Newark, NJ – The Wagner women's basketball team scrapped and clawed on the road against NJIT in forging a 29-29 halftime tie before the Highlanders pulled away in the second half for a 68-45 win in the season opener for both teams this afternoon at the Fleisher Athletic Center.

The Seahawks, playing their first game under head coach Heather Jacobs, looked crisp and organized on both ends of the floor for long stretches of the game but were undone by a 16-0 NJIT run which bridged the third and fourth quarters. 

After freshman guard Kellie Crouch (North Brunswick, NJ / North Brunswick) buried a three-pointer after receiving a kick-out pass from senior forward Taylor Butigian (Rockaway Park, NY / Christ the King) with 3:43 remaining in the third quarter, the Seahawks cut the lead down to two at 38-36 lead.

The Highlanders, however, ended the quarter on a 10-0 run before opening the final stanza with six straight points to complete the 16-0 run. By the time freshman guard Corinn Baggs (Staten Island, NY / Staten Island Academy) sank a layup with 7:43 left to play, the game was out of reach as this bucket made it a 54-38 game.

The Seahawks were led by three newcomers as Crouch, junior Africa Williams (Brooklyn, NY / Banneker), a transfer from Mohawk Community College, each tossed in 10 points apiece off the bench, while freshman guard Kerstie Phills (Charlotte, NC / Charlotte Christian) added nine.

The versatile 5-9 Phills was particularly effective early in the contest as she finished the opening quarter with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting as the Seahawks trailed by just a 15-14 count as the first period came to a close. 

Another newcomer, freshman Sydney Sabino (Rumson, NJ / Rumson-Fairhaven) also made her presence felt, pumping in a pair of three-pointers which accounted for her six-point afternoon. Sabino's six points matched Butigian's offensive output while Baggs, who corralled a team-high nine rebounds, and sophomore guard Julia McClure (Secaucus, NJ / Secaucus) finished with two points apiece. Senior forward Jackie Dluhi (Middletown, NJ / Middletown) contributed in other ways, pulling down six rebounds and dishing out two assists.

NJIT was paced by three players in double-figures, led by Alana Dudley's game-high 20-point outing. Leah Horton added 13, while Danielle Tunstall notched a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. The Highlanders outshot Wagner (37.9%-28.6%) while holding a 44-37 edge on the glass.

The Green & White will play their home opener on Tuesday, November 15 when the College of Staten Island (CSI) makes the short trek to the Spiro Sports Center with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m.

The Wagner-CSI game, as with all Seahawk home contests, will be streamed, free of charge, on necfrontrow.com with Pete Mundo returning as the program's play-by-play man.