Women's Basketball | 1/25/19
Moon Township, PA – The Wagner College women's basketball team concludes its three-game road trip in Western Pennsylvania this week, as the Seahawks first tangle with the Robert Morris University Colonials on Saturday afternoon at the North Athletic Complex before completing the trip on Monday evening in Loretto against defending Northeast Conference (NEC) champions, Saint Francis U.
The Seahawks are looking to snap a six-game losing streak to the Colonials, last defeating Robert Morris, 66-60, back on March 2, 2015, when the two teams played at the Sewall Center. The Green & White are at .500 or better in Northeast Conference (NEC) action through the first six games for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign.
Wagner looks to get back into the win column after dropping Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day contest at Sacred Heart, 72-64. Robert Morris looks to remain perfect in league contests after picking up a 64-57 road win at Central Connecticut on Monday afternoon. These two programs are the top two scoring teams in conference-only games, with the Seahawks averaging 71.8 ppg and the Colonials pouring in 71.5 ppg.
Inside The Numbers:
- 71.8 - Through six Northeast Conference (NEC) games, the Seahawks are averaging 71.8 points per game, leading the circuit in conference-only contests.
- 47.8 - Wagner is shooting a conference-leading, 47.8 percent from the field in six league games. Robert Morris, the Seahawks opponent on Saturday, is third in this category, shooting 42.3 percent from the floor.
- 16.3 - Redshirt sophomore Taylah Simmons is averaging 21.3 points per game over her last three contests, in which Wagner is 2-1 over the three-game homestand.
- 4 - Over the last five games, four Seahawks are averaging in double-figures: Taylah Simmons (19.4 ppg), Emilija Krista Grava (12.8 ppg), Khaleah Edwards (11.2 ppg), and Alayshia Dailey (11.0 ppg)
Last Time Out For Wagner:
- Wagner trailed by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter and fought back valiantly to trim the deficit to six with 1:38 remaining but it wasn't enough as the Sacred Heart University Pioneers held on to win, 72-64, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Pitt Center.
- Sophomore Khaleah Edwards led three Seahawks in double figures on the afternoon, as the London, England native matched her career high with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and shot 5-of-7 from beyond-the-arc in 37 minutes of action. Edwards also led the charge on the glass, corralling seven caroms while recording two steals as well.
- Fellow classmate, Taylah Simmons, who entered play averaging 21.3 ppg over her last three contests, chipped in with 14 points, while converting on 6-of-11 from the floor.
- Sophomore Alayshia Dailey added 10 points, to go with five assists in her 35 minutes of action.
- Three Pioneers also netted double digits, led by Candice Leatherwood's 20-point, six-rebound effort. Leatherwood also was credited with five assists in her 35 minutes of play.
- Katherine Haines, who is coming off her first career triple-double against St. Francis Brooklyn, contributed 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting while logging 30 minutes. Adrianne Hagood added 12 points on just 3-of-13 shooting.
- Sacred Heart went up by 11, 64-53, with 3:27 remaining in the contest before the Seahawks began to chip into the lead. Simmons made one-of-two from the line before stealing the ball and hitting a baseline jumper, which brought the Pioneers' lead down to eight, 64-56, before Haines pushed Sacred Heart's advantage back to double-figures with 2:57 showing.
- Following a foul called on SHU's Allyson Murphy, junior Jordan Hobson was able to locate Edwards, who continued her torrid shooting from the outside, connecting on the three, which brought Wagner within seven, 66-59, with 2:41 left. Edwards was again called upon and was rewarded with her 19th point of the contest, as she was able to slice through the paint, virtually uncontested, to make it a 67-61 game with 1:38 remaining in regulation.
- This would be the closest that the Seahawks would get, however, as Sacred Heart scored five of the last eight points in holding on for the eight-point win.
Inside The Wagner | Robert Morris Series:
- Wagner and Robert Morris will be squaring off for the 65th time with the Colonials holding a slim 33-31 edge in the all-time head-to-head matchup.
- Last season, Wagner stood toe-to-toe with RMU, who tied Saint Francis U for the 2018 Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season championship and advanced to the title game against the Red Flash. In the first meeting, the Seahawks fell by three, 49-46, on March 2 and earlier in the season, dropped a 58-52 decision at the Spiro Sports Center.
