Staten Island, NY - The Wagner College women's basketball team returns to conference play with a match-up against local-rival St. Francis (NY) on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 4:00 pm. At 7:00 pm, the Wagner men's team will host St. Francis (NY) in a key NEC matchup. The Seahawks enter the game with a mark of 7-4, 0-1 in the NEC  while the Terriers are 3-9, 1-1 in conference play. The Wagner men's team was picked eighth in the NEC Preseason Poll while the Terriers were picked 10th.


WOMEN'S NOTES
The two teams were slated to finish in a tie for ninth place in the league. The Seahawks enter with a record of 4-7 and 0-1 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) while the Terriers are just 1-11 and 0-2 in the NEC.


With A Win ... Wagner would even its NEC record to 1-1 while moving to an impressive 5-1 at the Spiro Sports Center.

Scouting St. Francis (NY) - St. Francis (NY) has lost 11-of-12 to start the year after graduating two of its top-three performers from a year ago in Tiffany Hill (17.3 ppg) and Katja Bavendam (11.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg). Fortunately for the Terriers, they retained the services of senior guard Kara Ayers, who paces the squad with 18.5 ppg while shooting 40.0 percent from the floor, 30.0 percent from beyond the arc and 84.8 percent from the charity stripe.

Junior forward Kendra Williams is second on SFNY with 12.3 ppg and 5.6 rpg while sophomore Kristin Leitheuser is averaging a team-best 6.3 rpg with 8.9 ppg.

The Series with St. Francis (NY) - Wagner holds a dominating 45-15 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1973-1974 season. However the Terriers have won seven of the last eight meetings and four-straight.

Coach Gela - Head coach Gela Mikalauskas has a 190-214 record in this her 15th year as head coach at Wagner. She is the winningest coach in school history and possesses a 15-7 record against St. Francis (NY). The .682 winning percentage is her best mark against a NEC team.

On The Other Sideline ... is a familiar face to many Seahawk fans. Brenda Milano, a 1995 Wagner graduate and 1,000-point scorer, is in her sixth year as head coach of St. Francis (NY). She has had immense success going 7-2 against her alma mater.

Reed Named All Tourney ... Again - Junior point guard Andrea Reed turned in another spectactular performance at Dartmouth's Blue Sky Classic, averaging a team-best 19.0 ppg, on 56.0 percent (14-25) shooting, with 6.5 apg over the two games. Against Fairfield (12/29), she hit for a career-best 26 points, on 10-15 shooting - including 3-3 from beyond the arc - with six assists and five rebounds. Reed followed that up with 12 points and seven assists at Dartmouth (12/30).

She has also earned All-Tourney nods in the Seton Hall Classic earlier in the year and last year at the Northwestern Tournament.

En Fuego - As the weather gets colder Reed has been heating up. Over the last three games, she is averaging 21.0 ppg, 5.7 apg, 5.0 rpg and 2.0 spg while shooting 54.3 percent from the floor and 78.6 percent from the line.

Reed Ascends All-Time Steals List - With five more steals Reed will move into seventh place on the all-time steals list past Deandra Teague (138 thefts). Current assistant coach Maureen Hannafin holds the school record with 267 steals.

6. Gerri McCormick, 1982-1986 159
7. Deandra Teague, 1997-2001 138
8. Andrea Reed, 2006-pres. 134

Free Throw Shooting A Key - Wagner pulled out its 58-53 come-from-behind win vs. Saint Peter's (12/20) thanks to 81.1 percent shooting (30-37) from the charity stripe, including 85.7 percent (24-28) in the second half. This year, Wagner has connected on 71.2 percent from the floor - which is third-best in the NEC - after making good on just 67.1 percent a year ago.

McBride Goes Off - Sophomore Stephanie McBride scored a career-high 15 points, including 14 in the second half, with four steals in the Seahawks' 58-53 win vs. Saint Peter's (12/20). She also drilled two big triples, one of which gave Wagner its first lead of the game.

At Dartmouth (12/30), she almost matched that scoring all 14 of her points in the second stanza. She helped the Seahawks trim a 20-point deficit to seven points with a personal 14-3 run.

Happy Returns - After missing three games due to a sprained ankle freshman Lindsay Corcoran returned to the line-up at the Blu Sky Classic. Sophomore Ashley Olsen also comes back after missing the previous two games due to the same ailment.

For Starters - Since being insterted into the starting line-up three games ago, McBride has provided the Green & White with some much needed offense. During that span, she is second on the squad in scoring (11.3 ppg) while shooting 35.0 percent from downtown.

