South Orange, NJ - The Wagner women's basketball team trailed by 19 at the 5:48 mark of the third quarter and fought back valiantly to cut the deficit to six in the later stages of the contest at Seton Hall, but could not complete the comeback, falling 70-62, on Tuesday afternoon.
Alex Cowan was one of three Seahawks in double-figures, as the Bowie, MD native finished up with a team-high 17 points in 31 minutes of action.
Emilija Krista Grava added 12 points and eight rebounds while
Lina Loceniece contributed ten points.
Andra Espinoza-Hunter and Sidney Cooks each produced double-doubles for the Pirates, with Espinoza-Hunter tallying a game-high 20 points on 9 of 18 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds.
Cooks scored 17 points while grabbing a game-high 14 caroms for The Hall. Lauren Park-Lane, the team's leading scorer, was helped to just four points on 1 of 9 shooting but distributed a game-high 11 assists.
Inside-The-Boxscore...
- Both Cowan and Drayah Heyward each had four steals in the contest.
- Zhaneia Thybulle dished out a team-leading four assists. For the Elmont, NY native, it marks the tenth consecutive game that she has dished out at least three assists.
- The Seahawks were outrebounded 45-43 overall, but, were aggressive on the offensive glass, outmuscling the Pirates, 18-10.
- The Green & White scored 15 points off 19 SHU turnovers while The Hall turned Wagner's 13 turnovers into 19 points.
- Both team's reserves contributed ten points.
- The Seahawks held the edge in second chance points (15-10) and off fast break chances (18-11).
- Seton Hall outscored Wagner, 36-32, inside the paint.
- After being outscored 24-10 in the first quarter, Wagner dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the Pirates, 24-13 as the visitors held SHU to just 4 of 14 shooting in the stanza while not allowing the Pirates to hit from the outside (0 of 4)
HOW IT HAPPENED…
First Quarter…
- The Pirates jumped out on a 14-4 run to begin the contest.
- The Seahawks managed to trim the deficit down to six, 16-10, after Kem Nwabudu was able to convert on the layup.
- The Pirates closed out the quarter on an 8-0 run, capped off by a Cooks layup off the feed from Espinoza-Hunter as Seton Hall went ahead 24-10.
Second Quarter…
- Both teams traded baskets over the first minute of the second quarter. Cowan opened the stanza with a three-pointer after receiving the pass from Heyward.
- Mya Jackson answered with a layup that doubled the Pirates lead, 26-13.
- Thybulle was able to find space in the paint and hit the driving layup before Cowan made one of two from the line, trimming the lead down to ten, 26-16.
- Following a pair of free-throws by Cooks, both teams struggled to find their rhythm from the floor, before Espinoza-Hunter was found her range from the outside at the 4:27 mark.
- Over the final 4:17, both teams netted 11 points, but it was Seton Hall that closed out the frame on a 9-0 run in building a 42-27 halftime advantage.
Third Quarter…
- Seton Hall was able to take their largest lead of the contest, 48-29, as Mya Bembry was able to hit from inside the paint.
- Wagner quickly answered back with a 6-0 burst, as Nwabudu capped the run with a layup from Thybulle, cutting the deficit to 13, 48-35, with 4:47 left to go in the quarter.
- The Hall outscored Wagner, 9-3, over the final 4:47, to extend the lead to 19, 57-38.
Fourth Quarter…
- Cowan kicked off the fourth with a left-wing three pointer before Cooks answered on the other end.
- Cooks netted a mid-range jumper which increased the lead for Seton Hall to 61-42.
- The relentless Seahawks began their comeback following a Curtessia Dean jumper with 5:59 left to play.
- The Green & White embarked on a 16-3 run over the next 4:19 that found the visitors trailing by only six, 66-60, after Heyward was able to bank in the layup.
- Wagner was able to get the ball back following a missed three-pointer by Park-Lane, but couldn't cut into the lead further despite the tenacious defensive effort they exhibited down the stretch.
- Cooks hit two free-throws with twenty seconds showing on the clock that essentially closed out the game and Wagner's comeback attempt.
UP NEXT...
- Following the Christmas break, Wagner will commence its Northeast Conference (NEC) slate of games, beginning on December 29, in a rematch of last season's NEC Semifinals.
- The Saint Francis University Red Flash pay a visit to the Spiro Sports Center for a 4:00 p.m. tip.
