Game 1
Fairfield, CT -  The Wagner women's basketball team travels to Sacred Heart looking to snap a seven-game losing streak and gain its first Northeast (NEC) Conference win when the Seahawks and Pioneers meet at Coach Bike Court at the William H. Pitt Center.
 
Scene-Setter
Wagner enters the game with a 2-12 overall record, 0-3 in league play while the Pioneers are 4-10 on the season, 2-1 in league play. The Seahawks hung tough with Bryant last time out, seizing an eight-point second-half lead before the Bulldogs rallied for an 82-71 win. After opening NEC play with a 78-63 loss at Robert Morris, the Pioneers have posted consecutive league wins, knocking off Saint Francis U (81-77) on the road before knocking off Fairleigh Dickinson (72-61) at home on Saturday.
 
All-Time Series
This is the 32nd all-time meeting between the schools and Sacred Heart holds a 22-9 lead in the all-time series.
 
Last Time Out
Junior guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum) tossed in a game-high 27 points despite being sidelined for an eight-minute stretch in the second half due to foul trouble, and sophomore guard Tanasia Russell (Vineland, NJ/Vineland) scored a career-high 20 points, but Bryant was able to rally for an 82-71 NEC win on Saturday at the Spiro Sports Center. With 4:43 left in the third quarter, and the Seahawks on top 42-38, Nwajei went to the bench after picking up her fourth personal foul.  Without Nwajei on the floor, Wagner extended the lead to eight, 50-42, with 2:03 remaining in the quarter on a Russell three-point jumper. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to three, 51-48, at the end of the quarter before opening the final stanza on a 12-6 run in taking a 60-57 lead with 7:07 left to play on an Ivory Bailey layup. With the Seahawks trailing by this three-point count, Nwajei was reinserted into the game with 6:51 remaining. A Russell jumper at the 6:46 mark made it a one-point game at 60-59 but Tiersa Winder answered with a three-pointer at 6:19 to push the lead to 63-59 and Wagner was unable to draw closer than four the rest of the way as the Bulldogs went 10-of-13 from the free throw line down the stretch en route to the win. Both teams shot the ball well in the pivotal fourth quarter which saw Bryant outscore Wagner 34-20. The Seahawks were 50 percent from the floor (9-of-18) in the final stanza but the Bulldogs were a sizzling 66.7 percent (10-of-15). Wagner received another strong outing on the inside by Sofia Roma (Richmond Hill, NY/Nazareth Regional). The 6-2 forward totaled just three points but was masterful on the boards, ripping down 17 rebounds, 13 of which came on the defensive glass, to finish one carom shy of matching her career high. Junior forward Jackie Dluhi (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) finished with nine points for the Seahawks to go with three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Junior forward Lyndsay Rowe (South River, NJ/St. John Vianney) added eight points, on 3-of-6 shooting, along with four rebounds and a steal, while senior guard Jazmine Hamlet (New York, NY/Francis Lewis) contributed four points and five rebounds. The Bulldogs were extremely balanced offensively as three players, Bailey, Alex Klein, and Breanna Rucker, shared team-high honors with 17 points each. Winder and Morgan Olander supplied 13 and 11 points, respectively, as Bryant placed five players in double digits on the afternoon.
 
Nwajei Continues to Score at Blistering Pace
Jasmine Nwajei continues to score at a record-setting pace as she owns two of the top four scoring games in NCAA Division I this season and has climbed to No. 7 on the Wagner all-time scoring list. Now averaging a Northeast Conference (NEC)-leading 23.7 points per game overall, she is hitting for 30.7 ppg. in Wagner's three NEC contests. The 5-8 Nwajei's school-record 45-point outburst vs. Stony Brook on December 18 is the top scoring game in the nation this year while her 42-point outing at Saint Francis U on January 2 is tied for the fourth-highest scoring game. In notching her eighth 20-point plus game of the season, and sixth straight Nwajei is now up to 1,563 career points, which moves her into fifth place on the Seahawk all-time scoring list, past Amanda Young (1995-99), who amassed 1,550 points in her Hall of Fame Career. Nwajei is just two points shy of another Hall of Fame member, Nia Ryan (1996-00), who sits in fourth place with 1,565 points.
 
Roma Cleaning Up on the Boards
Sofia Roma is averaging an NEC-best 14.6 rebounds per game in Wagner's three league contests and has been in double digits in all three. She opened NEC play with 16 rebounds at Saint Francis U (1.2) and grabbed 10 boards at Robert Morris (1.4) before hauling down 17 caroms on Saturday (1/9) vs. Bryant. The 6-2 sophomore is also averaging 6.7 ppg. in the Seahawks' three NEC games.
 
Russell Tops Previous Career High by Five
Tanasia Russell's 20-point outburst today, which came on 7-of-12 shooting (4-of-7 from three-point range), topped her previous career high of 15 that she set last week at Saint Francis U (1/4).
 
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