LE MOYNE (9-11, 4-2) vs. Wagner College (9-10, 3-4)
Thursday, Feb. 1 - 7:00 p.m.
Spiro Sports Center - Staten Island, N.Y.
Video: NEC Front Row
Radio: FOX Sports 92.5 FM/1490 AM
Live Stats: https://wagnerathletics.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
 
Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne's men basketball team goes for its fourth consecutive win when it visits Wagner on Thursday evening.
 
Wagner, led by second-year head coach Donald Copeland, is trending in the wrong direction in the NEC. The Seahawks, who have been limited to just seven available players since the Christmas break and played with only six on Saturday, have dropped three straight to Sacred Heart, Merrimack and Central Connecticut State. Their loss to CCSU was the latest and an overtime defeat. Le Moyne is 1-2 against those opponents this season.
 
Wagner was 3-1 in conference before its current losing streak. After losing to Long Island, the Seahawks rattled off wins against Saint Francis, Stonehill and Merrimack in quick succession. Wagner enters Thursday's contest on its longest winless streak of 2023-24.
 
The Seahawks entered NEC play with an even record. Wins over Molloy, NJIT, Stony Brook, Coppin State, Gwynedd Mercy, and Manhattan got Wagner to 6-6. The Seahawks scored more than 65 points just three times in their first 12 matchups. Only one of Wagner's six non-conference losses was by less than 10 points.
 
Guard Melvin Council Jr. is the only Seahawk averaging in double figures for points. The junior puts up just over 14 points per contest, almost five more than anyone else on the team. Council Jr. has scored 10+ in nine of his last 10 appearances. He also rarely comes off the court, averaging over 38 minutes per game in NEC contests. Outside of his scoring and durability, Council Jr. also leads the Seahawks in rebounds, steals and blocks. He is second on the team with 65 assists.
 
Guard Javier Ezquerra is Wagner's best playmaker. The junior leads the Seahawks with over four assists per game. Ezquerra is one of two players to start every contest for Wagner. He's averaging 7.9 points, shooting nearly 35% from beyond the arc, and is second on the Seahawks with 28 steals. Ezquerra, a Puerto Rico native, is coming off a season-high 22 points and six made three-pointers in a loss against Central Connecticut State.
 
Tyje Kelton and Julian Brown are the Seahawks' best shooters. Kelton, a junior forward, is making three-pointers at a 36.1% clip. Brown, a sophomore guard, is shooting 36% from deep. Both players account for almost 40% of Wagner's made three-pointers.
 
Wagner is 5-2 when playing at home this season. The Seahawks have not surrendered over 70 points since December 10 against Boston University.
 
Le Moyne won its fourth conference game and third straight in an 87-74 victory over Long Island. The Dolphins are averaging more than 85 points during their winning streak.
 
Guard Kaiyem Cleary made Le Moyne history during the win over LIU. The graduate student dropped a program-record 43 points against the Sharks. Cleary made 14 shots, six of which were three-pointers, and converted all nine of his free-throw attempts. His previous best outing was 23 points in Le Moyne's conference opener against FDU. Cleary, who is in his first season with the Dolphins, added seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal against LIU. For his efforts against the Sharks, he was named the NEC Player of the Week for the second straight week. He leads Le Moyne averaging 16.1 points through 18 appearances.
 
Forward Luke Sutherland also had a strong outing against the Sharks. Despite not making a three-pointer for just the fourth time this season, the graduate student had 16 points. Before Cleary's record-setting day, Sutherland previously had the top single-game performance for Le Moyne this season as he put up 35 in a win over Binghamton in early December. Sutherland also had five rebounds and two assists on Saturday.
 
Guard Isaiah Salter tallied seven assists in the Dolphins' most recent contest. The graduate student's previous season-high in assists was four. Salter also had seven points, including the 1000th of his career, and five rebounds in the win. He is shooting nearly 50% from beyond the arc over his last three games.
 
Le Moyne's matchup with Wagner is its first of four straight on the road. The Dolphins then face Sacred Heart, Stonehill and Merrimack over an eight-day span.