Box Score (XML) I Box Score (HTML) I Box Score (PDF)

Picture Above: Freshman guard Tanasia Russell splits two Rutgers defenders (photo by Dave Saffran)

Staten Island, NY – After getting out to a fast start and an early 18-14 lead, the Wagner women's basketball team trailed 50-37 at the half and ended up on the short end of an 81-53 decision to defending WNIT Champion Rutgers, which entered the game ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll and No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 0-3 on the young season while the Scarlet Knights, under Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer, improve to 4-0 in extending the nation's longest active winning streak to nine games.

Sophomore guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum) got the crowd of 1,608 fans on their feet 16 seconds into the game when she drained a long three-pointer. After Rutgers took a 4-3 lead, Wagner answered with a 7-0 run on four consecutive free throws by junior guard Jordyn Peck, followed by a three-pointer by sophomore guard Lyndsay Rowe (South River, NJ/St. John Vianney) in taking a 10-4 lead heading into the game's first media timeout at 15:56.

The teams traded baskets over the next five-plus minutes and when a Peck three-ball found the bottom of the net with 10:16 left in the half, the Seahawks were on top by a count of 18-14. Rutgers then responded with an 8-0 run, keyed by a pair of Briyona Canty layups in building a 27-18 lead with less than seven minutes remaining in the opening stanza en route to the 50-37 halftime lead.

Rutgers shot 58% in the first half while Wagner checked in at a respectable 48% as the Seahawk offense was led by Nwajei and Rowe who each tallied 13 points prior to intermission with the sophomore tandem each draining three jumpers from beyond the arc in the game's opening 20 minutes. The Scarlet Knights opened the second half with a an 11-3 burst in widening the lead to 21 at 61-40 on a Canty three-pointer en route to the victory.

In addition to her team-high 16 points, Nwajei, the 2014 NEC Rookie of the Year, added four assists, four rebounds and three steals during a 31-minute stint. Rowe's 13, all of which came in the opening half, came on 4-of-5 shooting, including a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range. Peck was the third Seahawk to hit for double figures, finishing with 12 points.

Rutgers was paced by a 22-point outing by rugged 6-0 senior wing Betnijah Laney, who shot 10-of-14 from the field and pulled down 11 rebounds in recording the double-double. The Scarlet Knights also received a 20-point outing from Kahleah Copper, while Tyler Scaife and Canty finished with 15 and 11 points, respectively.

The Seahawks are next in action on Friday, November 28 when they host former NEC rival Monmouth at 7:00 p.m. Then, on Sunday, November 30, Wagner makes the short trek to Jamainca, Queens to play St. John's of the Big East, in a 2:00 pm tip in a contest that can be seen live on ESPN 3.com.

NOTES - Peck is now up to 898 career points and needs just 102 to become the 24^th Seahawk to reach the 1,000-point club. Sophomore forward Taylor Butigian (Rockaway Park, NY/Christ the King), a skilled 6-1 step-out forward, saw her first action of the season after sitting out the first two games of the season with a leg injury.