Staten Island, NY - Wagner placed four players in double figures, led by a career-high 17 points from freshman guard Kellie Crouch (North Brunswick, NJ / St. John Vianney), and trailed by just six points at halftime, before defending Northeast Conference (NEC) champion Robert Morris pulled away late for an 82-63 win this afternoon at the Spiro Sports Center.
 
Wagner shot a season-best 50 percent from the floor (21-of-42), highlighted by a scalding 66.7 percent (8-of-12) in the second quarter, as the Seahawks trimmed a 14-point deficit to six at the intermission. For the game, the Green & White also knocked down a season-high 63.6 percent of their three-point attempts, finishing a hot 7-of-11 from downtown.
 
Crouch's 17-point game, which bettered her previous career high of 14, came on 6-of-7 shooting, included a 5-of-6 effort from three-point range. Junior guard Tanasia Russell (Vineland, NJ / Vineland) tossed in 15 points while sophomore guard Julia McClure (Secaucus, NJ / Secaucus) and three-time NEC Rookie of the Week Kerstie Phills (Charlotte, NC / Charlotte Christian), added 12 and 10 points, respectively for the Seahawks.
 
RMU was led by Mikalah Mulrain's 18-point outing, which came on 8-of-8 shooting from the field. Current NEC Player of the Week Anna Niki Stamolamprou who was coming off a 39-point explosion vs. LIU Brooklyn, added 16 points as did Megan Smith, while Janee Brown chipped in with 10.
 
The Colonials jumped out to an 11-0 lead in this one and led by a 20-6 count after one quarter before Wagner responded with a 9-2 run to open the second quarter in making it a 22-15 game with 8:22 to go before halftime. The Seahawk run began with a McClure three-pointer, followed by consecutive treys by Crouch, who finished the half with 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting and 4-of-4 accuracy from beyond the arc.
 
Robert Morris opened the second half on a 15-7 run in opening a 50-36 edge en route to the 19-point win.
 
RMU shot 58.2 percent from the floor for the game, including 7-of-16 (43.8 percent) marksmanship from three-point range. The Colonials out-rebounded Wagner, 28-21, held a 42-22 edge in points in the paint and held an 18-8 advantage in points off turnovers, while the scrappy Seahawks led by a 10-8 margin in second-chance points.
 
With the win, the Colonials even their overall season record at 8-8 and improve to 3-2 in NEC play while the Seahawks fall to 1-15 overall and 0-5 in league.
 
Wagner is next in action on Monday, January 16 when they make the long trek to Smithfield, RI to meet the Bryant University Bulldogs in a Martin Luther King Day matinee set for 2:00 p.m. at the Chace Center.
 
NOTES – Crouch's 17-point outing comes on the heels of a 14-point effort last time out, vs. Sacred Heart, which matched her previous career high. In her last two games, vs. RMU and SHU, the 5-6 guard is averaging 15.5 points on 64.7 percent shooting overall (11-of-17) and 64.3 percent accuracy from three-point range (9-of-14). Phills, a fellow freshman, has now hit for double figures in six straight games and 10 of her last 11. The 5-9 Phills entered today's play as the leading scoring freshman in the NEC at 9.9 ppg overall and 14.8 ppg. in league play. 

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