Box Score FINAL STATS

Staten Island, NY – The Seahawks battled a surging Sacred Heart team on nearly even terms for 24 minutes before the Pioneers went on a pivotal 18-3 run to open a 17-point lead in pulling away from Wagner for their sixth straight win by count of 76-47.

The victory was also the Pioneers' 11^th in their last 14 games as they had the look of a title contender in improving to 15-7 on the season, 7-3 in Northeast Conference play. The scrappy Seahawks are now 2-19, 1-9 in conference play.

Senior forward Marie-Laurence Archambault (Montreal, Quebec/ Montmorency), slowed of late by a foot injury, came off the bench to lead Wagner offensively with 16 points on a torrid 4-of-5 shooting night from three-point range. Overall, the 6-0 Archambault went 6-of-7 from the field while adding five rebounds in a spirited 33-minute stint. Archambault's 16-point night gives her 991 career points, leaving her just nine points shy of becoming the 22^nd player in Seahawk history to reach the 1,000-point mark.

Her Canadian comrade Stephanie Blais (Sherbrooke, Quebec/ Montmorency) also reached double figures with 10 points to go with four rebounds. Slowed by foul trouble, the versatile Blais delivered those solid numbers despite playing just 22 minutes before fouling out.

Freshman guard Jordyn Peck (Shaker Heights, OH/ Shaker Heights) added eight points, three assists and a steal. An obvious focal point of Sacred Heart's defensive game plan, Peck, who entered the contest ranked No. 4 in NEC Conference games with a 16.0 average, was held to an uncharacteristic 2-of-of-11 shooting night.

Guard Gabriell Washington led four Pioneers in double figures with 19 points while also leading her club with seven rebounds. Backcourt mate Kiley Evans finished with 17 while Blair Koniszewski and Morgan Merriman added 14 and 12 points, respectively, for Sacred Heart. Crafty, dynamic point guard Ericka Norman triggered much of the Sacred Heart offense in dishing out 10 assists while contributing five rebounds and three steals.

The efficient Pioneers looked for the extra pass all night long as they were credited with an astounding 25 assists on 28 made field goals while committing just nine turnovers. Conversely, Wagner had nine assists on its 16 made baskets and the Seahawks were undone by turning the ball over 20 times.

As was the case two days earlier vs. another talented ballclub in Quinnipiac, the Seahawks fought and clawed the entire first half. The largest lead that Sacred Heart could muster in the opening 20 minutes was nine following a Koniszewski three-pointer with 8:10 left that made it 27-18.

Wagner responded with its best basketball of the night, embarking on a 10-2 run to draw within one at 29-28 at the 6:01 mark. Archambault keyed the blitz with eight points, starting things off with a three-pointer before finishing the run with a layup, followed by another three-ball. Junior forward Laura Amorosa (Kirkland, Quebec/ Phillips Academy) sank a pair of free throws in-between Archambault's two treys to account for the other two points in Wagner's quick 2:09 uprising.
The Pioneers steadied themselves by outscoring Wagner 8-4 over the final 4:34 of the half but the Seahawks were still very much in the game, trailing by just a 38-32 margin at intermission.

Wagner's plucky, competitive play continued during the opening minutes of the second half. The Green & White scored the first four points following the break, on two free throws by Peck followed by a driving Blais layup at 18:44, that made it a 38-36 game. It was at this juncture when the Pioneers took off on an 8-0 run that was briefly halted by a Blais three-pointer at 16:07 to make it 46-39. Sacred Heart then went right back to work, reeling off 10 unanswered points to complete the 18-3 run in opening a commanding 56-39 lead with 12:36 left. The Seahawks would manage just eight points over the game's final 12 minutes and wound up with just 15 points for the half.

For the game, Sacred Heart outshot Wagner 44 percent to 36 percent while holding a 37-30 edge in the rebounding department. The Pioneers were an impressive 13-of-17 from the charity stripe (77 percent) while Wagner was a blistering 88 percent from the line. But, the Seahawks  only got there eight times, making seven.

Wagner takes to the road this weekend, making the long sojourn to Robert Morris to face the Colonials on Saturday, February 9 in a 4:00 pm tilt before beginning a four-game homestretch with a meeting vs. Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday, February 12 at 7:00 pm.