Staten Island, NY – The Wagner women's basketball team stormed back from a 16-point mid-third quarter deficit, but Bryant was able to hang on in the end for a 58-55 win this afternoon at the Spiro Sports Center.
 
The Seahawks were led by 17 points from freshman forward Kerstie Phills (Charlotte, NC / Charlotte Christian), while junior guard Tanasia Russell (Vineland, NJ / Vineland) added 10 points and freshman guard Kellie Crouch (North Brunswick, NJ / St. John Vianney) had nine, all coming during a late three-point shooting barrage.
 
Phills, the league's leading freshman scorer who has been named Northeast Conference (NEC) Rookie of the Week a program-record eight times, has now reached double figures in 18 straight games, including all 17 NEC contests, and 21 of her last 22 overall.
 
The Bulldogs ran out to a 36-28 halftime lead and opened the second half on an 8-0 run in building their biggest lead of the game at 44-28 an Alex Klein jumper with 6:26 left in the third quarter. Sophomore guard Julia McClure (Secaucus, NJ / Secaucus) then converted an old-fashioned three-point play to kick start a 14-3 run to the close the quarter which made it a five-point game at 47-42.
 
Bryant opened the final quarter on a 9-2 blitz in moving ahead by 12 at 56-44 before Crouch knocked down the first of her three jumpers from beyond the arc which made it a 56-47 game with 5:34 left. Crouch hit another three-pointer at the 2:58 mark to make it a 58-52 game, before sinking her third from deep, with 2:27 to go, which made it 58-55.
 
While neither team would score the rest of the way, the Seahawks did have a chance to tie it when freshman guard Corinn Baggs (Staten Island Academy / Staten Island, NY) stripped Morgan Olander of the ball with 14 seconds remaining. After Seahawk head coach Heather Jacobs called her team's final timeout, Wagner worked the ball into the hands of McClure but the sophomore's desperation three-pointer with five seconds left was blocked by Olander as the Bulldogs held on for the win.

For Bryant, Alex Klein led all scorers with 19 points while Olander finished with 14.
 
With the victory, Bryant improves to 15-13 on the season 10-7 in NEC play. With the loss, the Seahawks were eliminated from the NEC Tournament in falling to 4-24 overall, 3-14 in league.
 
Prior to the game, a Senior Day ceremony was held in honor of senior forwards Taylor Butigian (Rockaway Park, NY / Christ the King) and Jackie Dluhi (Middletown, NJ / Middletown South) who suffered a career-ending injury in the Seahawks' 87-71 win at then first-place Saint Francis U on February 13.
 
The Green & White will close out the 2016-17 season on Monday, February 27 when the Seahawks host LIU Brooklyn in a 7:00 p.m. start

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