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Game Notes

Brooklyn, NY  – The latest installment of the "Battle of the Boroughs" will take place on Monday when the Wagner women's basketball team, led by the nation's No. 2 scorer in sophomore guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bertraum), meets the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers in a President's Day matchup today with tip-off at the Pope Physical Education Center set for 2:00 p.m.
 
This will mark the second contest between these teams in the last nine days as the Seahawks, with Nwajei leading the way, overcame a 10-point second-half deficit in recording a 63-60 win on February 7 on Grymes Hill.
 
Wagner-St. Francis Brooklyn All-Time Series
This is the 74th all-time meeting between the schools and the Terriers hold a 54-19 lead in the all-time series, following Wagner's 63-60 win on February 7.
 
Last Time Out
Staten Island, NY – Sophomore guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum), who entered the game as the nation's No. 2 scorer at 24.8 points per game, tossed in a game-high 31 points to lead four players in double figures as the Wagner women's basketball team overcame a five-point halftime deficit in defeating Fairleigh Dickinson 82-75 today at the Spiro Sports Center. Nwajei's 31-point outing, which came on 11-of-20 shooting and 9-of-11 from the free throw line, raised her season scoring average to 25.0 points per game. The only Division I women's basketball player averaging more points per game than Nwajei is Ohio State freshman guard Kelsey Mitchell who enters today's game at Illinois with a 25.5 ppg. average. In addition to topping the 30-point for a school-record fourth straight game, the 5-8 guard dished out seven assists and grabbed seven rebounds while playing the entire 40 minutes. Junior guard Jordyn Peck (Shaker Heights, OH/Shaker Heights) added 14 points for the Seahawks while sophomore forward Taylor Butigian (Rockaway Park, NY/Christ the King) and sophomore guard Lyndsay Rowe (South River, NJ/St. John Vianney) contributed 13 and 12 points, respectively. In addition to contributing a season-high 13 points, one shy of her career high, the 6-1 Butigian also pulled down eight rebounds in the victory. The 5-8 lefty sharp-shooting Rowe, meanwhile, was 4-of-6 from the field, with all of her made field goals and attempts coming from beyond the arc. The Knights were led by center Erika Livermore who recorded a double-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds while guard Kelsey Cruz added 24. FDU took a 35-30 halftime lead behind 18 first-half points from Cruz. Nwajei paced the Seahawks with 10 in the first half on 4-of-8 shooting while Peck and Rowe added seven and six points, respectively.
 
About St. Francis Brooklyn
The St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers (8-17, 5-8 NEC) defeated the visiting Sacred Heart Pioneers (12-10, 7-5 NEC) 77-53. The Terriers were led by Sarah Benedetti who scored a game-high 23 points including six three-pointers. St. Francis Brooklyn outscored Sacred Heart 45-9 from long distance, with 10 of their 15 three-pointers coming in the second half, where the Terriers shot 62.5 percent from long range. St. Francis Brooklyn recorded a season-high 15 three-pointers, shooting 51.7% from beyond the arc. Jaymee Veney finished with her eighth double-double of the season by recording 20 points and 12 caroms. Leah Fechko notched her 5^th double-double with 14 points and 11 boards. Four of the five Terrier starters recorded double-digit points. Eilidh Simpson added 11 points and now stands at 992 points in her career on Remsen Street. The key stretch in this contest with Sacred Heart started at the 13:54 mark of the second stanza. With the Terriers leading 41-34, Benedetti would convert three straight three-pointers to extend the St. Francis Brooklyn lead to 50-38.  The Terriers caught fire in the second half and outscored the Pioneers 48-29 in the second set of 20. St. Francis Brooklyn led this game for 35 minutes and were up as many as 26 points at one point in their best shooting game of the 2014-15 season. The 77 points scored for the Terriers surpasses their previous high of 71 points scored against Rider on 11/22/14. The Terriers continued their hot shooting from the free-throw line, going 10-for-14 from the charity stripe, good for 71.4%. Freshman Blair Arthur notched her first career three-pointer for St. Francis Brooklyn.
 
Nwajei Now up to 25.0 Points Per Game, 26.7 in NEC Play
The 5-8 Nwajei, who scored 20 of Wagner's final 23 points that day, en route to a 33-point outing in Wagner's 63-60 win over SFBK on Feb. 7,  enters this second  St. Francis Brooklyn matchup with an overall scoring average of 25.0 points per game, following a 31-point outing in Saturday's 82-75 home win over Fairleigh Dickinson. Nwajei's 31-point performance narrowed the gap between herself and the nation's No. 1 scorer, freshman guard Kelsey Mitchell of Ohio State, who checks in at 25.2 points per game following a 19-point outing vs. Illinois on Saturday. In NEC games, the New York City guard checks in at a league-best 26.7 points per game.
 

 














***More Jasmine Nwajei Superlatives***
*Has now hit for 30 or more points in four straight games, a school record
(Before this season, no Seahawk women's basketball player has ever hit the 30-point plateau in two straight games)
 
*Is averaging 33.8 points in her last four games
 
*Has hit the 30-point mark 10 times on the season, a school record
 
*Has totaled 601 points on the season, which ranks third on the Seahawk Single-Season List
 
Wagner All-Time Single-Season Points
1.    Stephanie Samuels, 1985-1986                     654
2.    Mary Gormley, 1979-1980                             620
3.    Jasmine Nwajei, 2014-2015                         601 

WAGNER CAREER SCORING (1,000 Point Club)
1. Stephanie Samuels (1982-86) ....................... 1,835
2. Mary Gormley (1977-81) .............................     1,734
3. Maureen Coughlin (1985-89) ......................   1,612
4. Nia Ryan (1996-00) .......................................   1,565
5. Amanda Young (1995-99) ............................   1,550
6. Susan Moff at (1994-98) ................................ 1,481
7. Chris Anderson (1988-92) ...........................    1,429
8. Meredith Kerns (1998-02) ...........................  . 1,397
9. Grace Paterno (1981-85) ..............................    1,328
10. Cynthia Quinlan (1986-90)..........................   1,323
11. Carrie Walker (2000-04) ..............................  1,288
12. Lisa Holoman (1982-86) ..............................  1,250
13. Cindy Bonforte (1981-85) ............................  1,239
14. Chelsey Bunyer (2004-08) ...........................1,220
15. JORDYN PECK (2012-Present) ...............   1,165
16. Joy Gallagher (2002-06) ............................... 1,158
17. Tricia Hoff (1976-79) ....................................   1,154
18. Patti Winterfeldt (1990-94) .......................... 1,149
19. Jeanne Sullivan (1978-82) ............................ 1,144
20. Kelly Clark (2008-12)....................................   1,117
21. JASMINE NWAJEI (2014-present) ..........   1,118
22. Marie-Laurence Archambault (2009-13)...1,083
23. Jenny Frazier (1992-96) ................................ 1,051
24. Toni Roker (1999-03)....................................  1,049
25. Brenda Milano (1991-95) .............................  1,046

Top Scoring Games in Wagner History
1.   Stephanie Samuels vs. FDU, 2-18-86................ 43
2.   Jasmine Nwajei vs. Columbia, 12-30-14....... 40
3.   Jasmine Nwajei at Vermont, 12-14-14............ 39
4.   Jasmine Nwajei vs. LIU Brooklyn, 1-10-15……  37
 5.   Jasmine Nwajei vs. Sacred Heart  2-8-15……  36
6.   Jasmine Nwajei vs. Sacred Heart  2-3-15…….. 35  
7.   Jasmine Nwajei vs. Saint Francis U  1-26-15….34
      Meredith Kerns vs. Drexel, 11-28-01................. .34
      Susan Moffat vs. Cleveland St., 12-28-95.........34
      Stephanie Samuels at Seton Hall, 1-20-86......34
      Tricia Hoff vs. Jersey City State, 2-16-78.......... 34
12. Jasmine Nwajei vs. SFBK, 2-7-15..................     33
   Joy Gallagher vs. Boston U., 12-30-03...............    33
      Jenny Frazier vs. New Hampshire, 12-3-95.......33
      Kristee Chaplin at FDU, 1-26-95....................... . 33
      Jenny Frazier at FDU, 2-16-94.......................... .  33
      Stephanie Samuels at LIU, 1-7-86.....................  33
      Stephanie Samuels at Monmouth, 1-5-85........33
      Tricia Hoff vs. Mercy, 2-18-78........................ ..    33
 
Wagner All-Time Single-Season Scoring Average
1. Jasmine Nwajei, 2014-2015.................................... 25.0
2. Mary Gormley, 1980-1981 .........................................  23.8
    Mary Gormley, 1979-1980 .........................................  23.8
3. Stephanie Samuels, 1985-1986 .................................23.4
4. Tricia Hoff, 1977-1978 ..............................................     23.1
5. Gela Mazella (Mikalauskas), 1974-1975 .....................20.1
 
Rowe No. 2 in NEC in Three-Point FG Percentage
Sophomore guard Lyndsay Rowe (South River, NJ/St. John Vianney) is Wagner's third-leading scorer at 7.6 ppg. and is tops on the team in three-point shooting at 42.9 percent (37-of-77), which ranks No. 4 in the NEC.
 
Playing Tough Non-Conference Schedules 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. 17 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.

Seahawks Picked 4th In NEC Poll, Jasmine Nwajei 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 today 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
Sophomore      Jasmine Nwajei - Wagner
Senior               Eilidh Simpson - St. Francis Brooklyn
Senior               Gabrielle Washington - Sacred Heart

Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@wagnerathletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department, @Wag_Swagg for news and updates on the women's basketball program.