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Photo by Molly Riley

Burlington, VT – Sophomore guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum) delivered the second-highest scoring game in Wagner women's basketball history, pouring in 39 points, but the Seahawks wound up on the short end of an 82-75 decision in overtime at Vermont this afternoon.
 
The lightning-quick Nwajei, who was the 2014 Northeast Conference (NEC) Rookie of the Year and a Second-Team All-League choice, shot 18-of-37 from the floor today, including a 3-of-8 effort from three-point range. The all-time Wagner single-game scoring record is held by Stephanie Samuels, who tossed in 43 points on February 18, 1986 in a 104-91 loss at Fairleigh Dickinson.
 
Samuels, who played from 1982-1986, is also Wagner's all-time leading scorer with 1,835 points, and was inducted into the Seahawk Hall of Fame in 2001.

For the 5'8" Nwajei, the 39-point outburst bettered her previous career high of 32 which she tallied in the season opener at VCU back on November 14. As is the case so often when Nwajei takes the floor, the sophomore was far from a one-dimensional threat for the Seahawks. While her scoring totals generate headlines, with her team-high scoring average now up to 19.3 points per game, against Vermont Nwajei also posted team-highs with 11 rebounds and five steals, in logging a career-long 44 minutes of playing time.
 
With today's loss, the Seahawks fall to 0-8 on the season while the Catamounts, who were led by freshman guard Sydney Smith's career-high 25-point outing, improve to 2-8 on the season and have now won two straight, having defeated Dartmouth 68-63 on December 7.
 
Wagner led 33-25 at halftime today. A Nwajei three-pointer with 14 seconds left in regulation gave the Seahawks a 68-65 lead before Smith answered with a three of her own with seven seconds remaining to forge a 68-68 tie. Junior guard Jordyn Peck's (Shaker Heights, OH/Shaker Heights) half-court heave with two seconds left bounded off the front of the rim as the game went into overtime.

In the extra session, sophomore guard Maria Conyers-Jordan (Philadelphia, PA/Friends' Central) opened the scoring with a layup to make it 70-68 but the Catamounts responded with a 14-2 run in opening an 82-72 lead. Nwajei capped the day's scoring with a three-pointer with two seconds to play which fashioned the final score of 82-75.
 
Peck was the second Seahawk to finish in double figures as the 5-6 lefty hit for 12 points while playing the entire 45 minutes, matching her career high for minutes played in a game. The Buckeye state native is now up to 966 points, just 34 shy of becoming the 24^th player in Seahawk history for reach the 1,000-point milestone for her career.
 
Sophomore forward Taylor Butigian (Rockaway Park, NY/Christ the King), followed up her 10-point outing at Penn State (12/7) last time out with seven points this afternoon on 3-of-6 shooting. Conyers-Jordan and redshirt-sophomore guard Jazmine Hamlet (New York, NY/Francis Lewis) chipped in with five points apiece for the Seahawks who shot 42.3 percent from the field for the game.
 
Smith's 25 led four Vermont players in double figures. Nikki Taylor added 16 points, Emily Cloutier contributed 13 and a game-high 16 rebounds, while Kylie Butler added 12.
 
In the end, Wagner simply could not overcome the discrepancy at the free throw line as Vermont hit 27-of-38 from the charity stripe while the Seahawks went to the line just seven times, making three. The Catamounts, who were limited to 37.3 percent shooting by the active Green & White defense, held a 53-42 edge on the glass.
 
The Green & White are next in action on Wednesday, December 17 when they host Ivy League member Yale with tip-off between the Seahawks and the Bulldogs is set for 8:00 pm at the Spiro Sports Center.

NOTES - Today's overtime game was the first in the three-year Lisa Cermignano era and the first OT contest that Wagner has been a part of since December 21, 2011 when the Seahawks dropped a 73-72 extra-session affair at home vs. New Hampshire.
 
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