Wagner is under the direction of first-year head coach Heather Jacobs, who arrived on Grymes Hill in April after building championship programs at Division III Franklin Pierce College, and most recently, Division II Adelphi College. The Seahawks are led in scoring by junior guard Tanasia Russell (Vineland, NJ / Vineland), who averages 14.4 points per game in rebounding by a pair of guards in sophomore Julia McClure (Secaucus, NJ / Secaucus) and Corinn Baggs (Staten Island, NY / Staten Island Academy), who average 7.3 and 6.0 caroms per game, respectively. Freshman guard Kellie Crouch (North Brunswick, NJ / St. John Vianney) averages 7.8 points per game, while McClure checks in at 7.0 per outing. 

Last Time Out

Undermanned Wagner, which had just six players available due to a rash of injuries, delivered a gallant effort vs. Yale tonight, leading by seven in the first half and taking a 40-40 tie into the fourth quarter until the Bulldogs rallied late for a 66-52 on Wednesday. Yale won its fourth straight game in improving to 5-2 on the season but this one did not come easily in a contest that featured 13 lead changes and three ties. The Seahawks were paced by sophomore guard Julia McClure (Secaucus, NJ / Secaucus), who matched her career high with 15 points, 14 points from junior guard Tanasia Russell (Vineland, NJ / Vineland), while freshman guard Kellie Crouch (North Brunswick, NJ / St. John Vianney) tallied a career-high 11.Trailing by a 13-12 count early in the second quarter, Wagner went on an 8-0 run, keyed by consecutive three-pointers by Crouch and McClure, as the Seahawks built their biggest lead of the game at 20-13, with McClure's trey at the 7:18 mark forcing the Bulldogs to call timeout. Yale was able to counter with a 10-4 spurt in narrowing the Seahawk lead to 24-23, heading into the locker room at halftime. Wagner maintained the lead for most of the third quarter before Jen Berkowitz, who led all scorers with 20 points, hit a running one-hander with 53 seconds left in the period to forge the 40-40 tie through three quarters. In the fourth quarter, Yale shot 64.3 percent (9-of-14) from the field in outscoring the Seahawks 26-12, pulling away for the 14-point win. All six Seahawks who saw the floor found the scoring column. In addition to the double-digit outings turned in by McClure, Russell and Crouch, freshman Corinn Baggs (Staten Island, NY / Staten Island Academy) added five points while senior Jackie Dluhi (Middletown, NJ / Middletown South) and freshman Kerstie Phills (Charlotte, NC / Charlotte Christian) chipped in with four and three points, respectively. McClure's 15-point night came on 6-of-10 shooting while Crouch's 11-point game was triggered by a 3-for-6 shooting night from three-point range.

About Penn

The University of Pennsylvania (2-3) women's basketball team is 2-1 on the road, with a loss at Duke balanced against wins at Rhode Island and Lafayette. At home, the Quakers are 0-2 on their home floor at the Palestra, having lost to Binghamton and Saint Joseph's. Penn returned to its winning ways last time out, handing Lafayette (1-7) their sixth-straight loss of the season in a 64-47 win on Wednesday. The Quakers saw balanced scoring led by the double-digit efforts of Michelle Nwokedi, Sydney Stipanovich and Beth Brzozowski who combined for 40 of Penn's 64 points. Nwokedi led all scorers on the afternoon with 16 points, eight boards, three assists and three blocks. Lafayette's Anna Ptasinski notched a team-high 10 points for the Leopards in the defeat.

Second All-Time Meeting with Penn

Tonight's game marks just the second all-time meeting between Wagner and Penn, as the teams first met last in Philadelphia, with the Quakers coming away with a 78-50 win on December 21.

Wagner vs. the Ivy League

The Seahawks have played seven of the eight institutions that comprise the Ivy League, with the lone exception being Dartmouth. Wagner, which has played Yale and has an upcoming game at Princeton (12/21), are 23-26 all-time vs. the Ivies.