Dec. 20, 2006
Box Score
Staten Island, NY - After jumping out to just their third half-time lead of the season, Wagner was shut down in the second half and fell to the visiting American Eagles 73-56. The Seahawks, who were outscored 43-25 in the decisive half, saw their losing-streak hit seven while the Eagles improve to 5-7 with the win.
American won the game in the paint, outscoring Wagner 36-20 while posting 14 second-chance points compared to just eight for the Green & White. For the game, the Eagles shot 44.1 percent (26-59) compared to just 36.0 percent (18-50) for Wagner and outrebounded the Seahawks 42-32. The one positive for the Green & White was that they hit 84.2 percent (16-19) of their free throws.
Senior Takesha Dye (Boynton Beach, FL / Daytona Beach CC) led the Seahawks with a career-high 13 points and 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the year. Junior Chelsey Bunyer (Shannon IL / Eastland) matched Dye with 13 points and four steals while classmate Ieva Sulskyte (Vilnius, Lithuania / Daytona Beach CC) had her best game as a Seahawk, posting career-highs in points (11) and rebounds (8).
Tied 35-35 with 18:09 to go in the game the Seahawks were done in by a 4:27 scoring drought in which the Eagles scored 10-straight points to go up 45-35 before the Seahawks answered for the time-being with a Naomi Augustin (Fr., Valley Stream, NY / Valley Stream Central) three pointer. That would be as close as Wagner would get as the Eagles would push their lead out to a game-high 21 at 66-45 with 4:32 to go on their way to the 73-56 win.
Down 17-10 with 11:22 remaining in the first half, Wagner rattled off 13-straight points over the next 6:17 while putting the clamps on American, forcing five turnovers and eight-straight missed shots. Sulskyte (six points) and Bunyer (five points) led the Green & White rally. After an American bucket, Dye finished off a three-point play to push Wagner's lead to a game-high seven points at 28-21 with 3:58 to go in the first. After exchanging buckets, American scored the seven of the last eight points of the half to enter the intersession down just one at 31-30.
The Seahawks will now be off for nine days before they host the two-day Wagner Christmas Tournament starting on Friday, Dec. 29. Cornell and St. Bonaventure will meet in the first game at 5 pm with the Seahawks and the Rider Broncs doing battle in the second-game at approximately 7 pm. The day one losers will meet in the consolation game on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 5 pm with the winners playing at 7 pm.
