Pictured Above – Redshirt sophomore Taylah Simmons recorded her third double-double of the season, finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds in tonight's victory at Central Connecticut (Credit: Dave Saffran)
Box Score |
Box Score (HTML)
New Britain, CT – Redshirt sophomore
Taylah Simmons tied her career-high with 19 points while recording her third double-double of the season as the Wagner College women's basketball team earned its first Northeast Conference (NEC) win of the season, defeating Central Connecticut, 75-63, on Monday evening at Detrick Gymnasium.
With the victory, the Seahawks improve to 3-10 overall and even its conference record at 1-1 while the Blue Devils fall to 3-9 on the year and 0-2 in league play.
"Tonight's performance was a complete team effort and something that we can build upon," commented third-year head coach,
Heather Jacobs.
Simmons netted 14 of her game-best 19 points in the first half and finished with season-high 11 caroms in her 36 minutes of action. The Melbourne, Australia native shot 7-of-15 from the field while dishing out four assists and notching two steals in the victory. For Simmons, tonight's performance marked her fifth career double-double and second in a three-game span.
"Tay (
Taylah Simmons) can score in multiple ways and did a tremendous job on the glass tonight, which created more possessions for us," said Jacobs. "She was hard to guard and this could be the start of what we hope to continue to see as conference play continues."
Additionally, three other Seahawks scored in double digits as sophomore guard
Alayshia Dailey recorded a career-high 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting while hitting on 8-of-11 from the free throw in 35 minutes of action. Dailey also grabbed a career-best seven rebounds. Junior
Jordan Hobson chipped in 12 points on 5-of-7 marksmanship in 12 minutes off the bench.
"Alayshia is a terrific athlete and has the ability to get past anybody, as she exhibited tonight," Jacobs said. "She has a real feel for the game as she was able to find her teammates tonight. Moving forward, we want to her to find that balance between getting to the rim and finding her teammates. We were extremely pleased with her performance at the line, which she continues to craft on a daily basis."
Rounding out the scoring for Wagner was sophomore
Khaleah Edwards, who scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds. Redshirt sophomore
Joellen How was a key catalyst for the Green & White on the evening, dishing out a game and career-high seven helpers in 23 minutes of play.
Two Blue Devils reached double figures, led by Kiana Patterson, who poured in a team-best 17 points and grabbed four rebounds in her 35 minutes of action. Ashley Berube contributed 11 points in 26 minutes of action.
"We were able to execute and limit their possessions," added Jacobs. "Kiana scored 16 points in the first half and we were able to make the necessary adjustments in holding her to just one point over the second half of play. It is a testament to the hard work of our players and I am proud of their effort tonight."
Both teams were equally efficient in the first quarter of play. Wagner kicked off the contest with the first points as Krista Grava was able to score seven seconds into the game off the feed from Simmons. CCSU quickly answered with a Slicklein layup to even the game at 2-2.
Towards the later stages of the opening frame, Simmons was able to put the Seahawks ahead, 12-11, before the Blue Devils answered back in taking its first lead of the contest, 13-12, on an Emma McCamus layup.
The visitors quickly answered back as Hobson buried the jumper to put Wagner ahead, 14-13, with 2:30 left in the first but, the home five regained the lead ten seconds later on a Ashley Berube layup, putting CCSU up one, 15-14. Wagner closed out the first quarter with back-to-back scores in taking an 18-15 advantage.
For the opening frame, Wagner shot a 50.0 percent from the field without making a three-pointer in five chances while Central Connecticut kept pace in hitting on 46.2 percent from the field and made its lone three-pointer in five attempts in the opening quarter.
Central Connecticut closed the gap to one, 18-17, following a pair of made free-throws from Patterson. Over the final four minutes of the second quarter, Wagner was able to pull ahead of the Blue Devils, outscoring CCSU 14-11 in taking a 38-33 halftime lead, capped off by Simmons beating the final buzzer on a crafty layup.
For the half, Wagner shot 51.7 percent from the field despite going just 1-of-6 from the outside. The Seahawks held CCSU to just 45.8 percent shooting from the field while holding a 16-13 edge on the offensive glass. Simmons paved the way for Wagner with a team-high 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting in the opening half. Simmons added four assists and three rebounds to go along with two steals.
Wagner outscored Central Connecticut, 12-7, over a four-minute span to increase its lead to 50-40 with 5:51 showing on the third quarter clock. The Seahawks converted on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor while limiting the Blue Devils to just two made field goals during this run. Both teams combined to score 14 points over the final minutes of the stanza on a combined 4-of-12 as Wagner held a ten-point advantage, 57-47.
A 13-6 Seahawk outburst increased the visitors lead to 70-53, as the Green & White converted 5-of-8 from the field with Edwards and freshman forward
Emilija Krista Grava teaming up to score nine of the 13 points during this stretch. Wagner held CCSU to just a made field goal (1-of-7), while the Blue Devils were able to hit 4-of-6 from the charity stripe. The Blue Devils did outscore the Seahawks, 10-5, over the final 2:31, but it wasn't enough to overcome the double-digit deficit.
For the game, the Seahawks converted on 45.6 percent from the field while outmuscling the Blue Devils, 41-27, which included a 31-21 advantage on the defensive glass. Wagner scored 32 of its 75 points from inside-the-points while converting on 21 fast break tallies.
Wagner will embark on a three-game homestand, the first home contest for the team in 2019 'as the Seahawks host Sacred Heart on Saturday, January 12 at 1:00 p.m.
Follow us: #CHAOSonthehill
Wagner Athletics
Women's Basketball:
Head Coach
Heather Jacobs:
