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Staten Island, NY – Guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum) scored 35 points, in becoming the first sophomore in school history to reach the 1,000-point career mark, but it was not enough as the Wagner women's basketball team dropped a 73-59 decision to Sacred Heart tonight at the Spiro Sports Center.
 
In dropping their seventh straight game, the Seahawks fall to 4-17 on the season,  2-8 in Northeast Conference play, while the Pioneers are now 10-9 overall, 5-4 in league play.
 
Nwajei, who entered the game ranked No. 6 in the nation in scoring, is now up to 23.9 points per game overall and 24.7 in NEC games, both of which lead the NEC. In addition to her 35-point outburst, the 5-8 New York City guard pulled down 11 rebounds, dished out seven assists and came up with five steals, while playing the entire 40 minutes. It was her fourth double-double of the season and ninth of her career.
 
For Nwajei, it marked her eighth 30-point plus game of the season and 14^th time this season she has topped the 20-point mark. In 45 career games she has tallied 1,018 career points, with 517 points scored last season and 501 thus far in 2013-2014. The 2013-2014 NEC Rookie of the Year, Nwajei is now averaging 20.3 points per game for her career.
 
Sophomore forward Taylor Butigian (Rockaway Park, NY/Christ the King) and sophomore guard Lyndsay Rowe (South River, NJ/St. John Vianney) added 10 and eight points, respectively for the Seahawks.
 
Wagner hung tough early and trailed by just a 33-28 halftime count before the Pioneers opened the second half on a 17- tear in opening up a 50-30 lead and were never headed.
 
Hannah Kimmel paced four SHU players in double figures with 18 points. Gabrielle Washington and Adaysha Williams added 14 points each while Lerae Ettienne added 10. Already short-handed withoout the services of freshman center Sofia Roma (Richmond Hill, NY/Nazareth Regional) and redshirt-sophomore guard Jazmine Hamlet (New York, NY/Francis Lewis) who were both sidelined with injury, Wagner lost second-leading scorer Jordyn Peck (Shaker Heights, OH/Shaker Heights) to a late first-half injury, from which the junior did not return. 
 
The Green & White are next in action on Saturday, February 7 when they host St. Francis Brooklyn in a 1:00 p.m. tilt in the first game of a doubleheader with the Seahawk and Terrier men's team set to meet at 4:00 p.m.

Heart Awareness Night
Tonight was Heart Awareness Night, with 10% of all ticket proceeds earmarked for Protecting One Young Heart At a Time Foundation, a non-profiit organization that celebrates the life of Frank Reali, the oldest son of Fran and Frank Reali of Westerleigh,RI, who died suddenly in 2007 from an undetected heart ailment. Instead of giving in to their grief, the couple decided to fight back, establishing a foundation in their son's name to help prevent such deaths in the future.
 
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