Pictured Above: Junior Guard Jordyn Peck (Photo by Dave Saffran)

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Game Notes: Wagner I Columbia
 
Staten Island, NY - The Wagner women's basketball team, on the heels of its 76-70 win over Stony Brook on December 21, looks for its second consecutive victory when the Seahawks host  the Columbia Lions of the Ivy League on Tuesday, December 30 at 2:00 p.m. in their final non-conference game before opening NEC play on Saturday at Saint Francis U.
 
NWAJEI CONTINUES TO SPARKLE
Sophomore guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum) continued to score at a blistering pace last week, pouring in 32 points vs. Yale on December 17, followed by a 28-point outing in ysterday's victory over Stony Brook, retaining a share of the NEC Player of the Week award for the second consecutive week.  The 2014 NEC Rookie of the Year, who was named player of the week along with Sacrd Heart's Gabby Washington,  averaged 30.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game in the two games last week. The 5-8 Nwajei powered the Seahawks to their first win of the season by scoring 26 of her game-high 28 points in the second half in leading the Seahawks to a 76-70 win over America East member Stony Brook. The New York City product shot 60 percent from the floor, including a 2-for-4 clip from beyond the arc, while also contributing six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in the triumph. Earlier in the week, she accounted for nearly 50 percent of the team's entire scoring output against Yale. Shooting 13-for-28 from the field, Nwajei scored 32 points in 31 minutes against the Bulldogs. Last week's performances followed her 39-point explosion at Vermont (12/14). For the season, Nwajei averages 21.6 points per game, which ranks No. 2 in the NEC.
 
ABOUT THE WAGNER SEAHAWKS
Playing against a non-conference schedule that has included VCU of the Atlantic 10, No. 8 Maryland of the ACC, No. 21 Rutgers of the Big 10, another Big 10 school in Penn State and St. John's of the Big East, the Seahawks are off to a 1-9 start. Sophomore guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum), the 2014 NEC Rookie of the Year, leads the Seahawks in scoring at 21.6 points while dishing out a team-best 4.5 assists per game. Junior guard Jordyn Peck (Shaker Heights, OH/Shaker Heights), with 989 career points, is just 11 away from becoming the 24th Seahawk in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark for her career. The 5-6 Peck, who tossed in a season-high 27 points at Penn State (12/7), also averages in double figures at 13.0 points per game. Sophomore guard Lyndsay Rowe (South River, NJ/St. John Vianney)  checks in at 5.8 points per game while averaging 31.1 minutes per game. Sophomore forward Taylor Butigian (Rockaway Park, NY/Christ the King) is rounding into form after sitting out the first two games of the season with a leg injury. The 6-1 Butigian had  a season-high 10 points at Penn State (12/7), followed by a seven-point effort at Vermont (12/14). Redshirt-sophomore guard Jazmine Hamlet (New York, NY/Francis Lewis) has provided a spark off the bench in the last three games after missing the first six contests of the season with a leg injury. The 5-7 Hamlet followed a team-high seven-rebound effort at Penn State (12/7) and is second on the team in rebounds at 5.0 per game. . Sophomore guard Maria Conyers-Jordan (Philadelphia, PA/Friends' Central), averages 3.3 points and 4.1 rebounds. headlined by a nine-point game at NJIT (12/2), which tied her career high. Sophomore forward Jackie Dluhi (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) has started all 11 games this season and had a career-high 11-rebound effort vs. Yale (12/17) Junior guard Tessa Wade (Penn Valley, PA/Lower Merion) has played in 51 games during her three seasons on Grymes Hill. The veteran 5-8 guard has seen action in seven contests this season and is averaging seven minutes of playing time per game. Freshman post player Sofia Roma (Richmond Hill, NY/Nazareth Regional) has been a factor on the glass throughout Wagner's first 11 games, averaging 4.5 rebounds per game. The 6-2 Roma had a career-high 11 boards at Maryland (11/16) and pulled down eight rebounds last time out at Vermont (12/14). Freshman Tanasia Russell (Vineland, NJ/Vineland), nicknamed "Pogo" due to her vast leaping ability, scored a career-high 10 points vs. Monmouth (11/28) and averages 3.1 pr game. Freshman forward Samantha Sullivan, at 6-1, offers a post presence and depth along the Seahawk frontcourt. She has seen action in nine contests thus far this season and averages seven minutes of playing time per game.
 
