last season.
High Scoring Affair... Fans who love high scoring basketball will love this matchup, as the two teams come into the game ranking first and second in the NEC respectively in points per game. Sacred Heart is leading the pack, averaging 71.8, while Wagner is right behind, with an average of 68.4. Adding to this is the fact that each team ranks at the bottom of the league in opponent's points per game. Wagner is last, allowing an average of 73.9 points, while opponents average 73.2 against SHU.
Assist Factor... Both teams rank in the top three in the NEC in assists as well, with the Pioneers ranking first, dishing out 14.1 per contest. The Seahawks average 11.6 per game.
Battle on the Boards.... Sacred Heart and Wagner are two of the three teams in the conference with a positive rebounding margin. The Seahawks are second in the league, outrebounding opponents by 2.3 per contest, while SHU averages 1.3 more.
Doubling Up... A win over Wagner would double last year's win total for Sacred Heart. SHU, who comes in with a 9-12 record, won five games last season. A victory would also double conference victories for the Pioneers, who are 3-5 to start the NEC season after only winning two NEC games last campaign.
Surpassing Last Year's Northeast Conference Win Total... With its third conference win at Bryant, Sacred Heart surpassed its NEC win total from 2013-14
Two Straight NEC Wins... SHU has won consecutive conference games for the first time since winning three straight from January 19-26, 2013.
Back-to-Back Road Wins... Coming off the victory at Bryant on Saturday, Sacred Heart will be looking for consecutive wins on the road for the first time since defeating Fairleigh Dickinson and Monmouth back-to-back on January and 8, 2011.