She's Going The Distance - Olsen leads the Seahawks in a catagory not shown on the weekly rankings ... 40-minute games. She played all 40 minutes in the Seahawks' win over NJIT (11/18) before playing 41 minutes in the Green & White's overtime win against Colgate (12/1). She was at it again at Dartmouth (12/30), playing just under 40 minutes.

Reed Steps Up - Reed has elevated her game to an even higher level in this her third year at Wagner. She leads the squad and ranks among the NEC's best in numerous catagories. She is averaging 15.0 ppg (5th NEC), 4.9 apg (1st NEC), 5.2 rpg (t-20th NEC) and 2.1 spg (5th NEC). Reed is also hitting at a 51.9 percent clip (3rd NEC) from the floor and has made good on 78.1 percent of her free throws (t-8th NEC).

Stokes Steps Up - Senior Casey Stokes has defied the odds from day one. First she had to make the team as a walk-on. Then as a sophomore she was named captain, before earning a scholarship and a spot in the starting rotation as a junior.

Now as a senior she's one of the top three-point shooters in the NEC and among the top-10 in school history. Stokes is averaging 1.9 threes per game (t-4th NEC) and is hitting at a 36.2-percent clip (9th NEC). She is also third on the squad with 6.9 ppg and is second on the squad and 11th in the NEC with 1.8 spg.

Stokes hit for a career-best matching 15 points - fueled by 5-10 shooting from beyond the arc - with four steals at Dartmouth (12/30) to celebrate her 22nd birthday. She had hit for a then season-best 14 points - on 4-7 shooting from three-point land - at Seton Hall (11/21).

Her performance has helped to elevate her to eighth (74) on the all-time three-point list. For her career, she has made good on 34.9 percent (74-212).

6. Patti Winterfeldt, 1990-1994 101
7. Kim McGhee, 1999-2003 88
8. Casey Stokes, 2005-pres. 74

Wagner Signs Two For 2009-2010 - Gela Mikalauskas has announced the signing of Marie – Laurence Archambault (Montreal, Quebec / Montmorency College) and Veronick Fournier (Gatineau, Quebec / Montmorency College) to National Letters of Intent. Both will be freshmen and have four years of eligibility beginning in the 2009-2010 season.

Archambault is a 6-0 small forward that likes to play on the perimeter but can also drive to the basket. She will pose match-up problems for the opposition as she can step out and shoot from the outside while also possessing the ability to play in the paint.

Fournier, a 5-8 shooting guard, is a tough hard-nosed player that does a little bit of everything on offense and defense.

Wagner in the Spiro Sports Center - Since the renovated Spiro Sports Center opened on Feb. 20, 1999 the Seahawks are 51-75.

Has It Really Been That Long ? - This year marks the 20th anniversary of Wagner's first NEC Championship team. The 1988-1989 Wagner Seahawks' women's basketball team captured the school's first NEC crown of any type with a 66-60 win over Robert Morris in the championship game of the NEC Tournament. Wagner went 22-7 and was led by NEC MVP and current assistant coach Maureen Hannafin (17.7 ppg, 2.7 apg, 2.0 spg) and NEC Tournament MVP Cynthia Quinlan (15.0 ppg, 11.6 rpg in the NEC Tourney). The team will be honored on February 7, 2009 before the Seahawks' game against Saint Francis (PA).

CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE GAME ? - During the 2008-09 season, for the first time ever, Seahawk fans will have the opportunity to watch live video web streaming of all Wagner College home men's and women's basketball games.

There are multiple season pass options available. Seahawk fans can purchase a Men's and Women's Basketball Combined Season Pass, which provides video content and archived materials for all 27 home games (men's and women's combined) plus post-season contests, for just $59.95.
Fans of Seahawk women's basketball can sign up for the Women's Season Pass for the price of $49.95, which provides video content and archived materials for all 13 Seahawk home women's basketball games.

Another option for fans is a 24-hour Pass for Men's and Women's Basketball games. For $6.95, fans receive video content for each 2008-09 Seahawk men's and women's basketball games on a per game basis. The 24-hour Pass expires 24 hours from the time of purchase.

On The Air - The Seahawk Broadcasting Network returns for their seventh season of broadcasting Wagner women's basketball. All home games and selected away games will be broadcast live. John and Alan Barr return for their second seasons as the official voices of the Seahawks.

UPCOMING Games -
Jan. 3 - vs. SFNY (4:00 pm)
Jan. 5 - at FDU (5:30 pm)
Jan. 10 - vs. LIU (4:00 pm)