ERIE, Pa. – The Wagner College women's basketball team dropped its fourth NEC game of the 2025-26 season to Mercyhurst by a score of 69-66 at Owen McCormick Court on Saturday afternoon.

The Seahawks (6-9, 2-2 NEC) opened the game on a 12-5 run before closing the first quarter with a 19-9 lead. Wagner shot 8-14 (57.1%) from the floor led by senior Angelie Ricard who scored six points and grabbed two rebounds.

Wagner outscored Mercyhurst 14-6 during the paint and 8-2 in points off turnovers in the opening frame. 

The Lakers (2-13, 2-2 NEC) were led by sophomore Lena Walz who scored five points in the first.

In the second quarter, both teams put up 17 points as Wagner went into the halftime locker room with a 36-26 lead. 

Ricard led all halftime scorers with nine points, with all 10 active Seahawks scoring a basketball in the first half. Junior Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor followed Ricard with six first half points. Senior Hawa Balde-Camara chipped in two points and a team-high five rebounds. 

The Seahawks continued to dominate the paint as the Green & White had outscored the Lakers, 24-12, in the paint after two quarters of play. In the first half, Wagner shot 15-26 (57.7%) from the floor while holding Mercyhurst to a 9-28 (32.1%) success rate from the field.

The Lakers made it a single-digit game at the end of the third quarter by outsourcing the Seahawks 21-16 during the period. Mercyhurst shot 3-4 (75.0%) from beyond-the-arc to chip into the Wagner lead, making it a 52-47 contest with 10 minutes remaining.

Senior Irene Fernandez de Caleya scored 10 points in the third quarter alone, shooting a perfect 4-4 (100.0%) from the floor.

In the fourth, the Lakers gained a 55-54 lead with 6:32 to play and never looked back. Time shooting from the foul line and three-point line helped Mercyhurst extend its lead to six with 1:29 remaining. In the end, the Seahawks had a shot to tie the game, but a contested three by Fernandez de Caleya hit the back of the rim and fell no good. 

In the second half, Mercyhurst shot 15-25 (60.0%) from the floor and 6-10 (60.0%) from three and outscored the Seahawks 15-4 in points off turnovers. Wagner shot 12-25 (48.0%) from the field throughout the third and fourth quarters.

Fernandez de Caleya led all Seahawks with 20 points, a season-high for the Tarragona, Spain native. Sophomore Keana Foz scored 12 points while Ricard added 11 and Modesayor nine points and eight rebounds.

Next up, Wagner hosts the defending conference champions FDU on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Spiro Sports Center.