Pictured Above: Freshman guard Alex Cowan (Credit: Mitchell Layton)
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Lawrenceville, NJ – Trailing by 17 points with 4:40 left in regulation, the Wagner College women's basketball team sparked a 13-2 run over a three-minute span, cutting the deficit to nine, 70-61, but the comeback fell short as the Seahawks dropped a 77-63 non-conference affair to Rider Wednesday evening at Alumni Gymnasium.
Freshman guard
Alex Cowan finished with a team-high 24 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the floor, which included a 10-for-12 marksmanship from the free throw line. The Bowie, MD native also corralled a team-best eight rebounds in 39 minutes of action.
Junior
Khaleah Edwards caught fire in the later stages of the contest en route to finishing with 13 points. Newcomer
Drayah Heyward provided a late spark for the visitors, scoring all nine of her points in the fourth quarter.
Amari Johnson led Rider with a double-double, finishing with 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the floor while grabbing a game-best 15 rebounds, ten of which coming on the defensive end.
Stella Johnson, who entered the game as the NCAA Division I leader in scoring at 29.4 points per game, finished with 18 on 5-of-13 shooting, 7-for-8 from the charity stripe. Lea Favre was the third Bronc in double digits, pouring in 12 points in 24 minutes of play.
The Basics
- Records: Wagner (4-5; 0-0 NEC) Rider (6-2 MAAC)
- Series History: Rider now leads the all-time series 14-8
How It Happened:
First Quarter
- Rider jumped out to an early 5-0 lead with Stella Johnson converting the first two buckets for the Broncs.
- Wagner got on the board via a long three-pointer from Cowan, which ignited a 9-0 run over a two minute span that gave the visitors a 9-5 advantage before Amari Johnson put an end to the run with a layup.
- Following another basket from Am. Johnson, Jordan Hobson responded with a deep three as Wagner regained the lead at 12-9.
- The visitors scored seven of the final 13 points of the frame, ending the quarter on top, 19-15.
- The Seahawks held the Broncs to just 28.6 percent shooting in the opening quarter while converting on 40.0 percent from the field and 55.6 from the outside. Rider was just 1-8 from long range.
Second Quarter
- The Broncs opened the second quarter on a 12-2, taking a 27-21 lead as they held the Green & White to just one made bucket over the first 6+ minutes of the quarter, a layup from freshman Katrice Jackson at the 8:16 mark of the frame.
- Krista Grava put a halt to the Rider run with a turnaround jumper in the paint that brought the visitors to within four, 27-23.
- Amari Johnson banked home a jumper in the paint that increased the Rider lead to 29-23 with 2:47 left before the break.
- Edwards responded with a layup of her own as Wagner scored four of the final six points of the quarter but found themselves behind 31-27 at the break.
- Cowan led the visitors with 10 points in the first half on 3-of-5 shooting from the floor and 2-of-3 from the outside. Hobson added six with a pair of threes.
- The combination of Stella Johnson and Amari Johnson combined to net 25 of the Broncs 31 first half points with Stella Johnson, the nation's leading scorer, contributing 13 on just 3-of-9 shooting from the floor and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
Third Quarter
- Krista Grava was able to shake off her defender en route to the goal for the first points of the third to bring Wagner to within two, 31-29 before Rider answered with a bucket from Favre.
- A 9-0 propelled the Rider lead to 11, 40-29.
- After Cowan went 1-of-2 from the charity stripe, Maya Hyacienth hit a three that started a 15-8 run by Rider, ending the third with a 55-38 advantage.
- The Broncs went 6-of-9 from the field during the near five-minute run while limiting the Seahawks to just two made baskets in outscoring Wagner, 24-11, for the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
- Heyward provided the Seahawks with an instant spark, getting to the charity stripe nearly thirty seconds into the quarter.
- Back-to-back baskets from Amari Johnson increased the lead to 19 for the home team before Cowan continued her strong performance in hitting a jumper for her 18th point of the contest.
- The Broncs took its largest lead of the game as Amari Johnson knocked down a corner three that put Rider ahead, 64-44, with 7:42 left to go.
- The Seahawks valiantly cut into the lead thanks to a 13-2 run, part of a larger 17-6 spurt, as Edwards drilled a three in front of her own bench, much to the delight of her fellow teammates.
- It was the closest Wagner would get as Rider closed out the game scoring seven of the game's final nine points in picking up the victory.
Inside The Numbers
- Wagner scored 13 of its 63 points off fast break chances.
- The Seahawks held Rider to just 28.6 percent shooting in the first quarter.
- For Cowan, tonight's 24-point performance marked the third game this year in which the freshman guard has eclipsed the 20-point plateau, and first since her 23-point effort at Big East member Butler back on November 9.
- After scoring four points in her first two games of the season, Edwards has now scored in double-figures in each of her last five games.
Game Highlights:
Up Next:
- The Seahawks head back out on the road Sunday when they'll travel to Hamilton, NY to square off against Patriot League member Colgate.
- Tip-off from Cotterell Court is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network (PLN).
