(Pictured above: Sophomore Guard Tanasia Russell - By Dave Saffran)

Staten Island, NY – The Wagner women's basketball team will host local rival LU Brooklyn on Monday, January 18 with the Martin Luther King Day matchup between these local Northeast Conference (NEC) rivals set to tip off at 7:00 p.m.
 
The Series
This is the 79th all-time meeting between the schools and LIU Brooklyn holds a 43-35 lead in the all-time series.
 
The Matchup
The short-handed Seahawks, who are minus their injured second and third-leading scores in senior Jordyn Peck (Shaker Heights, OH/Shaker Heights – 8.8 ppg.) and fifth-year senior guard Alexis Smith (Meford, NY/St. John the Baptist/Illinois – 7.2 ppg.), enter tonight's game with an overall record of 2-14 and an 0-5 mark in NEC play and looking to snap a nine-game losing streak. LIU Brooklyn, which has dropped three straight games, enters tonight's matchup with a 4-12 record and a 2-3 conference mark. The Blackbirds are led in scoring by Shanovia Dove who checks in at 13.3 ppg.
 
Welcome Back Coach Zurich
Tonight will be a homecoming of sorts for first-year LIU Brooklyn assistant coach Heather Zurich. The former Rutgers guard served as an assistant at Wagner in 2010-2011.

Nwajei Continues to Score at Blistering Pace
Junior guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum) continues to score at a record-setting pace as she owns two of the top four scoring games in NCAA Division I this season as 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. The 5-8 NYC guard is ranked No. 4 nationally in scoring at 24.4 ppg. and holds a staggering 31.0 ppg. average in NEC play.


 























































Roma Rebounding
Following her career-high 20-rebound performance on Saturday, Roma upped her NEC-leading average (conference games only) to 14.0 rpg. per game, while her overall rebounding average of 10.0 per game ranks second behind Brianna Rucker, who checks in at 11.3 rpg. Her 20-rebound effort ranks eighth on the Seahawk all-time single-game rebounding list.
 
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.