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New York, NY – Junior guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum) scored 22 of her game-high 24 points in the second half but it was not enough as the Wagner women's basketball team dropped a 67-48 decision at Columbia.
 
Tonight's game marked the end of the non-conference portion of the Wagner schedule as the 2-9 Seahawks begin Northeast Conference (NEC) play on Saturday, January 2 at Saint Francis U before continuing their western Pennsylvania swing at Robert Morris on January 4.
 
With the win, the Lions improve their season record to 8-4.
 
Nwajei, who shot 9-of-30 from the floor, added five steals and four rebounds. Junior guard Lyndsay Rowe (South River, NJ/St. John Vianney) added nine points while tying for a team-high six rebounds.
 
Also coming up with six boards each for the Seahawks were sophomore forward Sofia Roma (Richmond Hill, NY/Nazareth Regional), senior guard Jazmine Hamlet (New York, NY/Francis Lewis), and sophomore forward Samantha Sullivan (Manasquan, NJ/Manasquan). For the 6-1 Sullivan, tonight's six-rebound effort matched the career-high six caroms that she had last time out at Penn on December 21.
 
Camille Zimmerman paced the Lions with 17 points and her frontcourt mate, Tori Oliver, added 11 while three different Columbia players finished with eight points apiece. The Lions were 21-of-24 from the free throw line tonight while the Seahawks were a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe.
 
Columbia out-shot Wagner 39 percent to 24 percent while holding a slim 47-44 edge in the rebounding department. The Lions outscored the Seahawks in the paint by a 26-20 margin and led in points off turnovers by a 26-17 count. Wagner, which trailed 35-16 at halftime, scrapped to the very end, outscoring the Lions 14-5 over the game's final five minutes.
 
Nwajei, who was named one of this week's "NCAA.com Starting Five" Players of the Week along with Nina Davis of Baylor, Ariel Hearn of  Memphis, Jessica Shepard of Nebraska, and Mississippi State's Victoria Vivians, is now averaging 21.5 points per game. In her last three games, she is scoring at a 33.0-point clip.
 
The 5-8 New York City guard, who finished No. 2 nationally in scoring at 24.8 ppg last season poured in a school-record 45 points at home vs. Stony Brook on Dec. 18 before hitting for 30 at Penn on December 21 last time out.
 
A two-time Northeast Conference (NEC) Player of the Week this far this season, Nwajei is in seventh place on the Wagner all-time career scoring list, with 1,471 points.
 
Tonight's contest marked the 25^th all-time meeting between the Seahawks and Lions and Wagner holds a 17-8 lead in the series. This was the third and final matchup of the season for Wagner vs. an Ivy League opponent as the Seahawks finish 0-3 vs. the Ivies having previously lost at Yale and Penn. Dartmouth is the only Ivy league team that the Seahawks have never faced.
 
Follow Wagner Athletics on Facebook (facebook.com/WagnerAthletics), Twitter (@wagnerathletics), Instagram (@wagnerathletics) and YouTube (@WagnerSeahawks) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department. Follow the women's basketball team on Twitter @WagSwagg_WBB for news and updates on the women's basketball program and @CERMIGNANO for news on the fourth-year coach.