Pictured Above: Sophomore guard, Alayshia Dailey (Credit: Dave Saffran)
 
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Burlington, VT – After overcoming a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter and sending the game into overtime on a buzzer-beater from sophomore Khaleah Edwards, the Wagner College women's basketball team fell to the University of Vermont Catamounts, 56-54, in the opening game of the 2018 TD Bank Classic, hosted by Vermont on Friday afternoon at Patrick Gym.
 
With the loss, Wagner is now 1-4 on the season and will face Siena on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in the consolation game. Vermont will square off against Drexel in the championship game of the TD Bank Classic, at 4:00 p.m.
 
At the 4:59 mark of the fourth quarter, Vermont extended its lead to nine on a Rose Caverly jumper inside the paint. At this point, Wagner began its comeback attempt, rattling off back-to-back three-pointers, as first, redshirt junior Janelle Mullen connected from the corner. Then, following a steal from redshirt sophomore, Taylah Simmons, Mullen was able to locate senior guard Nakylia Carter, who buried a top-of-the-key trifecta, cutting the Vermont lead to just three, 43-40, with 3:59 remaining in regulation.
 
The Catamounts went up by five, 45-40, after Josie Larkins made a pair of free throws but Wagner responded. Sophomore guard, Alayshia Dailey, who erupted in the second half for the visitors, made one-of-two from the line and Carter followed with a mid-range jumper that saw the Catamounts advantage dwindle down to two, 45-43, with 2:29 left to go.
 
Vermont's Hannah Crymble was then called for an offensive foul, which gave possession back to the Seahawks. On the ensuing possession, Dailey in-bounded the ball from the left of the basket and lobbed up a pass for Simmons, who double-pumped in the air  before swishing home the game-tying, bucket, evening the game at 45.
 
The Catamounts were able to regain the lead following a Caverly jumper after she corralled the offensive board on a missed three-pointer from Larkins. Time continued to count down before Edwards fouled Caverly with 11 seconds showing on the game clock.
 
After Caverly missed both attempts, Dailey collected the rebound and third-year head coach, Heather Jacobs called the team's final timeout of regulation.
 
When play resumed, Edwards was able to get off a clear chance from inside the right arc and beat the final horn, which, after the refs confirmed on the video replay, sent the game into overtime and the Wagner bench into a crazed frenzy as the game was knotted at 47-47. 
 
Vermont took control in the early part of the extra session, scoring the stanza's first three points in taking a 50-47 lead before the Green & White chipped away at the lead, cutting it to one on two separate occasions.
 
With 15 seconds remaining in the first overtime, Crymble was sent to the charity stripe for two shots, but was only able to hit the back end of two-shot foul, giving Wagner a chance. Dailey was able to glide her way to the hoop but her layup attempt was blocked away by Candice Wright.
 
Following the inbounds, Edwards, once again stepped up for her squad, knocking down a three-pointer, which cut the Catamounts' lead to 55-54 with only five seconds left in overtime. The Seahawks didn't waste any time in fouling Caverly, who again made one-of-two from the line.
 
With a chance to possibly win the game, Carter's last-second heave was off the mark as Vermont held on to advance to the championship game tomorrow afternoon against the winner of the Siena/Drexel contest.
 
Wagner got on the board first as freshman Emilija Krista Grava was able to bank one off the window. Vermont answered back a minute later with a layup from Crymble before going ahead, 3-2, as Wright made one-of-two from the free throw line.
 
The Seahawks regained the lead as junior Jordan Hobson was able to hit the jumper with 5:11 showing on the first quarter clock. Both teams struggled before Lauren Handy put Vermont ahead, 5-4. The Seahawks knotted the game at five, as Mullen made one of two from the charity stripe. Krista Grava extended the visitors lead to 7-5, before the Catamounts scored the final five points, ending the first quarter with a 10-7 advantage.
 
Both defenses held the upper hand in the second quarter, but the Seahawks were able to outscore the hosts, 8-5, as the two teams entered the break knotted at 15. Wagner held Vermont to 2-of-12 shooting in the second quarter, as a pair of threes from Hobson and How, followed by a jumper from Edwards proved to be enough for the quarter.
 
For the half, both teams were held to under 30.0 percent shooting from the floor, while Wagner held a 23-20 edge on the boards, which included an 8-4 mark on the offensive glass. Hobson led the way for Wagner with five points in nine minutes of action. Krista Grava added four points and matched Edwards with a team-high five caroms in the opening half.
 
Vermont opened the third quarter on an 11-4 outburst in increasing its lead to 26-19, capped by a Lauren Handy three-pointer. Mullen scored a pair of buckets and a Dailey layup trimmed the Vermont lead to three, 28-25, with 5:05 left.
 
The host erupted on a 9-0 run to increase the lead to 11, 36-25, before Hobson put an end to the outburst with a jumper from the right elbow with 1:43 left in the period. Mullen scored the final point of the frame as Wagner found themselves trailing, 36-30, after three.
 
Dailey and Mullen led the way for the Seahawk offense, but netting 11 points on a combined 8-of-17 shooting from the field. Krista Grava recorded eight points and tied for the team-lead in rebounds with Edwards, at seven. For Krista Grava, today's game snapped a streak of four straight games scoring in double-figures. Edwards and Hobson each had seven points while Carter, Joellen How and Simmons rounded out the scoring with five, three and two.
 
Vermont's Hannah Crymble led all players with 18 points. Candice Wright chipped in 14 points to go along with a game-high eight rebounds in the victory. Caverly and Larkins ended the contest with nine and eight, respectively.
 
For the game, Wagner shot 34.9 percent from the field and just 25.0 percent from the outside. The Seahawks were a plus two on the glass, outmuscling the Catamounts, 41-39 and 13-to-9 on the offensive boards. The Seahawks' bench scored a season-high 21 points in today's contest.

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