Staten Island, NY - The Wagner women's basketball team earned a wire-to-wire 63-55 victory over Stonehill on Saturday afternoon at the Spiro Sports Center.
The win marks the second win across the last three games for the Seahawks.
Wagner's defense was on full display all afternoon as the Skyhawks struggled to find a rhythm offensively. Stonehill shot just 18-for-64 (28.1%) from the field, including a 5-for-34 (14.7%) mark in the first half.
The Seahawks controlled the pace of play thanks to a plus-eight steal disparity. Six players recorded a steal in the win, with junior
Rakisha Ballinger leading the way with four takeaways.
Second on the team in steals was freshman Shamique Cummings, who logged the first start of her collegiate career on Saturday.
Cummings provided an instant boost for the Seahawks, scoring a team-high seven first half points. Cummings finished tied for the team-high with 13 points while also collecting a team-high seven rebounds, four of which being offensive boards.
Cummings's energy was matched by the rest of the team as the Seahawks opened up a big lead to start the game. Junior Semie Brar pushed the lead to 11 points off of a three with 2:52 left in the opening quarter.
The Green & White shot 8-for-15 (53.3%) from the field in the quarter while limiting Stonehill to a 2-for-15 (13.3%) mark, leading to a 17-8 advantage through the first ten minutes of action.
Wagner continued to quiet Stonehill from the field as they ran up the score. A 7-0 run to start the second was fueled by junior Paige Lyons, who recorded four points during the stretch. At the break, the Seahawks led, 34-18.
A back-and-forth third quarter segued into a crucial fourth as Stonehill, who trailed by double digits for a majority of the game, cut the deficit to six with less than a minute remaining.
But clutch free throws by junior Taleah Washington and Cummings kept the Skyhawks at bay. Ballinger drew a charge on the ensuing possession to effecitvely end the game with 7.6 seconds left.
The Seahawks had four double-digit scorers, with freshman Kiera Edmonds (13), Brar (10) and Ballinger (13) joining Cummings.
Wagner improved to 6-14 (3-5), while Stonehill fell to 3-19 (3-6).
The Seahawks draw FDU next, with the road matchup in Teaneck, NJ, set for Friday, February 9 at 7:00 pm on ESPNU.
