Pictured above: Senior Guard Tessa Wade (photo by Dave Saffran)

Staten Island, NY - The Wagner women's basketball team  look for its first Northeast Conference (NEC) win when the Seahawks host Sacred Heart in on Sunday in the first game of a doubleheader with the Seahawk and Pioneer men's teams set to tip off at 4:00 p.m.
 
The Series
This will mark the 33rd all-time matchup between Wagner (2-15, 0-6 NEC) and Sacred Heart (7-10, 5-1 NEC) and the Pioneers hold a 23-9 lead in the all-time series. Sunday's tilt will be the second meeting between the teams in 12 days as Wagner and Sacred Heart met in Fairfield, CT on January 11 with the Pioneers coming away with a 73-62 win despite 39 points from junior guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum.)
 
Nwajei Continues Torrid Scoring, Now Third Nationally in Scoring
Following a 32-point effort last time out vs. LIU Brooklyn (1/18), Nwajei moved into third in NCAA Division I scoring at 24.9 ppg., behind only Washington's Kelsey Plum (27.3 ppg.) and Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell (25.3).
 
Nwajei Up to Third On Wagner All-Time Career Scoring List
Nwajei is now up to third place all-time on the Wagner career scoring list with 1,658 points The 32-point effort she turned in vs. LIU Brooklyn last time out on Monday marked the sixth time this season, and 16th time in her career, that she has topped the 30-point mark. The 5-8 NYC guard, who upped her NEC average to a staggering 31.2 ppg., shot 11-of-21 from the floor to go with four assists, three rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot vs. the Blackbirds.
 
Roma Rules the Boards
Sophomore Sofia Roma (Richmond Hill, NY/Nazareth Regional) ranks No. 1 in NEC games only, averaging 13.5 rpg. Overall, the 6-2 forward checks in at 10.1 caroms per game which is No. 2 in the conference behind Bryant's Breanna Rucket who checks in at 10.7 ppg.. On Monday vs. LIU Brooklyn, Roma followed her 11-point, career-high 20-rebound effort vs. Central Connecticut (1/16) with another productive performance in the low post, narrowly missing another double-double in finishing with nine points and 11 boards, along with five blocked shots. She has had four games with 15 or more rebounds thus far this season.
 
Recapping First Meeting with Sacred Heart (Jan. 11, 2016 at William H. Pitt Center, Fairfield, CT)
Jasmine Nwajei had her full arsenal on display, finishing with 39 points, nine rebounds, and five steals, but Sacred Heart was able to hold off a valiant effort by the undermanned Seahawks in posting a 73-62 win. For the game, Nwajei shot 14-of-33 from the field, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while going a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. She narrowly missed a double-double, as her nine rebounds paced the team, as did her five steals. Sacred Heart appeared to be in control as the Pioneers entered the fourth quarter with a seemingly comfortable 59-46 lead. But a pair of free throws by Nwajei began an 11-5Wagner run over a span of 4:08. Junior guard Lyndsay Rowe (South River, NJ/St. John Vianney) capped the run with a deep three-pointer from the left corner to make it a 64-58 game with 4:08 remaining in the contest, but this is as close as Wagner would get.