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Loretto, PA – The Wagner College women's basketball will begin Northeast Conference (NEC) play at Saint Francis U on Monday evening.
Last Time Out
Wagner wrapped up non-conference play with a 80-51 loss at St. John's on December 21.
Graduate student
Zhaneia Thybulle tallied 10 points, four rebounds and three assists. The Elmont, NY native also tallied two blocks in the contest on 4-10 shooting from the field.
Non-Conference Recap
The Seahawks enter NEC play with a 5-6 record as they went 3-1 at the Spiro Sports Center while winning three straight games at home.
Wagner went 2-5 away from the Spiro Sports Center with victories over Manhattan and Maryland Eastern Shore.
Wagner's last victory came against NJIT on December 17.
Preseason Favorites
Wagner was predicted to finish first in the league's annual preseason poll.
Selected by the league's head coaches as the 2022-23 NEC preseason favorite, Wagner has its sights set on claiming the NEC title; a feat that has only occurred just one other time, back in 1989. It marked the first time in 30-plus years that the Seahawks earned No. 1 preseason status.
The Seahawks, who came short of reaching the NEC Championship game a year ago after falling in the semifinals, earned five first-place votes to secure the moniker of "preseason favorite."
Behind Wagner is FDU, who received three first-place votes while St. Francis Brooklyn checked in third in the poll. Behind the Terriers is Saint Francis U, who received one first-place vote.
Zhaneia Thybulle was named to the All-NEC preseason team after being named Third Team All-NEC last season.
NEC Leaders
Wagner enters NEC play with five wins, the second-most in the NEC.
The Seahawks' 61.8 points per game and 680 total points are tops in the NEC while their 253 made field goals also lead the conference.
Wagner also leads the conference with 159 total assists and 14.5 assists per game and is second with 101 total steals and 9.2 steals per contest.
Wagner's +3.55 turnover margin and 0.9 assist to turnover ratio ranks first in the NEC.
After leading the NEC in assists last season,
Zhaneia Thybulle leads the conference in assists with 51 and 4.6 assists per game heading into conference play.
Thybulle ranks second with 34.0 minutes per game and her 374 total minutes are tied for the most in the conference.
Redshirt junior
Alex Cowan leads the Seahawks in scoring with 11.6 points per game which is seventh in the NEC.
Fifth year senior
Kem Nwabudu's 45.1 field goal percentage ranks fourth in the NEC.
Senior
Drayah Heyward's 1.9 steals per game and 21 total steals are third in the conference.
Recent History Against Saint Francis U
This is the second consecutive season Wagner will open conference play against Saint Francis U.
The Seahawks are riding a four-game winning streak over the Red Flash.
Wagner defeated Saint Francis U twice last season, including a 63-39 victory in Loretto on January 27, 2022. The 24-point victory was the largest margin of victory against a conference opponent last season.
In that contest,
Kem Nwabudu tallied 19 points on 9-10 shooting in 22 minutes played while
Zhaneia Thybulle tallied 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Scouting Saint Francis U
Saint Francis U wrapped up its non-conference schedule with a 46-36 victory over Hartford on December 30 for its first win of the season.
The Red Flash were picked fourth in the NEC preseason poll as they received one first place vote.
Junior Aaliyah Moore leads the team with 8.5 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game.
Moore's rebounds per game are tops in the NEC and her 101 rebounds also rank first in the conference.
Sophomore Layla Laws is second on the team with 7.3 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game.
What's Next
The Seahawks will host its first NEC game of the season when they welcome Merrimack to the Spiro Sports Center on Friday, January 6. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 pm on NEC Front Row.
