Emmitsburg, MD – The Wagner women's basketball team was crisp early in building a nine-point first-half lead but Mount St. Mary's rallied to forge a 31-31 tie at the half and went on to post a 66-47 Northeast Conference (NEC) win over the Seahawks this afternoon at Knott Arena.
The Mount outscored Wagner 23-7 in a decisive third quarter in building a comfortable 54-38 lead entering the final frame.
Kayla Agentowicz led three Mountaineers in double figures with a game-high 15 points while Ashlee White and Juliette Lawaless tallied 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Freshman
Kerstie Phills (Charlotte, NC / Charlotte Christian) continued her fine play for the Seahawks. Despite being hampered by foul trouble, Phills narrowly missed her third double-double of the season and second straight, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, and nine rebounds. In addition to her 12-point, nine-rebound effort, which came in 31 minutes of action, the 5-9 Phills added two steals, one assist and one blocked shot.
In her last three games – at Princeton (12/21), at CCSU (12/29) and at the Mount (12/31) – the reigning NEC Rookie of the Week is averaging a robust 16.0 points and 9.3 rebounds.This productive three-game stretch has upped her season averages to 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Tying for team-high scoring honors for the Green & White was another freshman,
Kellie Crouch (North Brunswick, NJ / St. John Vianney). The 5-6 guard recorded her 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting, with all of the made and attempted field goals coming from three-point range. Crouch, who is shooting a team-best 36.0 percent (27-of-75) from beyond the arc on the season, matched her career-high output as she also delivered a 12-point effort vs. Albany back on December 10.
Freshman guard
Corinn Baggs (Staten Island, NY / Staten Island Academy) made her presence felt this afternoon as well, tossing in a career-high 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting while pulling down six rebounds. The 5-10 Baggs' previous career best was a seven-point outing at St. John's (12/17).
With the game tied at 13-13 late in the first quarter, the Seahawks went on an 11-2 run over the next 5:34 in seizing a 24-15 lead. During this 11-2 burst, Wagner received three-pointers from Crouch, Baggs and sophomore
Julia McClure (Secaucus, NJ / Secaucus), before senior forward
Jackie Dluhi (Middletown, NJ / Middletown South) capped things with a jumper at the 5:47 mark of the half. The Mountaineers then closed the half on a 16-7 run in making it a 31-31 game at the intermission, before pulling away in the second half.
With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 1-12 on the season, 0-2 in the NEC while the Mount improves to 3-10 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Today's contest marked the 57
th all-time meeting between Wagner and Mount St. Mary's and the Mountaineers now lead the all-time series 42-15.
After opening NEC play with road games at Central Connecticut and Mount St. Mary's, the Seahawks return to the friendly confines of the Spiro Sports Center on Saturday, January 7 when they host the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights in a 1:00 p.m. tip-off. Two nights later, on Monday, January 9, Wagner will entertain Sacred Heart in a 7:00 p.m. start before rounding out the three-game home stretch against Robert Morris in a 1:00 p.m. affair on Saturday, January 14.
