Somerset, NJ - Junior Tyler Murray (Toronto, Ontario / Eastern Commerce) earned his first career Choice Hotels Northeast Conference (NEC) Player of the Week citation while freshman Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ / Avon Old Farms (CT)) collected his school-record matching fourth Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week honor for the week ending January 9.



The duo helped Wagner defeat defending NEC Regular Season Champion Quinnipiac and two-time defending NEC Champion Robert Morris before capping the week with a win over Saint Francis (PA), capping a perfect 3-0 week while lifting the Green & White into sole possession of first place in the NEC at 4-0.

Murray was unstoppable in leading the first place Seahawks to three NEC wins last week.  The 6'5” guard averaged 24.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting a blistering 56.8 percent (21-37) from the floor, including a scorching 68.4 percent (13-19) from beyond the arc.  He also hit 19-23 from the line, an 82.6 percent conversion rate. 

Murray began the week with a career-best 28 points in a 73-68 road win over preseason NEC favorite Quinnipiac on Monday.  He connected on his first five shots en-route to a 7-10 performance from the floor, including 5-6 from beyond the arc, highlighted by a three pointer and layup in the game's final minutes that put Wagner up for good.  The Canadian native also pulled down a team-best eight rebounds and shot 9-11 from the stripe.  He followed up with 26 points and drilled 4-7 shots from outside the arc in a career-best 44-minute stint as the host Seahawks outlasted two-time defending NEC champion Robert Morris, 83-78 in overtime, on Thursday.  Murray scored seven points in the extra session, including two free throws with four seconds to play that iced the game. He capped his week with a third straight 20-point performance in Wagner's 81-53 win over Saint Francis (PA) on Saturday.  Murray netted 20 points in just 29 minutes of action, and made four of his six shots from outside the arc. 

The junior guard now leads the NEC in scoring at 17.7 ppg and is the circuit's top-ranked three-point shooter at 52.9 percent.  Murray also ranks third in the league in made three-pointers (2.4/game) and seventh in free throw accuracy (.854) while going for 20 points on six different occasions.  In NEC play, he is averaging a league-best 24.3 ppg and has shot 64.0 percent from long range (16-25).

Rivers claims his league-leading fourth Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week award this season for his role in the Seahawks' 3-0 week.  He averaged 16.3 points, 5.3 assists per game while turning the ball over just three times in 104 minutes of play.  Rivers also shot 40.0 percent from three-point range (8-20) and 92.9 percent from the free throw line (13-14).
 
In the win at Quinnipiac on Monday, he finished with 12 points, a career-best seven assists and did not commit a turnover in 32 minutes.  He assisted on Murray's layup with 2:07 to play that gave the Green & White the lead for good, then hit three free throws down the stretch to secure the win.  Rivers followed that up with his fourth 20-point game of the year in an 83-78 overtime victory over Robert Morris.  In a clutch performance, he scored eight straight points in the last 1:33 of overtime to keep the Colonials at bay.  Rivers capped the week with 15 points and five assists in the win over Saint Francis (PA).  He drained 3-6 shots from three-point territory. 

The rookie guard leads all NEC freshman in scoring and ranks 10th overall with 14.5 ppg.  He also paces the league in free throw percentage (.938), and ranks seventh in made three pointers (2.2/game) and 12th in three-point percentage (.384). Rivers also joined Art Redmond (1981-1982), Terrance Bailey (1983-1984), Miladin Mutavdzic (1991-1992) and Ryan Reed (1995-1996) as the only four-time NEC Rookie of the Week winners from Wagner.

Wagner will look to match its best NEC start when the Seahawks square off with local-rival St. Francis (NY) on Thursday, January 13 at 7:00 pm. The game can be viewed by clicking HERE