BOX SCORE

Smithfield, RI – Wagner was dealt a 71-53 setback at Bryant in non-conference action at the Chace Athletic Center. The Seahawks, who shot a season-low 25.7 percent (18-70), fall to 7-18 with the loss while the Bulldogs, who shot 46.3 percent (25-54), improve to 8-16.

Bryant, which will be playing a full 18-game NEC slate next year, picked up its second-straight victory over NEC competition thanks to a pair of double-doubles from Cara Johnson (20 points / 10 rebounds) and Kelsey O'Keefe (19 points / 10 rebounds). The duo also combined to connect on 13-25, including 6-9 from long range.

Standing out in defeat for the Green & White was Casey Stokes (Hummelstown, PA / Lower Dauphin) as the senior shooting guard recorded a career-high 16 points and a career-best six steals over 33 minutes of action. Stokes shot 6-14 from the floor, including 4-11 from beyond the arc. Unfortunately for Wagner, the rest of the squad managed to hit only 1-13 from long range.

Junior Ashley Olsen (Staten Island, NY / Notre Dame Academy) narrowly missed her second career double-double, pulling down a team-best 10 rebounds with nine points. Junior Andrea Reed (Pocomoke City, MD / Pocomoke) turned in another solid performance, recording eight points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals while turning the ball over just once. Freshman Kanifa Hicks (Paterson, NJ / Passaic County Tech) led the second-unit with nine points.

Up eight at the half, Bryant began the second stanza with a 16-8 spurt to extend its lead out to 46-31 with 13:23 to go. Hicks then sparked an 8-3 run, jump-started by an old-fashioned three-point play. Reed capped the spurt with a pair from the line to make it 49-39 with 10:12 to go. The Bulldogs would extend the lead back out to 12 only to see Wagner respond with a pair of lay-ups to cut it down to 51-43 with 7:18 to play. Bryant quickly answered with seven-straight points and would not be threatened the rest of the way.

The Bulldogs used a 24-10 advantage in the paint and won the battle of the boards (50-45). Wagner was able to hang around as Bryant connected on just 46.7 percent (14-30) from the charity stripe while the Seahawks made good on 75.0 percent (12-16).

With the scored tied at 7-7 with 18:16 to go in the opening stanza. Bryant  used an 11-3 run - including seven straight at one point – to assume an 18-10 lead with 11:34 to go. The Bulldogs would push the lead out to 10 on two occasions in the initial stanza before heading into halftime up 30-23. Wagner shot just 24.2 percent from the floor but remained in the game thanks to eight points from Stokes while Olsen added seven with eight rebounds. The Green & White also dodged a bullet when Reed picked up two quick fouls just over two minutes into the game. She returned at the 12:40 mark and was able to avoid picking up a crucial third whistle.

Wagner hosts Robert Morris on Saturday, February 21 at 4 pm in the Spiro Sports Center.