WATCH | Live Stats | Game Notes

Loretto, PA - The Wagner College women's basketball team will open up Northeast Conference (NEC) play at Saint Francis U on Saturday, tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 pm.

This is the second consecutive season Wagner will travel to Saint Francis U to open up conference play. This is the third consecutive season the Seahawks and Red Flash will square off to open conference play.

Last Time Out
Wagner wrapped up non-conference play with an 83-50 win over Saint Elizabeth on December 30. The 83 points for Wagner was a season-high, the Seahawks also tallied 18 assists which was also a season-high.

Wagner's 83 points was the second-most under Terrell Coburn and the most since they scored 84 points against Stonehill on January 19, 2022.
 

Ready for conference play #Relentless pic.twitter.com/8jSpTSfKUh

— Wagner Women's Basketball (@WagnerWHoops) December 31, 2023

Junior Semie Brar led the way offensively with 23 points on 6-13 shooting from the field and 5-10 shooting from three-point range. Brar also shot a perfect 6-6 from the free-throw line. Junior's Angelie Ricard and Rakisha Ballinger netted 15 points in the win, the two shot a combined 10-22 from the floor.

Brar and Ballinger were named NEC Prime Performers for their efforts against the Eagles.

Non-Conference Recap
Wagner enters conference play with a 3-9 record, the second-best overall record in the NEC.

Two of Wagner's three victories came in back-to-back fashion both by a score of 69-67. Wagner beat Navy on November 30 before taking down Saint Peter's on December 6.

Stealing History
Wagner tallied a program-best 30 steals over Saint Elizabeth, a record that stood since Wagner tallied 22 against Mount St. Mary's on February 9, 1983.
 

History made last night #Relentless pic.twitter.com/W1hoWdTdmo

— Wagner Women's Basketball (@WagnerWHoops) December 31, 2023

Along with 30 steals as a team, Rakisha Ballinger tallied a single game record 12 steals. Ballinger broke a record that stood since Shawn Martin tallied 11 steals against Hartford on December 28, 1987.

Defensive DNA
Wagner has tallied double-digit steals in four out of 12 games this season, including a program-record 30 against Saint Elizabeth on December 30.

Wagner ranks 60th in the nation and first in the NEC with 15.1 steals per contest.

The Green & White also rank 51st in the nation and first in the NEC with 26.83 forced turnovers per game.

Rakisha Ballinger's 30 total steals ranks 61st in the nation and second in the NEC, junior Paige Lyons ranks fifth in the NEC with 1.78 steals per contest.

Newcomers Making An Impact
Freshman Kiera Edmonds ranks first in the NEC with 2.64 offensive boards per game and fifth with 6.5 boards per game.

Graduate student Taleah Washington's 3.27 assists per game is good for sixth in the NEC. The District Heights, MD native tallied a career-high 23 points against Saint Peter's on December 6. Washington's game-winner with two seconds left helped secure Wagner's second victory of the season.

The Arrival of Semie Brar
Leading the Seahawks with 12.0 points per game, Semi Brar has tallied 20-plus points in three games this season.

Brar scored a career-high 26 points against Iona on November 27. She also scored 23 points on November 21 at Northeastern before tallying 23 on December 30 against Saint Elizabeth. The Fresno, CA native ranks sixth in the NEC with 12.0 points per game, second in the NEC with a 34.8 three-point percentage, and second with 1.92 three-pointers made per game.

Brar was named an NEC Prime Performer on three separate occasions during non-conference play.

Scouting Saint Francis U
The Red Flash enter NEC Play with a 1-12 overall record and will look to snap a five-game losing streak. Saint Francis' lone win came on December 2 with a 69-59 win over Morgan State. Saint Francis was picked seventh in the NEC preseason poll. 

The Red Flash rank second in the NEC with a 26.5 three-point percentage as Kendall Carruthers ranks eighth in the NEC with 11.0 points per game.

The Series
Wagner is 8-11 all-time against Saint Francis U, the Seahawks are riding a six-game winning streak. The Green & White are 4-5 all-time in Loretto, PA and are 4-0 against the Red Flash under Terrell Coburn.
Last Season Against the Red Flash

The Seahawks went 2-0 last season against the Red Flash, including a 76-25 win in Loretto, PA on January 2, 2022.

The win was tied for the largest margin of victory in program history, a record that lasted since December 8, 1982 when Wagner defeated St. Francis NY 97-46.

In the second meeting between the two sides last season, Wagner earned a 72-57 victory. The Seahawks shot 48.1 percent from the field in the victory.

What's Next
The Seahawks will host their first NEC game of the season when they welcome LIU to the Spiro Sports Center on Monday, January 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm.