Smithfield, RI -   The 2018-19 regular season comes to a close on Thursday evening for the Wagner College women's basketball when the Seahawks square off against the Bryant University Bulldogs at the Chace Athletic Center. 
 
Both teams are fighting to improve their respective postseason seeding in the upcoming 2019 Northeast Conference (NEC) tournament, which is set to commence on March 11. 

A win for Wagner will mark the team's first season at or above .500 in league play since 2014 (15-13; 10-8). The Green & White are looking to halt a three-game losing streak after dropping their home finale on Monday evening to defending league champion Saint Francis U, 67-58, on Senior Night.

Bryant, winners of four of its last five contests, earned a 69-54 win on Monday at LIU Brooklyn, which marked the 400th career coaching victory for head coach Mary Burke. 

---

Inside The Numbers:

• 67.8 - In 17 conference games this season, the Seahawks are averaging 67.8 ppg, the third-most in the league and highest total since 2013-14, when the team averaged 67.7 ppg in conference-only games. 
• 47.0 -  The backcourt duo of senior Nakylia Carter and sophomore Alayshia Dailey have accounted for 47.0 percent of Wagner's 391 assists. 
• 10 - Wagner's 10 overall wins this season are the most since 2010-11 when the Seahawks finished the year 12-17. 
• 1 - The upcoming NEC Tournament marks third-year head coach Heather Jacobs' first trip to the NEC postseason. 

Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Standings (As of 3/4/19)

Team	NEC Record	PCT	Overall	Streak
1. Robert Morris *^	15-2	.882	18-10	L1
2. Sacred Heart *	13-4	.765	17-11	W4
3. St. Francis Brooklyn *	11-6	.647	17-12	W2
Saint Francis U *	11-6	.647	14-15	W1
5. Mount St. Mary's *	8-9	.471	14-14	L1
Bryant *	8-9	.471	10-18	W1
WAGNER *	8-9	.471	10-18	L3
8. Central Connecticut	4-13	.235	7-20	l1
Fairleigh Dickinson	4-13	.235	7-21	W1
LIU Brooklyn	3-14	.176	4-24	L3

Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Tiebreaker Scenarios (After games on 3/4/19)...

• Robert Morris has clinched the #1 seed
• Sacred Heart has clinched the #2 seed
• Saint Francis U and St. Francis Brooklyn have clinched quarterfinal home games. SFU can clinch the #3 seed with a win over RMU. SFU can take the #3 seed with a loss if SFBK loses to Central Connecticut and either Bryant or SHU lose. 
• SFBK can claim the #3 seed with win over CCSU and a SFU loss to RMU. SFBK can land the #3 seed with a loss if SFU loses to RMU and both BRY and SHU win.
• BRY takes the #5 seed with a win over Wagner. A loss drops BRY to #6 if Mount St. Mary's loses, #7 if MSM wins. 
• MSM can be the #5 seed with a win over SHU and a BRY loss to WC. A win and BRY win places MSM at #6. A loss leaves MSM at #6 if WC loses and at #7 if WC wins. 
• WC earns the #5 seed with a win over BRY and a MSM loss to SHU. WC finishes #6 with a win if MSM beat SHU. WC will be the #7 seed with a loss. 
• Fairleigh Dickinson clinches the final NEC playoff berth and #8 seed with a win over LIU Brooklyn or CCSU loss to SFBK.
• CCSU can claim the #8 seed with a win over SFBK and a FDU loss to LIU.
• LIU has been eliminated from playoff contention. 

---

Last Time Out For Wagner:

• After trailing 39-28 at halftime, the Wagner College women's basketball team found itself trailing by one, 49-48, at the 1:21 mark of the third quarter thanks to a 20-10 run but the Saint Francis U Red Flash limited the Seahawks to just three made field goals in the fourth quarter to hold on for a 67-58 victory on Monday evening.
• Redshirt junior guard Janelle Mullen was one of two Seahawks to finish in double figures, as she netted a career-high, 21 points, in which she converted 7-of-16 from the floor, to go along with a season-high five three-pointers in 29 minutes of play.
• Redshirt sophomore, Taylah Simmons, finished with ten points and seven rebounds 28 minutes of action.
• Senior guard, Nakylia Carter netted nine points while pulling down a team-leading eight rebounds and dishing out four assists in 39 minutes of action.