- The Green & White are looking to snap a six-game losing streak to Robert Morris, with the Seahawks' last victory over the Colonials coming back on March, 2, 2015, in Moon Township, PA, a 66-60 triumph.
Seahawk Tidbits:
- Over the last two games, sophomore Taylah Simmons led the Seahawk offense, tallying 21.0 ppg while shooting 65.2 percent from the field and 70.6 percent from the free throw in 26.0 mpg. Simmons went for a career-high 28 against Mount St. Mary's back on January 19, leading the Seahawks to a 92-76 win and in the process producing her second straight 20-point outing after going for 20 points against Fairleigh Dickinson on January 14.
- Simmons ranks eighth overall in scoring, pouring in 13.2 ppg and in conference-only games, the Melbourne, Australia native ranks fifth, scoring 18.2 ppg over the first six league matches. Her 13.2 ppg is the second most of all-NEC sophomores, trailing only LIU Brooklyn's Jeydah Johnson, who as of 1/24/19, is scoring 13.6 ppg.
- Simmons is also among the top-five sophomore rebounders in the league, grabbing 5.9 per game, which also ranks among the top-15 among all-NEC players.
- Fellow classmate, Khaleah Edwards, who is averaging 9.6 ppg overall, is the team's second leading scorer away from the Spiro Sports Center, tallying 11.4 ppg and 4.6 rpg in 30.1 minutes. Edwards is shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 44.2 percent from beyond-the-arc in nine road contests.
- Freshman forward Emilija Krista Grava, who has recorded ten double-digit scoring games this season in her first season on Grymes Hll, ranks third among all-NEC freshman in scoring (11.1 ppg), second in rebounding (5.8 rpg) and fourth in field goal percentage, shooting the ball at a 44.4 percent clip.
- Wagner is 5-0 this season when leading at the half, outscoring their opponents by nearly 19.0 points per game (82.0 to 63.4) overall and by nearly 14.0 points entering halftime (41.2 to 27.2).
- The Seahawks are also outmuscling them by almost 10.0 rebounds a game (40.8 to 31.2). In these contests, Wagner is shooting 49.3 from the field while shooting close to 40.0 percent from beyond-the-arc.
- Five Seahawks are scoring in double figures in these contests: Simmons (19.4p, 7.8r), Krista Grava (14.6p, 8.2r), Alayshia Dailey (11.6p, 4.8r, 5.6a), Nakylia Carter (10.4p, 3.4r, 4.4a) and Khaleah Edwards (10.2p, 5.4r).
Scouting The Robert Morris University Colonials:
- Robert Morris, who was selected as the preseason favorite to win the league in the annual preseason coaches' poll, is one of two programs sporting a perfect 6-0 mark in the NEC [Sacred Heart].
- Following a 59-36 setback to James Madison back on December 30, the Colonials have won its first six league games by outscoring its conference foes by over 19 points per contest (71.5 ppg to 52.3 ppg).
- Collectively, the Colonials rank sixth in the league, averaging 61.5 ppg, slightly behind Wagner (62.3 ppg) while limiting opponents to a league-low, 57.1 ppg.
- Additionally, RMU leads the conference in field-goal percentage defense at 38.0 percent and have stolen a league best 10.5 steals per game.
- Individually, Nneka Ezeigbo, is the lone Colonial averaging double-figures at 10.1, which ranks 18th among all-conference players and in conference-only games, Ezeigbo is pouring in 11.3 ppg, good for 15th.
- Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu is the team's leading rebounder at 7.1 caroms per contest, good for fifth in the circuit.
- Isabella Posset, a three-time NEC Rookie of the Week honoree, is the team's second leading scorer (8.2 ppg) while dishing out 2.9 helpers a contest, good for seventh in the league.
Up Next For Wagner:
- Wagner closes out its three-game road swing on Monday evening, January 28, in Loretto, PA when the Seahawks they square off against the defending NEC champions, the Saint Francis U Red Flash. Tip-off at DeGol Arena is slated for 7:00 p.m.
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