Staten Island, NY – The Wagner women's basketball team will play host to Northeast Conference (NEC) rival Saint Francis U on Monday, January 22 in a 7:00 p.m. tip-off at the Spiro Sports Center.
All-Time Series
This is the 67th all-time meeting between the schools and SFU holds a 44-22 lead in the all-time series but the last time these teams met, on February 13, 2017,
the Seahawks earned an 87-71 victory in Loretto, PA, behind a career-high 22-point output by guard
Tanasia Russell. These teams will meet again in the regular season finale on March 4 back in Loretto.
Former DII All-American Clark Getting It Done in D-I
Fifth-year senior forward
Sierra Clark (Hughesville, MD / Archbishop Spalding), who was recruited to and played for Wagner head coach
Heather Jacobs at Adelphi University where she went on to earn Division II All-American honors last season, is now averaging 18.0 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. In Wagner's seven NEC games, the forward averaged 20.1 points and 11.4 rebounds. In 18 games overall, the 5-11 Clark has 10 double-doubles, eight 20-point-plus games, and 25 double-digit scoring efforts to her credit.
Last Time Out
Sierra Clark scored 14 points, while recording career highs with 18 rebounds and nine blocked shots, and the scrappy Wagner women's basketball team battled first-place Robert Morris to the wire before falling by a count of 58-52 on Saturday afternoon at the Spiro Sports Center. Senior guard
Tanasia Russell also hit for double-digits vs. RMU, finishing with 11 points, while redshirt freshman guard
Taylah Simmons had nine. For Robert Morris, the Colonials, who led 26-21 at halftime, had four players in double figures, led by Nina Augustin and Megan Callahan who tied for team-high honors with 13 points apiece. Finishing with 10 points each for RMU were Megan Smith and Nneka Ezeigbo. Robert Morris held a 26-22 edge in points in the paint, 18-4 advantage in points off turnovers while also holding he upper hand in second-chance points (12-5) and bench scoring (23-15). The Colonials held a 43-33 lead and appeared comfortably in control, at 48-35 with 6:41 left on an Augustin three-pointer. The Seahawks, however, had other ideas, putting together a 7-0 run, with three of those coming from Simmons, including a pair of free throws with 3:52 left, to draw Wagner to within six at 48-42. RMU then scored four straight, on a layup by Smith and a two foul shots from Augustin, to push the lead back to 10 at 52-42 and the Colonials held on from there.
Most Blocks By a Seahawk Since 2014
The nine blocks recorded by Clark were, in addition to being a career high (including her three seasons at Adelphi), the most blocks by a Seahawk since Ugo Nwaige had 13 on February 17, 2014 in a 67-48 win over Fairleigh Dickinson. She fell one block short of triple-double, which was last recorded by Nwaige on that same night vs. FDU when she had 12 points, 12 rebounds and 13 blocks.
First NEC Opening Game Win In Six Years
The Seahawks' 75-66 victory at Bryant on December 29 marked Wagner's first NEC-opening game win in six years, since December 3, 2011, when the Wagner topped St. Francis Brooklyn by a 49-45 count on Staten Island.
Up Next
Following tonight's game, the Seahawks are next in action on Saturday, January 27 when they travel to Emmitsburg, MD to face Mount St. Mary's in the first of two games vs. the Mountaineers as the return engagement between these teams in Staten Island is set for February 24.
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