Sacred Heart Ready for Rematch with Wagner Thursday
2/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game 24: Sacred Heart (9-14, 3-7 NEC) vs. Wagner (8-13, 6-4 NEC)
February 5, 2015 7:00 pm - William H. Pitt Center (2,067) - Fairfield, Conn.
Setting the Scene... One week after Wagner defeated Sacred Heart in Staten Island, 75-64, the two teams will meet again on Thursday night at 7 pm in the William H. Pitt Center.
NEC Standings... The two teams are trending in opposite direction, as Sacred Heart has lost two straight and the Seahawks are winners of two in a row. The Pioneer sit alone in eighth place, one game ahead of Fairleigh Dickinson, while WC is in a three way tie for the fourth spot.
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 five game winning streak in the series after its win last week, has extended its all-time edge to 19-12. The five 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 11 out of 16 times and three times 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... After Sacred Heart's Jordan Allen converted a three point play cut the lead to, 61-58, with 6:37 remaining, Wager College closed the game on a 14-6 run to ultimately pull away to away for a, 75-64, victory last Thursday night at the Spiro Sports Center. Cane Broome, Evan Kelley, and Steve Glowiak scored 12, 11, and 10, respectively, in the loss that snapped the Pioneers two game winning streak. Marcus Burton scored 21 of his 26 points in the second half, and shot 10-16 from the floor, to lead the Seahawks in the win.It was Burton who ignited the ultimate run that clinched the game for the Seahawks. He scored seven of the Seahawks nine points in a 9-2 flurry after the three point play that put Wagner up, 70-59, with 3:30 left in the game. He started it with a layup 38 seconds after the Allen's free throw and then ended it with a trifecta to put the Seahawks up 11. SHU would only get as close as nine for the remainder of the game, 73-64, after De'von Barnett's layup with just 51 seconds before the buzzer.
Scouting Wagner... The Seahawks will enter Thursday having won four of their past five NEC contests, with the only loss coming by way of a buzzer beater defeat to Central Connecticut, 53-50, to improve to 8-13 on the year. With the recent success, they have moved into a three-way tie in fourth place in the conference with a 6-4 league mark. WC has currently won two in a row, including a, 75-64, victory over Sacred Heart last Thursday, as well as an, 86-55, win over CCSU on Saturday. The Seahawks play at an up-tempo pace, which has them at second in the league in points per game (69.6) and eighth in opponent's points per game (72.5). Foes are almost making half of their shots against Wagner, shooting 47.6 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 3.6 per game and are having even more success in conference play, where that number has ballooned to a league best +7.4. They are also second in turnover margin, at + 1.4, despite turning the ball over 13.9 times per contest. WC is led by the conference's leading scorer reigning back to back NEC play of the Week, Marcus Burton, who is scoring an average 18.6 each time out. Burton has been even better in conference play, where he is averaging 22.7, including scoring 26 against SHU last Thursday. Burton also ranks in the top 1 in the NEC in steals, free throw percentage, three point percentage, three pointers made per game, and minutes played. No other Seahawks scores in double figure, as Corey Henson is just short at 9.9 per game. Greg Senat is the team's leading rebounder, pulling down 5.0 per contest, while JoJo Cooper ranks third in the conference in assists, with an average of 4.6.
Career Numbers vs. Wagner...
NAME (GP-GS) PPG RPG APG MPG
Kelley (6-3) 11.0 3.7 2.0 28.0
Phil Gaetano (5-5) 5.4 2.4 4.0 28.8
Glowiak (5-2) 9.6 3.8 0.8 26.6
Tevin Falzon (4-0) 4.0 5.0 0.8 16.3
Barnett (2-1) 5.5 4.0 2.5 22.5
Eyimofe Edukugho (2-0) 0.5 5.5 0.5 11.5
Broome (1-1) 12 4 3 31
Filip Nowicki (1-1) 4 3 0 14
Allen (1-1) 8 2 2 29
Chris Robinson (1-0) 4 1 0 8
- 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 assists also came against Wagner, on February 8, 2014.
-Kelley has scored in double figures in five of his six games against Wagner, including four straight.
-Over the past four contests against WC, Glowiak is averaging 11.8 points, including scoring double figures in each game. His career high in minutes came against Wagner on January 31, 2013.
-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.
-Barnett's career high in assists, 3, came when the two teams met last Thursday.
-Allen's only ever start for Sacred Heart came last Thursday at Wagner. He played a season high 29 minutes in the contest.
-Robinson attempted a season high 5 free throws at Wagner last week.
High Scoring Affair... The contest will matchup the two highest scoring teams in the NEC, both overall and in conference play. For the year, Sacred Heart leads the conference in points per game, averaging 71.9, while Wagner ranks second at 69.6 In NEC play, Wagner is leading the way, scoring 74.2 each time out, with SHU right behind at 73.4. Adding to this matter is the fact that both teams also rank in the bottom three of the league in points allowed. The Pioneers are last, allowing opponents to score an average of 73.5 points, and WC ranks eighth, allowing 72.5 points.
Defensive Difference... Although both teams rank in the bottom of the NEC in opposing points per game, there is a drastic difference in opponent's field goal percentage. Sacred Heart is leading the conference limiting foes to shooting just 42.4 percent, while Wagner is last allowing the opponent to shoot 47.6 percent. In league play, the two teams rank third and sixth respectively.
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 3.6 per contest for the year, while in NEC play that number has gone up to 7.4, which ranks first. SHU ranks third both overall and in league play, averaging 0.8 more rebounds than opponents and has also seen that number go up in conference play, where it averages 3.7 more.
Advantage at the Line... Wagner is shooting 15.5 percent higher than Sacred Heart at the foul line during conference play. The Seahawks rank second, making 74.2 percent of foul shots league play, while SHU is last with a percentage of just 58.8.