Nwajei Back-to-Back Co-NEC Player of the Week
Somerset, NJ – Sophomore guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum)continued to score at a blistering pace last week, pouring in 32 points vs. Yale on December 17, followed by a 28-point outing in ysterday's victory over Stony Brook, retaining a share of the NEC Player of the Week award for the second consecutive week. The 2014 NEC Rookie of the Year, who was named player of the week along with Sacrd Heart's Gabby Washington,  averaged 30.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game in the two games last week. The 5-8 Nwajei powered the Seahawks to their first win of the season by scoring 26 of her game-high 28 points in the second half in leading the Seahawks to a 76-70 win over America East member Stony Brook. The New York City product shot 60 percent from the floor, including a 2-for-4 clip from beyond the arc, while also contributing six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in the triumph. Earlier in the week, she accounted for nearly 50 percent of the team's entire scoring output against Yale. Shooting 13-for-28 from the field, Nwajei scored 32 points in 31 minutes against the Bulldogs. Last week's performances followed her 39-point explosion at Vermont (12/14).
 
Ugo Nwaigwe Leaves Team
Senior center Ugo Nwaigwe (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream South) left the Wagner women's team prior to the Dec. 2 contest at NJIT. 
 
"I'm very disappointed that Ugo has chosen to leave the Wagner women's basketball program but wish her the best in her academic and post-graduate pursuits," said head coach Lisa Cermignano. "As for its impact on our team, we have invested a lot of time in the development of Ugo and her significant role on this team. However, we are very confident in the young post players we have to fill this unexpected void.
 
"We are extremely excited for the start of conference play," Cermignano added.
 
PLAYING TOUGH NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE IS THE CERMIGNANO WAY
Wagner opened the 2014-15 season with a two-game road swing, beginning with a matchup at VCU of the Atlantic 10 (11/14) followed by a contest at No. 8 Maryland (11/16). The Seahawks' home opener was against No. 21 Rutgers (L 81-53). Led by Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer, the 2014 WNIT Champions and the first Big 10 opponent to ever play at the Spiro Sports Center. The demanding non-conference schedule continued with a Nov. 30 game at Big East member St. John's (L 71-49). Third-year head coach Lisa Cermignano believes that last season's tough non-conference schedule helped prepare her team for NEC play and was a big reason for the Seahawks' six-game league improvement. After playing a non-league schedule that included heavyweights Kentucky, Rutgers, VCU and Pittsburgh, the Green & White went 8-10 in the NEC and qualified for the league tournament for the first time since 2010.
 
ABOUT THE COLUMBIA LIONS
Columbia returns to the road following a seven-game homestand where the Lions went 3-4 to move to 4-7 on the season. Columbia will also go for its first victory away from home as each of the Lions' wins this year have come under the roof of Levien Gym. Two Columbia forwards have provided the majority of the Lions offense this season. Sophomore Tori Oliver leads the team with 17.8 points per game while first-year Camille Zimmerman scores 15.2 points per contest.  Amara Mbionwu has shined defensively for Columbia as the senior contributes 9.8 rebounds to the Lions' league-leading 43.5 rebounds per outing. Last time out, on December 21, Columbia team led by as many as 12 points early in the second half, but could not withstand a late run by Portland in dropping a 71-65 home decision.
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE LIONS
Today's game marks the 24th all-time meeting between the Seahawks and the Lions and Wagner lead the series 16-7. Columbia is the second Ivy League foe that Wagner will face this season as the Seahawks dropped a 90-65 decision to Yale (12/17). This is the 45th time that Wagner will face an Ivy League institution.
 
UP NEXT
Northeast Conference play commences as the Seahawks open the conference slate on the road on January 3 as they travel to Loretto, PA to take on the Saint Francis U Red Flash in a 1:00 pm tip.
           
SEAHAWKS 4TH IN NEC PRESEASON POLL, NWAJI NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-NEC TEAM
Brooklyn, NY (Oct. 21)– The Wagner women's basketball team, last season's most-improved Northeast Conference (NEC) squad, was picked fourth in the 2014-2015 Preseason Poll while sophomore guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum) was named to the Preseason All-NEC Team, in a vote of the league's head coaches and announced today at NEC Social Media Day held at the Barclays Center. Defending champion Robert Morris was picked first, garnering five of the 10 first-place votes. Sacred Heart was chosen second, with four first-place votes, St.  Francis Brooklyn was third, with Wagner fourth and Saint Francis U rounding out the top five. Bryant was picked to finish sixth, Mount St. Mary's seventh, LIU Brooklyn checked in at eighth place with Central Connecticut and Fairleigh Dickinson finishing in a tie for ninth place.
 
 2014-2015 NEC Preseason Poll
1. Robert Morris (5)
2. Sacred Heart (4)
3. St. Francis Brooklyn (1)
4. Wagner
5. Saint Francis U
6. Bryant
7. Mount St. Mary's
8. LIU Brooklyn
9. (tie) Central Connecticut
    Fairleigh Dickinson
 
2014-15 Preseason All-NEC Women's Basketball
Senior         Jenniqua Bailey - Bryant
Senior        Alexa Hayward - Saint Francis U
Soph.        Jasmine Nwajei - Wagner
Senior        Eilidh Simpson - St. Francis Brooklyn
Senior        Gabrielle Washington - Sacred Heart

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