Inside The Wagner | Bryant Series:

• Thursday's contest between the Seahawks and the Bulldogs is just the 19th all-time meeting with Bryant leading the head-to-head series, 16-2. 
• These two teams are squaring off for the second time in a little over a week, as the Bulldogs bested Wagner, 84-69, at the Spiro Sports Center. 

  
 
Seahawk Tidbits:

• The 2018-19 Seahawks are ranked among the top-five in the Northeast Conference (NEC) in six statistical categories.   Wagner is second in both field-goal percentage (2nd | 41.4%), and assists (2nd |14.0 apg). 
• If Wagner defeats Bryant, the Seahawks will finish with its first .500 season in conference play since 2003, when the Seahawks finished 15-13 overall and 10-8 in conference play. 
• On the road this season, Wagner is 4-10 while posting a 3-5 record in conference road games. Redshirt sophomore Taylah Simmons along with freshman Emilija Krista Grava are each netting double-figures, led by Simmons' 13.9 ppg while Krista Grava is chipping in 10.8 ppg a team-leading 5.9 rpg. Sophomore Khaleah Edwards is nearly averaging double figures away from the Spiro Sports Center, as she is averaging 9.8 ppg while pulling down 5.1 caroms a contest in 30.7 mpg. 
• As a whole, the 2018-19 Seahawks are among the top-75 teams in the country in three-point field goal percentage, converting 33.8 percent from the outside. 
• In tracking player impacts among all NEC players, Simmons ranks ninth in the circuit, accounting for 21.7 percent of Wagner's total points. That mark is second among all NEC sophomores. Additionally, she ranks seventh, tallying 21.3 percent of the team's total rebounds. Senior guard Nakylia Carter and sophomore Alayshia Dailey have combined to account for 47.0 percent of the team's total assists, which ranks fifth and seventh, respectively, among all conference performers. 
• Over the last ten games, in which the Seahawks are 5-5, Simmons and redshirt junior, Janelle Mullen, are both averaging double-figures, with Simmons pouring in 17.3 ppg while Mullen is tallying 13.0 ppg. Both are shooting close to 50.0 percent from the field during this stretch. 

  

Scouting The Bryant University Bulldogs: 

• The Bulldogs have won four of their last five games, with its most recent victory coming at LIU Brooklyn, 69-54, on Monday evening. 
• The win was a milestone triumph for head coach Mary Burke, who notched her 400th career coaching victory. 
• Sydney Holloway matched her career-high with 29 points while Hannah Scanlan netted 15 and Masey Zegarowski chipped in 12. 
• Overall, the Bulldogs lead the conference in three-point field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 30.9 percent shooting from long range.
• Bryant is third in assists, averaging 13.3 per game, which trails St. Francis Brooklyn (16.8 apg) and Wagner (14.0 apg). 
• Holloway ranks third in the league in scoring at 17.4 ppg and first in rebounding, grabbing 11.1 caroms a game. Scanlan ranks third in field-goal percentage, shooting 51.1 percent from the floor.
• Kierra Palmer has dished out 4.1 helpers a contest, second most in the circuit (Amy O'Neill, SFBK, 8.5 apg) and is slightly ahead of Seahawks senior guard, Nakylia Carter, who is dishing out 3.4 helpers a game. 

 
    
Up Next For Wagner:

• The 2019 Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament commences on March 11 at the home of the higher seed. Wagner will be involved in the eight-team tournament field for the first time since the 2014 season. 

Follow us: #CHAOSonthehill

Wagner Athletics       
Women's Basketball:    
Head Coach Heather Jacobs: