Jan. 14, 2006
Box Score
STATEN ISLAND, NY - The Wagner College Seahawks gave the Northeast Conference leading Sacred Heart Pioneers all they could handle despite falling 67-56 earlier today at the Spiro Sports Center. With the win the Pioneers improve to 12-2 and remain unbeaten in the NEC at 5-0. The Seahawks dropped their third straight game to move to 1-13 and 1-4 in the NEC.
The Seahawks were led by the outstanding play of walk-on freshman guard Casey Stokes (Hummelstown, PA / Lower Dauphin), who posted career-highs 14 points, on 5-7 shooting, and five rebounds to go along with a team-high four assists against only two turnovers in a career-best 28 minutes of action off the bench. Senior guard Joy Gallagher (Hazleton, PA / Hazleton) had a game-high 19 points, on 8-16 shooting, and a team-high six rebounds after being held to just three points and two rebounds a week ago at Sacred Heart and freshman forward Olivia Nagle (Acton, MA / Acton Boxborough) had a career-high 14 points, on 5-8 shooting, while matching Gallagher with six rebounds.
Trailing 34-28 to start the second half, the Seahawks would cut the lead to four at 49-45 with 7:09 remaining on a lay-up by Nagle, but would get no closer as the Pioneers answered every Wagner comeback-attempt.
In the first half, Sacred Heart sprinted out to an early 19-10 lead with 11:09 to go and looked poised to make one of their patented game-breaking runs, however the Seahawks would not back down against the conference leaders as they countered with a 13-5 run, fueled by seven points from Gallagher, four from Nagle and three from Stokes to make the score 24-23 with 5:43 remaining in the half. However, the Seahawks would get no closer the rest of the game as Sacred Heart closed out the half on a 10-3 spurt to go into the half with an eight-point lead.
The Seahawks shot a season-high 42.3 percent (22-52) from the field against the NEC's top-ranked defense while holding the Pioneers, the NEC top field-goal percentage team, to just 36.8 percent shooting (25-68).
The Pioneers dominated the boards outrebounding Wagner 47-31 while scoring 20 points in the paint compared to just six for the Green & White.
Jasmine Walker led four Sacred Heart players in double-figures with 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
Wagner is now off until Saturday, Jan. 21 when they welcome preseason NEC pick Robert Morris to the Spiro Sports Center at 4 pm in game one of a women's/men's doubleheader.
NOTES: Gallagher netted 19 points and now has 986 for her career ... The Seahawks bench outscored the Pioneers 28-8, marking the second time this season that the Wagner reserves had outscored the opposition ... In their first match-up the Sacred Heart reserves hit for 46 points compared to just 14 for Wagner.
