Staten Island, NY - The Wagner women's basketball team will look to improve to 2-1 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play when the Seahawks and Fairleigh Dickinson Knights meet at the Spiro Sports Center on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. with the Green & White and FDU men's teams taking the floor in game two at 4:00 p.m.

Wagner vs. Fairleigh Dickinson

Today's game marks the 73rd all-time meeting between the schools and Fairleigh Dickinson holds a 38-34 edge in the all-time series. The Seahawks are 18-16 vs. the Knights all time at home and 15-19 in road games. The teams are 1-1 all time in neutral site games.

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.

Sierra Clark: Former DII All-American Getting It Done in D-I

Fifth-year senior forward Sierra Clark (Hughesville, MD / Archbishop Spalding), who was recruited to and played for Heather Jacobs at Adelphi University where she went on to earn Division II All-American honors last season, is averaging 17.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Through 13 games, the 5-11 Clark has six double-doubles, six 20-point games, and 11 double-digit scoring efforts to her credit. 

Last Time Out

Central Connecticut posted a 59-56 victory over Wagner despite a 21-point, 16-rebound, six-block effort from graduate student Sierra Clark in a New Year's Eve matchup at Detrick Gymnasium. This was a back-and-forth game throughout which featured 19 lead changes and seven ties. Wagner outshot CCSU 38 percent to 36 percent but the Seahawks were just 1-of-12 (8 percent) from three-point range while Central connected on 9-of-15 from deep, a sizzling 60 percent clip. The Blue Devils held a slim 38-35 edge in rebounds, while topping the Seahawks 31-22 in bench scoring. Thanks largely to Clark's work in the low post, the Green & White enjoyed a 34-16 advantage in points in the paint. Redshirt freshman guard Morgan Lenahan finished with 12 points, five assists, four rebounds, and three steals in a productive 37-minute stint, while senior guard Tanasia Russell came off the bench to spark Wagner with 10 points, two rebounds and two steals. After falling behind 5-3 early, the Seahawks closed the first quarter on a 10-2 run in taking a 13-7 lead entering quarter number two. CCSU opened the second quarter hot, opening with a 5-0 run en route to outscoring Wagner 17-10 and seizing a 24-23 halftime lead. The third quarter was hotly-contested as the biggest lead by either team was four points, which Wagner held on three different occasions, including at the end of the period when Clark drained a 10-foot jumper off an assist from senior guard Tanasia Russell with four seconds left to give the Seahawks a 47-43 lead entering the fourth. A pair of Clark free throws with 8:13 remaining gave the Seahawks a 51-48 lead but this would prove to be Wagner's final lead of the game. CCSU's Morgan Johnson knocked down a three-pointer at the 7:05 mark to knot the game at 51-51. A layup by redshirt freshman guard Taylah Simmons off a nice inside feed by Clark forged the game's final tie at 53-53 with 5:52 left. Four straight CCSU points, on a pair of Brianna Jacobs free throws at the 4:31 make followed by a Johnson layup with 4:19 to go, gave the Blue Devils some breathing room at 57-53. Russell's two free throws with 3:43 remaining briefly made it a two-point game at 57-55 before Kiana Patterson knocked down a pair at the 3:31 mark to push the Blue Devils' lead back to four at 59-55. That's the way the score remained until Russell was fouled at the 49-second mark. After the 5-8 guard made one-of-two from the line to make it a one possession game at 59-56, Simmons pulled down the offensive rebound and fed to guard Alayshia Dailey who missed a layup with 42 ticks left, with Andi Lydon pulling down the carom for CCSU. Following a Central time out, the Blue Devils worked the ball around the perimeter before misfiring on a Patterson jumper with 11 seconds left. Simmons grabbed the rebound and called time out with nine seconds to play. Jacobs then called timeout to design a potential game-tying three-pointer. Wagner executed the play well, getting the ball into Lenahan's hands but the South Jersey native's long-range attempt was off the mark as Central held on for the win. Lydon led Central with 16 points, Jacobs came off the bench with 14, while Patterson added eight. In the first half, Lenahan paced the Seahawks with seven while Clark tallied five points to go with nine rebounds. Wagner outshot CCSU 37 percent to 30 percent in the opening half but the Blue Devils' 22-17 advantage in the rebounding department helped them to the one-point halftime lead. Andi Lydon led Central with seven points in the first half.

Next Time Out

The Seahawks swing back into action for another home tilt vs. the Pioneers of Sacred Heart University on Monday, January 8 at 7:00 p.m. 

Follow us: #CHAOSonthehill
Wagner Athletics       
Women's Basketball:    
Head Coach Heather Jacobs: 
Wagner Gameday: