Pictured Above: Sophomore wing Khaleah Edwards (Credit: Dave Saffran)
 
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Burlington, VT – For the second straight game, the Wagner College women's basketball team forced the game into overtime, but this time against the Siena College Saints in the consolation game of the 2018-19 TD Bank Classic, the two teams needed a second overtime session, which favored the Saints as they edged the Seahawks, 74-71, on Saturday evening at Brennan Court at Patrick Gym on the campus of the University of Vermont.
 
With the loss, Wagner falls to 1-5 on the season while Siena improves to 2-4 on the year. The Wagner-Siena contest followed this afternoon's championship contest, as the Drexel University Dragons captured the two-day crown with a 60-44 victory over the host Catamounts.
 
Following the conclusion of the two-day Thanksgiving holiday tournament, it was announced that sophomore wing Khaleah Edwards was named to the TD Bank Classic All-Star team, after leading her squad with a team-high 19 points this evening on the heels of a seven-point, seven-rebound, four-assist effort vs. Vermont in the opener on Friday afternoon.
 
Tonight's double-overtime thriller was Wagner's first double-OT contest since January 30, 1999, when the Seahawks defeated Monmouth, 90-85. Moreover, tonight's double-overtime setback is the first loss in double overtime since January 26, 1991, when the Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights bested the Seahawks, 87-80.
 
Edwards, who set a career high in scoring tonight, surpassing her previous high of 16 set earlier this month at Fordham, went 6-of-11 from the field which included a career-best five made three-pointers in 44 minutes of action. The London, England native filled up the stat sheet, finishing with six rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal in 44 minutes of action.
 
Classmate, Taylah Simmons, also finished in double figures, tying her season-high in points with 18 while pulling down a team-leading ten rebounds for her third career double-double. The Melbourne, Australia native hit on 7-of-18 from the field while dishing out a team-leading four assists in her 44 minutes of action.
 
Sophomore guard, Alayshia Dailey, chipped in nine points, seven of which came from the free throw line in her 23 minutes of play. Senior guard Nakylia Carter and redshirt junior guard Janelle Mullen each had eight points, with both knocking down a pair of three-pointers while also helping out on the glass with three rebounds apiece.
 
Siena had four players score in double figures, led by Maddie Sims' game-high 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Sims also notched a double-double in the contest, matching Simmons with ten rebounds. Deja Rawls tallied 15 points, nine of which coming from charity stripe while dishing out five assists in 47 minutes of action. Joelle Gibson and Sabrina Piper rounded out the scoring, finishing with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Trailing 57-53 with 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter, freshman forward, Emilija Krista Grava made the front end of the two-shot foul. After Grava missed the second free throw, a scrum for the ball occurred and it wound up in the hands of Edwards, who dribbled out and found Carter on the wing and the senior guard delivered the game-tying three, forcing Siena to take a timeout with the score knotted at 57.
 
In the first overtime session, the Seahawks scored first as Simmons was the recipient on a wide open layup as Krista Grava found her cutting to the basket to give Wagner its first lead since holding a 5-4 edge at the 7:34 mark of the first quarter. Siena answered on its first possession of overtime as Gibson was able to put one off the window.
 
Following a made bucket from Krista Grava, which put the Seahawks ahead 61-59 at the 4:08 mark, Siena was able to regain the lead at 63-61, thanks to a pair of made free throws from Rawls and Piper. Wagner set up its offense, as Mullen misfired on a three-pointer but regained possession as freshman guard Amanda Pollard was able to track down the loose ball, giving Wagner another opportunity for the tying score.
 
Pollard was able to send a pass to Simmons, who beat her defender on the block and laid  it in for two in knotting the game at 63. The Saints had a chance to win it but misfired on back-to-back three-point chances before Pollard secured the ball for the visitors.
 
The Green & White took its final timeout of the first overtime and drew up a play for Edwarda, who was able to get a look at the goal, but her shot hit the bottom of the rim as the two teams headed for another five-minute overtime period.
 
In the second overtime, Siena, on the strength of Sims, was able to gain a four-point lead, 69-65, before Wagner mounted its comeback. After being fouled by Rawls, Carter calmly stepped to the free throw line and sank both attempts, cutting Siena's lead to 69-67, with 2:16 left.
 
Margo Peterson of Siena could not  connect on her three-pointer and Edwards was able to get the rebound before being sent to the free throw line, in which she tied  at 69 at the 1:56 mark. On the ensuing Saints' possession, Sims was fouled and made one-of-two.
 
The Seahawks designed a play for Mullen, who was able to rattle in the go-ahead score, giving Wagner a 72-71 lead with under a minute left in the second overtime. A foul by Simmons sent Rawls back to the charity stripe, where she hit both of her attempts.
 
After Gibson made the back end of her two-shot attempt, Simmons had her shot altered, with the ball trickling out of bounds in favor of Siena, who added one more freebie in escaping with the 74-71 win.
 
Siena scored the opening bucket of this game on a Rawls layup before Simmons was able to muscle her way down low in the paint for the first points for the Seahawks. The Saints went ahead 4-2 on another layup by Rawls before Carter gave Wagner its first lead of the contest, hitting on a three-pointer off a feed from Simmons.
 
Siena then went on an 8-0 run that was capped by a three-pointer from Gibson, which gave the Saints a 12-5 advantage. Wagner responded in the form of Edwards, who connected on the first of her three first-half trifectas, cutting the deficit to 12-8.
 
To start the second quarter, Siena scored eight of the first 12 points in taking a 24-16 advantage. A Simmons layup at the 5:39 mark trimmed the lead down to six and served a precursor to Edwards' second three-pointer of the contest, bringing the Saints' lead down to 24-21 with 4:50 showing on the clock.
 
After Gibson made one-of-two from the free throw line for Siena, Edwards dialed up her third trey, once again cutting the Saints' lead to one, 25-24, before Siena closed out the quarter on a 6-2 run to take a 31-26 halftime lead.
 
In the first half, Wagner shot 34.6 percent from the field and 4-of-9 from deep, with Edwards leading the way with 11 points, highlighted by 3-of-4 shooting from long range. 
 
The Seahawks were able to outscore Siena by a combined 31-26 over the third and fourth quarters as in the third quarter, Wagner's tenacious defense held Siena to just 2-of-11 shooting from the floor (18.2 percent.
 
For the game, Wagner shot 34.9 percent from the field while hitting on 37.5 percent from the outside (9-of-24), highlighted by Edwards 5-of-8 marksmanship from long distance. The Seahawks outmuscled the Saints, 42-41, on the glass. Siena, who shot 37.7 percent from the field and 30.0 percent from deep, converted on 34 of its 74 points from inside-the-paint.
 
The Green & White will have a short turnaround, as they return home to the Spiro Sports Center on Tuesday, November 27, as they welcome the Yale University Bulldogs for a 5:30 p.m. tip.

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