BOX SCORE

West Point, NY – The Wagner Seahawks dropped a 74-70 overtime thriller to Army in the season opener for both teams at Christl Arena. The Green & White erased a 16-point second half deficit and led by three late in the game only to see the Black Knights rally to force overtime. In the extra session, Wagner never led as Army scored the first four points en route to outscoring the Seahawks 10-6.

Junior Ashley Olsen (Staten Island, NY / Notre Dame Academy) paced four double-digit scorers for the Green & White with a career-best matching 20 points and a personal-best 14 rebounds, good for her second career double-double, in a career-best matching 43 minutes. Senior John'a Poole (Middle River, MD / Eastern Tech) scored all 11 points in the second half while classmate Andrea Reed (Pocomoke City, MD / Pocomoke) had her usual standout performance, recording 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Freshman Marie-Laurence Archambault (Montreal, Quebec / Montmorency) also had a solid game in her collegiate debut, finishing with 12 points, highlighted by 3-5 shooting from long range, with six rebounds in 37 minutes.

Sophomore Kelly Clark (Neptune, NJ / St. Rose) also had a huge game off the bench and narrowly missed a double-double after grabbing 12 rebounds with nine points, all of which were accrued in the second stanza.

Down 39-30 at intermission, the Black Knights threatened to put the game on ice after opening the second period on a 9-2 run, extending the lead out to a game-high 16 at 48-32. The Seahawks immediately rattled off seven-straight points on an Olsen jumper and a three pointer and a jumper from Poole. Army momentarily quelled the threat with a Jessie Coiffard three pointer. The Seahawks then went to work, ripping off a 12-0 run. Clark started things off with five-straight points before Archambault drilled a triple. Reed swished a pair of free throws before Poole capped the run with a fast-break lay-up off a full-court pass from Reed, notching the score at 51-51 at the 11:05 mark. All told the Green & White turned in a 19-3 run over 6:21 while forcing the Black Knights into 1-9 shooting during the spurt

The rest of the half was a grind it out affair with neither team taking more than a three point lead. Wagner took its first lead of the game since the 14:32 mark in the first half on an Olsen lay-up, putting the score at 55-54 with 5:27 to go. Army immediately responded with four straight points. Reed then calmly sank a jumper, igniting an 8-2 run to gave the Seahawks a 63-60 lead. Erin Anthony cut the deficit to two at 63-62 with a lay-up. Archambault split a pair at the line before Anthony tied the game up at 64-64 and was fouled with just over six seconds remaining. The Second Team All Patriot League performer hit the free throw but committed a lane violation to nullify the basket before Reed's last-second shot came up short, forcing overtime.

Coiffard opened up the extra period with a three pointer and Anthony split a pair from the line, putting the Black Knights in front at 68-64. Poole cut it two with a jumper and Olsen split a pair from the line, making it 68-67 Army. That would be as close as Wagner would get as the Black Knights scored six-straight points before a Veronick Fournier (Fr., Gatineau, Quebec / Montmorency) three pointer provided the final margin of 74-70.

Wagner shot 33.8 percent (25-74) for the game, but hit on 52.9 percent (9-17) from long range. Army, meanwhile, connected on 40.5 percent (30-74) for the game, thanks to 51.5 percent (17-33) in the opening stanza. After allowing the Black Knights to make good on 5-10 from beyond the arc in the first period, the Seahawk defense held Army to just 2-10 shooting from deep after intermission.

Wagner won the battle of the boards 53-47, including 21-14 on the offensive end. Army used an 18-4 advantage in fast-break points to provide the difference.

The Green & White looked impressive in the early going, taking an 11-7 lead 15:07 to play in the first half, only to see Army rebound with a 23-3 run – including 16-straight points – to take a 30-14 lead. Archambault stopped the bleeding with a three pointer and Wagner cut the deficit to 39-30 at the break. Olsen kept Wagner in the game with a game-high 15 points in the first half.

Anthony led the Black Knights with 27 points and nine rebounds while Nalini Hawkins (18 points) and Coiffard (12 points) each recorded double-digits in scoring.

The Seahawks head to NJIT on Tuesday for a 7:00 pm tilt.

NOTES: Wagner is now just 2-3 in overtime games since the start of the 2007-2008 campaign after not playing one such game since the 2003-2004 season … Today's game marked the second time in school history that the Green & White started a season with an overtime game … The Seahawks dropped an 83-75 double overtime decision at Colgate in the 2002-2003 season opener … Olsen's previous 20 point game came against Sacred Heart on January 24, 2009 … Wagner outrebounded Army after losing the battle of the boards in 25 of their 29 games a year ago, including 35-24 against the Black Knights a year ago … After hitting their first four free throws, the Green & White was just 7-17 from the charity stripe the rest of the way, including 1-5 in overtime.