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Staten Island, NY – Junior forward
Kem Nwabudu recorded her first double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as Wagner dropped a 49-43 home decision to Bryant on Thursday afternoon from the Spiro Sports Center.
With the loss, Wagner falls to 8-5 overall and 8-4 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play while the Bulldogs move to 7-10 and 5-8 in league action.
Khaleah Edwards added eight points and a game-high five steals in her 29 minutes of action. The five swipes by Edwards ties her for the most this season by Seahawk with fellow teammate,
Kate Tokuhara, who had five steals at Merrimack (Jan. 30, 2021).
Tokuhara and
Emilija Krista Grava each pulled down five rebounds while Zhaenia Thybulle finished with seven points and a team-leading three assists.
Bryant had two players in double-figures, led by Nicole Gallagher, who notched a game-best 13 points. Brooke Bjelko, the Northeast Conference (NEC) scoring and rebounding leader, finished with a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. Bjelko was held to just 1 of 7 shooting from the floor, but capitalized from the free-throw line, going 9 of 10 while playing the full forty.
Wagner jumped out to a 9-2 lead with Nwabudu establishing the early momentum, scoring four of the first nine points. Bryant responded with a 9-0 run of their own over the next three minutes in taking its first lead of the contest, 11-9, thanks to a Kandis Taylor layup.
Amanda Pollard drew a three-shot foul with 1.2 seconds remaining in the first quarter, as the redshirt junior was able to hit two-of-three from the charity, which tied the game at 11-11 at the end of the first quarter.
The visitors opened the second quarter on a 10-0 run over the first 2:07 that extended the Bulldogs' lead to 21-11, as Gallagher was able to convert a pair from the line. After forcing a Bryant turnover, Nwabudu was able to follow her miss and lay one back up in halting the visitors' run.
Wagner outscored the Bulldogs, 7-4, from that point as both teams went a combined 0 of 6 over the final two minutes with Bryant holding a 25-20 lead heading into halftime.
The Bulldogs commenced the third quarter with a lengthy 12-4 run over a 5:25 stretch that gave them its largest lead of the contest, 37-24, with 3:11 showing as Bjelko converted at the free-throw line. On Wagner's next possession, Thybulle was able to hit on a jumper that halted the Bulldog run at the 2:51 mark.
Pollard and Thybulle were able to showcase their speed, as first, Pollard was able to steal the ball away from Fatou Jallow and go uncontested to the hoop for two. With 7.4 seconds left to play in the third, Thybulle turned on the jets, as she was able to secure the defensive rebound and beat the third-quarter buzzer, as the Seahawks found themselves trailing by only seven, 37-30, heading into the fourth.
Wagner stifled Bryant in the fourth quarter, not allowing the Bulldogs to convert on a field goal (0-5) or a three-point field goal (0-3). The Bulldogs, however, scored all 12 of their points in the final quarter from the free-throw line (12-18).
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