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FINAL STATS

Staten Island, NY – Sophomore guard Jordyn Peck (Shaker Heights, OH/Shaker Heights) tossed in a career-high 27 points but it was not enough as Kristina White scored 19 points to lead four Vermont players in double figures as the Catamounts earned an 80-70 victory.
 
In dropping their third straight game, the Seahawks fall to 1-4 on the season while Vermont improves to 2-3.
 
Peck shot 7-of-14 from the field, 2-of-4 from three-point range and was 11-of-17 from the free throw line. The 27-point outburst by the 5-6 left-hander surpassed her previous career-best of 24 points which she delivered two games ago at Iona on November 20.
 
Known for her deep-shooting prowess, Peck, on this night, was consistently able to beat her defender off the dribble and get into the lane for driving layups which led to many of her free throw opportunities. The Seahawks, however, could not overcome the foul trouble which plagued electrifying freshman point guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Begtraum) all evening.
 
Nwajei picked up two fouls within a 36-second span midway through the first half and Wagner trailing by a count of 15-10. As a result, the 5-8 Nwajei, who came in averaging 14.5 points per game, was limited to eight first-half minutes as Vermont raced out to a 43-34 lead at the half. Wagner ended the half on a high note and as redshirt-freshman guard Jazmine Hamlet (Queens, NY/Francis Lewis) stole and inbounds pass with two seconds left before banking in a jumper at the buzzer as the Seahawks sprinted to the locker room with an extra bounce in their collective steps.

The good feelings did not last long, however as 15 seconds into the second half, Nwaigwe was whistled for her third personal which again forced her to the bench.
 
Vermont appeared to be in total control after Kaylea Britton hit a layup with 13:01 left that gave the Catamounts their biggest lead of the game of 17 at 58-41. Wagner countered though with a 17-7 burst to draw to within seven at 65-58 on a free throw by freshman guard Maria Conyers-Jordan (Philadelphia, PA/Friends' Central) at the 4:49 mark. What made this burst even  more impressive was that much of the run came with Nwajei on the bench as she picked up her fourth foul at the 10:23 mark with the Seahawks trailing 60-47.
 
The closest Wagner would come down the stretch was six at 70-64, as a Nwajei layup with 1:55 left made it a two-possession game. But two free throws by Nikki Taylor, followed by a White jumper, effectively put the game away by pushing the lead back to 74-64 with 1:21 left.
 
For the evening, Nwajei tallied 12 points in just 18 minutes of action and was harassed into committing nine turnovers. Redshirt-sophomore Ugo Nwaigwe (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream South) delivered a fine effort in the low post, as the 6-3 center scored seven points while scratching and clawing her way for 10 rebounds and five blocked shots. Freshman guard Lyndsay Rowe (South River, NJ/St. John Vianney) turned in a scrappy 10-point, three-rebound game while logging 35 minutes.
 
Conyers Jordan supplied seven points off the bench while senior forward Stephanie Blais (Sherbrooke, Quebec/Montmorency and freshman forward Taylor Butigian (Rockaway Park, NY/Christ the King) added four and two points, respectively.
 
In support of White's 19-point performance, Britton and Taylor scored 11 and 10 points, respectively while Kayla Burchill added 10.
 
The Catamounts held a 42-30 edge in the rebounding department while the teams shot an identical 43% from the field. Most of Wagner's offense came off the dribble or from the free throw line as Wagner was credited with just three assists while turning the ball over 26 times. Vermont had 19 assists on 26 made baskets.
 
Wagner is next in action on Sunday, December 1 when the Seahawks host the VCU Rams of the Atlantic 10 Conference in a 1:00 pm tip-off at the Spiro Center.

Notes: Through five games, Peck is averaging a robust 19.5 points per outing and has topped the 20-point mark in through of those games.

Peck Game-by-Game Scoring
8 Points vs. Kentucky (11/10)
21 Points at Monmouth (11/14)
24 Points at Iona (11/20)
17 Points at Seton Hall (11/23)
27 Points vs. Vermont (11/26)

Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@wagnerathletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department, @WagSwagg_WBB for news and updates on the women's basketball program and @CERMIGNANO for news on the second-year coach

Photography by Dave Saffran