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ARCHAMBAULT'S SEASON-HIGH 20 POINTS VIDEO

Staten Island, NY – Robert Morris overcame a seven-point halftime deficit and a season-high 20-point outing from Wagner sophomore forward Marie-Laurence Archambault (Montreal, Quebec/ Montmorency) in posting a 62-56 victory at the Spiro Sports Center.

With the defeat, the Seahawks fall to 7-8 on the season, 0-4 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) while the Colonials improve to 7-7 overall, 4-0 in league. The four NEC teams that Wagner has lost to  - Quinnipiac (3-1), Sacred Heart (3-1), Saint Francis (PA) (4-0) and Robert Morris (4-0)  - have a combined 14-2 conference record.

Wagner played a crisp first half, limiting Robert Morris to 33 percent shooting while committing just three turnovers in seizing a 33-26 halftime lead. But the Colonials came out of the gate hot in the second half. After a free throw by senior center Nyoto Patterson (Teaneck, NJ/ Manhattan Center), equaled Wagner's biggest lead of the game of eight at 34-26, the Colonials embarked on a 12-4 run to take their first lead of the night at 40-38 on a Yohanna Morton layup with 14:10 remaining in the game.

Archambault answered with one of her four three-pointers on the evening to put the Seahawks back on top 41-40 with 13:48 to go. This would prove to be Wagner's last lead of the game as Artemis Spanou put Robert Morris back into the lead on a jumper to make it 42-41. With her team down 48-43, sophomore guard Veronick Fournier (Gatineau, Quebec/ Montmorency) drilled a three-pointer from the deep left corner at the 9:24 juncture to draw Wagner to within two at 48-46. With Wagner trailing 50-48 following another Spanou jumper, the Seahawks forged their final tie of the game at 50-50 on a layup by junior center Kelly Clark (Neptune, NJ/ St. Rose) off a feed from senior guard Megan Mahoney (Staten Island, NY/ St. Peter's).

The Colonials took the lead for good on a three-pointer by Destiny Harrison with 4:31 left, a field goal that kickstarted a pivotal 12-6 game-ending run. Wagner was still within three points at 57-54 following a Mahoney layup at 2:51, but the Colonials' athletic center Mary Durqjaye answered with a layup with 2:32 left to push the lead back to five and Robert Morris would go on to post the six-point victory.

Second-chance opportunities hurt the Seahawks throughout the second half as the Colonials did a great job on the offensive glass, grabbing 14 offensive boards to Wagner's three over the final 20 minutes. The Colonials also forced the Seahawks into committing nine second-half turnovers while turning the ball over just four times themselves.

Supporting Archambault's 20-point effort was a 12-point outing by Mahoney, who added a game-high seven assists to go with five rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Senior forward Ashley Olsen (Staten Island, NY/ Notre Dame Academy) had 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Clark added eight points while tying her career-high with five blocked shots.

Wagner held the lead the entire first half, jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead on a three-pointer by Mahoney followed by a layup by a layup by Patterson, who drew her eighth start of the season in the pivot. The lead grew to 14-8 following an Archambault three-pointer at the 13:44 mark. The Seahawks opened their biggest lead of the half at eight, 24-16 on a three-point jumper by Mahoney with 6:14 left.

The Colonials answered with a 9-2 run to draw to within one at 26-25 following a free throw by Kristine Silaraja at the 4:09 mark. Robert Morris hurt Wagner with dribble penetration as the Colonials converted three layups during this stretch. Wagner closed the half on a 7-1 burst in taking the 33-26 halftime lead. Archambault tallied the first five points of the run on a three-pointer followed by a jumper. Mahoney then hit a jumper with 50 seconds left in the half to make it 33-25 before Morton made one of two free throws with two seconds left in the half.

Archambault led Wagner with 13 first-half points on the strength of 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc while Mahoney added 10 points in the opening stanza. Wagner, which has been plagued by turnovers of late, committed just three first-half turnovers. Robert Morris also took care of the basketball in the opening half, turning the ball over just five times. Wagner outshot Robert Morris 42 percent to 33 percent while the Colonials out-rebounded the Seahawks 24-16.

Durojaye paced the Colonials in the first half with 11 while Morton added 10.

Wagner is next in action on Saturday, January 15 when the Seahawks travel to LIU in a 2:00 pm contest.

NOTES – Senior guard Stephanie McBride (Mechanicville, NY/ Catholic Central) suffered a laceration on her forehead midway through the first half, was tended to by medical personnel, and did not return. The three turnovers committed by Wagner in the first half are a season low for a half. Archambault's previous season high was 17 which she tallied at Siena on Nov. 20 and again at Dartmouth on Dec. 30.