Staten Island, NY – After battling second-place Sacred Heart to the wire in a four-point loss that featured a
Northeast Conference (NEC) and school-record 53-point outburst from junior guard
Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum) on Sunday, the Wagner women's basketball team hosts the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers at the Spiro Sports Center on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN 3.
The injury-plagued Seahawks (2-16, 0-7 NEC) will look for their first conference win while St. Francis Brooklyn (4-14, 1-6 NEC) are coming off of their first NEC win, having earned an impressive 71-51 victory at LIU Brooklyn on Saturday.
This latest installment of the "Battle of the Boroughs," was originally scheduled to be played on Monday, January 25 but was pushed back a day due to Winter Storm Jonas.
The SeriesThis is the first matchup of the season between these longtime local rivals and marks the 75th all-time meeting between the schools and the Seahawks hold a 55-19 lead in the all-time series. The Seahawks and Terriers will go at it again n Brooklyn Heights on February 1.
Nwajei Continues Torrid Scoring, Now Second Nationally in ScoringFollowing her 53-point explosion on Sunday vs. Sacred Heart, Nwajei has moved into second place in NCAA Division I scoring at 26.4 ppg., behind only Washington's Kelsey Plum (27.2 ppg.). In NEC play, Nwajei is averaging a staggering 34.3 ppg.
NCAA Division I Top-10 Scoring List (Through 1/25/16) Nwajei's Record Day Just Latest In Season Filled With Offensive ExploitsDespite the fact that Wagner continues to play without two starters due to injury in fifth-year senior guard
Alexis Smith (Medford, NY/St. John the Baptist), an Illinois transfer and senior guard
Jordyn Peck (Shaer Heights, OH/Shaker Heights), the 14
th-leading scorer in Seahawk history (1,243 points), and facing defense designed specifically to slow her down, Nwajei continues to put up incredible offensive numbers each time out. On January 24, Nwajei delivered a performance for the ages, pouring in a Northeast Conference (NEC) and school record 53 points vs. Sacred Heart on an efficient 18-of-34 shooting. The 5-8 NYC guard bettered the previous NEC single-game record of 50 points scored by Kim Rhock of Mount St. Mary's vs. Monmouth on February 9, 1990. Nwajei's record-setting outburst came on the heels of a 32-point effort vs. LIU Brooklyn (1/18) where she again shot better than 50 percent, hitting 11-of-21 shots. Entering the game ranked No. 3 nationally in scoring, following Sunday's outburst, which is the top individual scoring game in the nation this season, Nwajei ups her season average to 26.4 pg. and her NEC-leading average to a staggering 34.3 ppg.
Nwajei Now Third All-Time on Wagner Career Scoring List; 2,000 Points As a Junior A PossibilityNwajei is now up to third place all-time on the Wagner career scoring list with 1,711 points and is within 24 points of second place and 125 away from becoming the school's all-time scoring leader. Of perhaps even more historic significance, Nwajei now finds herself with 289 points of hitting the 2,000-point mark – as a junior! With a minimum of 11 games remaining this season, Nwajei would need to average 26.27 points per outing to achieve this ultra-rare feat.
Wagner All-TIme Career Scoring List1. Stephanie Samuels (1982-1986) 1,835
2. Mary Gormley (1977-1981) 1,734
3. Jasmine Nwajei (2013 – pres.) 1,711 Sophomore
Sofia Roma (Richmond Hill, NY/Nazareth Regional) ranks No. 1 in NEC games only, averaging 13.7 rpg. Overall, the 6-2 forward checks in at 10.3 caroms per game which is No. 2 in the conference behind Bryant's Breanna Rucker who averages 10.5 ppg.. On Sunday vs. Sacred Heart, Roma recorded her third double-double of the season, scoring 10 points while pulling down 15 rebounds. Her career high is 20 rebounds vs. Central Connecticut (1/16), one of four games this season with 15 or more rebounds.
DID YOU KNOW???
Before the barrage of injuries hit, Wagner defeated two opponents this season by 20 points or more in NJIT (76-53 on 12/2) and Lafayette (69-48 on 12/9). Heading into this season, the Seahawks' previous largest of margin under fourth-year head coach Lisa Cermignano was a 67-48 home win over Fairleigh Dickinson (12/17/14). Prior to this season, the last time the Seahawks had posted two 20-plus point wins in the same year was 2002-03 when they did it three times.St. Francis Brooklyn: 2014-15 Northeast Conference Champions: The 2014-15 season was one for the ages as the Terriers captured their first Northeast Conference championship in program history. The historic season was capped off with a 77-62 victory over higher seeded Robert Morris Colonials. With a conference championship under their belts, the Terriers earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament (also for the first time in program history). The Terriers took on the nation's top seeded UConn Huskies in the first round of the tournament.
Last Time Out for the TerriersNot even a blizzard could stop the Terriers in their last outing against local rival LIU Brooklyn this past Saturday. The Terriers defeated the Blackbirds, 71-51, for their seventh straight victory against LIU Brooklyn dating back to the 2012-13 season. Senior Leah Fechko led all scorers with 21 points on 8-for-16 (50.0%) shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Junior forward Olivia Levy added 14 points and seven boards in 22 minutes of play. Levey was able to exploit the Blackbirds in the post, as she was a recipient of constant ball movement, that created quality looks. As a team the Terriers recorded a season-high 22 assists. Right from the get-go the Terriers were unselfish with the basketball, which resulted in high percentage shots.
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.
