BOX SCORE

Staten Island, NY - Bryant (12-14; 9-6 NEC) used a 24-7 run that spanned 12:31 and covered the end of the first half and the beginning of the second, breaking what was a 29-29 deadlock en route to a 74-60 win over Wagner (9-17; 6-9 NEC) at the Spiro Sports Center.

Despite the loss the Seahawks remain in a tie with Central Connecticut State for the sixth playoff spot at 6-9 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) as the Blue Devils lost by a 55-45 score at Mount St. Mary's. The teams will square off on Saturday, February 20 at 3:00 pm with major playoff implications at stake.

Kelsey O'Keefe, the reigning Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week, led all players with 23 points and 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Junior Stephanie McBride (Mechanicville, NY / Catholic Central) scored 19 of her 21 points in the second half, pacing Wagner. The sharp-shooting guard connected on 7-of-13 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

After connecting on 12-of-24 (50.0 %) from the floor in the first half, the Seahawks made good on just 2-of-24 (8.3 %) to start the second. The Green & White finally snapped the skid, which included 11-straight missed shots at one point, with a McBride three pointer at the 8:10 mark. From that point on she scored 17 of Wagner's final 23 points, including the last nine. McBride was 6-of-10 from the floor in the second stanza while the rest of Seahawks were just 2-of-26 (7.7 %) en route to being outscored 39-29.

Junior Megan Mahoney (Staten Island, NY / St. Peter's) scored 14 points with seven rebounds while freshman Marie-Laurence Archambault (Montreal, Quebec / Montmorency) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points. Juniors Ashley Olsen (Staten Island, NY / Notre Dame Academy) and Nyoto Patterson (Teaneck, NJ / Manhattan Center (NY) each grabbed eight rebounds while sophomore Kanifa Hicks (Paterson, NJ / Passaic County Tech) had five steals, pacing the defense.

O'Keefe was the lone double-figure scorer for the Bryant as four other Bulldogs had at least eight points.

Wagner shot 33.3 percent (20-60) from the floor, including an anemic 22.2 percent (8-36) in the second half, but was good on 41.7 percent (5-12) from beyond the arc. Bryant didn't fare much better hitting on just 34.9 percent (22-63), but connected on 40.0 percent (8-20) from long range. The Bulldogs won the battle of the boards by a 46-41 count, including 19-15 on offense, leading to a 23-5 advantage in second-chance points.

The first half was a nip-and-tuck affair before Bryant scored six of the last eight points of the first half, assuming a 35-31 halftime lead. 17 different players scored in the high-paced opening stanza, led by O'Keefe's half-high 12 points, on 5-of-8 shooting. Wagner shot a blistering 50.0 percent (12-24) from the floor, including 50.0 percent (2-4) from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs shot just 38.2 percent (13-34), but made 41.7 percent (5-12) from beyond the arc.

NOTES: Robert Morris (14-1 NEC) secured the No. 1 seed for the upcoming NEC Tournament with a dominating 71-43 victory over defending league champion Sacred Heart (11-4 NEC)… The Pioneers have lost three-straight games and would be the No. 3 seed if the tournament started today behind Long Island (11-4 NEC) … Senior Andrea Reed (Pocomoke City, MD / Pocomoke), junior Sha'Ron Harrison (Paterson, NJ / John F. Kennedy) and freshman Veronick Fournier (Gatineau, Quebec / Montmorency) missed tonight's game due to injury … Bryant has now won both meetings with Wagner, taking last year's game by a 71-53 count in Smithfield, RI.