Game 12: Fairleigh Dickinson (5-6) at Wagner (1-10)
Spiro Sports Center - Staten Island, NY
Saturday, Jan. 5 - 1:00 pm
Game Notes/ Live Stats/ Media Live Stats
Live Audio/Video - NEC Front Row - Free!
Conference Call
The Seahawks open up their Northeast Conference schedule on Saturday when Wagner hosts Fairleigh Dickinson at Spiro Sports Center. The game is the first on Grymes Hill for the Seahawks since December 1, a span of 35 days between home contests.
Through 11 games, sophomore
Stephanie Blais leads the Seahawks in scoring at 9.7 ppg. Senior
Marie-Laurence Archambault is right behind Blais at 8.5 ppg. Sophomore
Ugo Nwaigwe leads Wagner on the boards with 5.1 rpg, while fellow second-year Seahawk
Jacqui Thompson has dished out a team-best 4.3 apg, good for third in the NEC.
Scouting The Knights
FDU enters conference play with a record of 5-6 in the team's 11 non-conference games. The Knights and Seahawks played three mutual non-conference opponents - Army, Columbia and Syracuse - going 0-3. FDU's wins have come against Manhattan, NJIT, Saint Peter's, Stony Brook, and Binghamton in the team's most recent game on Sunday.
The Knights are led by the combination of junior guard Danielle Pankey (15.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and sophomore center Erika Livermore (12.5 ppg, 10.7 rpg). Pankey is seventh in the NEC in scoring, while Livermore is 10th in points per game and second in rebounding. Sophomore Amanda Andrades is fifth in the NEC with a team-leading 3.9 apg.
All-Time vs. Fairleigh Dickinson
Saturday's game will be the 65th between the two programs, with FDU holding a 32-30 edge in the all-time series. The Knights took both meetings last year, winning 86-49 in Hackensack on Jan. 9, 2012, before edging the Seahawks, 66-62, at Spiro Sports Center on Feb. 20, 2012.
On The Air
A free webstream of the game will be available via NECFrontRow.com. Tim LeCras will have the call for Saturday's game.
Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself
Saturday's game is the 12th of the season for the Seahawks, but only the third at Spiro Sports Center. Of Wagner's 11 non-conference games, five were played as true road games, while four more were neutral-site contests. The two home non-conference games are the fewest for the Seahawks since NEC women's basketball play began in the 1986-87 season, while the 35 days between Seahawk homes game is the longest span since Wagner hosted Columbia and LIU Brooklyn 37 days apart on Dec. 8, 2009 and Jan. 14, 2010.
Amorosa Named To All-Tournament Team
Sophomore
Laura Amorosa was named to the Saint Joseph's Hawk Classic All-Tournament Team for her play during the games against UMBC (Dec. 28) and Fairfield (Dec. 29). Amorosa tallied a career-high seven rebounds in the first game against the Retrievers, following it up with a season-best nine points against the Stags.
Air Jordyn
Freshman
Jordyn Peck impressed on the big stage in front of the nearly 8,000 fans in attendance at Dec. 21's game vs. Louisville, scoring a career-high 15 points off the bench to lead the Seahawks. Peck has won the Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week award twice this season. The freshman from the Buckeye State has made an immediate impact for the Green & White, averaging 6.8 points and 18.5 minutes per game.
MLA Style
Senior
Marie-Laurence Archambault enters play Saturday 113 points away from joining the Seahawks' 1,000-point club. There have been 22 1,000-point scorers in Seahawk history. The most recent Wagner player to achieve the feat was Kelly Clark, who reached the mark last season.
Sophomore Sensations
Through 11 games, the Seahawks' leaders in points (
Stephanie Blais, 9.7 ppg), rebounds (
Ugo Nwaigwe, 5.1 rpg) and assists (
Jacqui Thompson, 4.3 apg) per game are all members of the sophomore class. Nwaigwe is also first in offensive rebounds per game (2.6).
Threes Fallin'
Wagner has made precisely eight three-pointers in four games this season - vs. Army (Nov. 9), Lehigh (Nov. 23), New Hampshire (Dec. 17), and UMBC (Dec. 28). The Seahawks have two long-range shooters in the top 10 in the NEC in three-point field goal percentage - sophomore
Stephanie Blais (42.1%) and senior Marie-Laurence Archambault (37.5%)
Les Habitants de Staten Island
Three of the Seahawks' top four scorers through the team's first 11 games - sophomore
Stephanie Blais (9.7 ppg), and seniors
Marie-Laurence Archambault (8.5 ppg) and
Veronick Fournier (6.6 ppg) are all from the province of Quebec. All three attended College Montmorency.
Stephanie's Stellar Start
Sophomore forward
Stephanie Blais has risen to an elevated role during her second season on Grymes Hill, averaging 9.7 ppg. Blais has recorded 1.5 bpg and a 42.1% mark from three-point land, both good for the top five in the NEC.
Jacqui The Key
A bright spot in the Dec. 4 game against Syracuse was the play of sophomore guard
Jacqui Thompson. The Keystone State native scored a season-high 12 points, posting career-bests in rebounds (5) and minutes played (38). In the game at New Hampshire (Dec. 17), Thompson dished out a season-high eight assists.
Here We Go, Ugo
Sophomore center
Ugo Nwaigwe grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds against Iona (Dec. 1), and tied her career-high in points, tallying eight on the afternoon.
Have a Day, Blais
Sophomore
Stephanie Blais scored a career-high 20 points in the game against Lehigh (Nov. 23), reaching her previous high of 14 points with 2:17 remaining in the first half. Blais also set career-highs in field goals made (8), steals (2), and minutes played (36).
Building Blocks
Wagner blocked eight Lehigh shot attempts on Nov. 23, tied for the most in a regulation game since the Seahawks rejected 10 Robert Morris shots on Jan. 10, 2011. The Green & White then matched the Lehigh total against Iona on Dec. 1. Through 11 games, sophomore
Stephanie Blais is averaging 1.5 blocks per game.
Welcome to the Show
Two Seahawk freshmen made their collegiate debuts in Nov. 9's season opener against Army.
Jordyn Peck earned Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week honors for her performance against the Black Knights, tallying nine points an assist and a steal in 17 minutes of play, without committing a single turnover.
Emily Adams recorded two minutes off the bench, grabbing one offensive rebound in her debut with the Green & White.
Tessa Wade made her Seahawk debut at Pitt on Nov. 20, tallying four minutes off the bench, while
Ebony Jennings grabbed an offensive rebound in her collegiate debut against Syracuse on Dec. 4.
Numero Uno
The Nov. 14 victory over Columbia was the first in the head coaching career of
Lisa Cermignano. The Seahawks' first year head coach served as an assistant at Maryland, Monmouth, George Washington, Vanderbilt, and Illinois before being hired as head coach at Wagner.
Cutting Through the Ivy
The Nov. 14 victory over Columbia moves the Seahawks to 16-7 all-time over the Lions, and 22-17 against the Ivy League. The Seahawks hold a 5-7 mark against Princeton, are 1-1 vs. Dartmouth, and 0-2 vs. Harvard.
Tweet, Tweet
Wagner Athletics is on Twitter at @WagnerAthletics. The Wagner women's basketball team also has a Twitter account at @WagSwagg_WBB.
Battle Of The Outerbridge
The Seahawks return to action on Monday, Jan. 7, when the Green & White host Monmouth at 7:00 pm at Spiro Sports Center to wrap up the first weekend of NEC play.
