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AlexCowan
Dave Saffran
58
Rider Rider 2-6,0-0 MAAC
62
Winner Wagner WC 6-1,0-0 NEC
Rider Rider
2-6,0-0 MAAC
58
Final
62
Wagner WC
6-1,0-0 NEC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Rider Rider 8 11 14 25 58
Wagner WC 14 15 15 18 62

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Women's Basketball Withstands Late Push By Rider, 62-58, To Extend Win Streak To Five

Staten Island, NY – Alex Cowan was one of three Seahawks to finish in double-figures as the Wagner women's basketball team continued their winning ways, extending its win streak to five straight after posting a 62-58 victory over Rider on Tuesday afternoon at the Spiro Sports Center. 

Cowan guided Wagner (6-1) with a team-leading 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting from the field in 25 minutes of action. Emilija Krista Grava and Kem Nwabudu combined for 22 points on 9 of 18 shooting with Krista Grava finishing with 12 points and Nwabudu with ten. 

Zhaneia Thybulle and reigning Northeast Conference (NEC) Rookie of the Week, Lina Loceniece, each had nine points with Thybulle dishing out a game-high five helpers. Lenaejha Evans paced Rider (2-6) with a game-high 23 points on 7 of 15 shooting from the floor, which included a 9 of 11 clip from the free-throw line. Raphaela Toussaint and Jessika Schiffer each finished up with ten points. 


POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE...

 
 
  
WAGNER-RIDER HIGHLIGHTS

 
  
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE…
  • With today's victory, the Green & White moved to 6-1 on the season. The last time Wagner started the season winning 6 of 7 games was back in 1983-84, when under Wagner Hall of Famer, Gela Mikalauskas, the team earned victories over Princeton/Brooklyn/Mercy/Molloy/Queens before falling at Manhattan and picking up a road win at LIU. 
  • That season, the team finished 24-5 and 12-2 in the Cosmopolitan Conference. 
  • The Green & White moves to 5-0 at the Spiro Sports Center this season, the first time since 1985-86, when under Coach Mikalauskas, Wagner recorded home victories over Concordia/Princeton/Pace/Queens and Hofstra. 
  • In that season, the team moved that win streak to eight straight before losing to Fairleigh Dickinson on January 28. 
  • Both teams scored 22 points from inside-the-paint.
  • Wagner's bench outscored Rider's reserves, 17-4. 
  • The Broncs did capitalize on the Seahawks' 24 turnovers, turning those into 19 points. 
  • The Seahawks out-rebounded the Broncs, 31-17, including 23-13 on the defensive end. 
  • Wagner, who entered ranked sixth in the nation in three-point field goal defense, continued to live up to that moniker, as for the third straight contest, their opponents failed to hit 20.0 percent from the outside, with Rider finishing at 16.7 percent. 


 HOW IT HAPPENED…
 First Quarter…
  • Wagner's stifling defense was on display early in the contest, holding the visitors to just a 2 of 11 start as the Broncs managed to get their points from the free-throw line. 
  • The Green & White had six different players score in the opening frame, led by Krista Grava, who netted five of the 14 points. 
  • The Seahawks jumped out to an early 8-2 advantage with Krista Grava scoring five of the first eight points to start the contest. 
  • In total, six different Seahawks scored in the opening quarter, led by EKG with five.
Second Quarter…
  • The Seahawks continued their torrid start, opening the frame on a 13-2 run over the first five minutes of the frame in building a 27-10 advantage as Nwabudu capped the run with a layup off the feed from Krista Grava. 
  • Rider was able to chip into the Wagner lead, closing out the frame on a 9-2 spurt as Schiffer hit a three-pointer just before the horn sounded for intermission.
  • Wagner would take a 29-19 lead into the break.
Third Quarter…
  • Rider opened the second half with a quick bucket from Toussaint, shrinking the once double-digit lead to just eight, 29-21. 
  • Wagner was able to move the ball around, which ultimately found its way to the waiting arms of Cowan, who drilled a corner trifecta in front of her home bench as Wagner went up 42-31. 
  • The Seahawks would get back to a double-figure advantage as Cowan was able to net the stepback jumper with 25 seconds showing on the game clock as Wagner led, 44-33, heading into the final stanza.
 
 Fourth Quarter…
  • Rider made a valiant push, opening the fourth quarter on a 10-4 run that saw the lead dwindle to just five, 48-43 after Toussaint was able to make a pair from the line. 
  • Thybulle was able to get past her defender and hit the pull-up jumper, halting Rider's run. 
  • The visitors staged an 8-2 run over a two-minute span that brought the lead down to four, 56-52 as Evans made the backend of a two-shot foul with 34 seconds left on the clock. 
  • Cowan was fouled by Amanda Mobley and calmly made both, giving Wagner a two-possession lead with 30 seconds to go in the contest. 
  • Evans was able to steal the ball away from Cowan and race down the court for two, as Rider trailed 58-54, forcing Wagner to call for time with 17.0 seconds remaining.
  • It was free-throws down the stretch as both teams went to line four times over the final eleven seconds as Wagner was able to withstand the late surge en route to their sixth win of the season. 

UP NEXT...
  • Wagner will close out its homestand on Sunday, December 12, as they will welcome Big East member, St. John's to the Spiro Sports Center. 
  • This marks the first time in almost 22 years, that St. John's has played Wagner on Staten Island. The last meeting occurred on December 11, 1999. 
  • Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. 
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