Staten Island, NY - Junior
Rakisha Ballinger of the Wagner women's basketball team made history by breaking the program record for steals in a single game in Saturday's 83-50 victory over Saint Elizabeth at the Spiro Sports Center.
Ballinger, the team's leader in takeaways on the season, more than doubled her season-high of five steals from the season opener at Rutgers. Her 12 steals on the day broke the previous school record held by Shawn Martin, who recorded 11 steals on December 28, 1987, against Hartford.
Ballinger recorded a double-double in points and steals in the non-conference closer while also stuffing the stat sheet with eight rebounds and five assists.
The Eagles jumped in front after a tight first quarter, but Wagner entered halftime with a commanding 42-23 lead. Both teams struggled with turnovers, but Saint Elizabeth's 7-for-15 mark from the field was the difference maker in the 17-16 tally at the end of one.
Wagner flipped the script in the second quarter, however, with the help of eight points from Ballinger. Ballinger recorded six steals in the period as well as a part of a 26-6 showing in the quarter. The Seahawks totaled 13 steals in the quarter.
Out of the gates in the second half, Ballinger continued to torment the Eagles backcourt. The Hyattsville, MD native recorded an additional two steals in the opening 30 seconds, helping give Wagner an early 5-0 advantage in the third quarter.
Ballinger broke the single-game record in steals with 7:34 remaining in the fourth quarter as the Green & White led by 32 points and never looked back. The Seahawks finished with 30 steals as a unit, shattering the previous team record of 22 from January 9, 1983 against Holy Cross.
Junior Semie Brar paced the team with 23 points, while sophomore Angelie Ricard chipped in 15 points.
The victory snaps a four-game losing streak for the Seahawks as they finished non-conference play with a 3-9 record. Saint Elizabeth dropped to 8-4 with the road loss.
Wagner will begin Northeast Conference (NEC) play on Saturday, January 6 at Saint Francis U. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 pm.
