Feb. 26, 2008

Box Score

Loretto, PA - Wagner outscored Saint Francis (PA) 46-31 in the second half on their way to frantic come-from-behind 64-60 win at DeGol Arena. The Green & White move to 7-20 and 5-11 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) while the Red Flash fall to 6-21 and 3-13 in the NEC.

Down 58-56 with 1:48 to go in the game, freshman Ashley Olsen (Staten Island, NY / Notre Dame Academy) knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game. Junior Casey Stokes (Hummelstown, PA / Lower Dauphin) stole the ball on the ensuing possession and sophomore Andrea Reed (Pocomoke City, MD / Pocomoke) hit a jumper in the paint to put Wagner up 60-58 with 34 seconds remaining. Whitney Robinson countered with a jumper in the paint with 34 seconds remaining and was fouled but missed the free throw. Olsen then grabbed a rebound off a missed Poole jumper and hit two free throws after getting fouled to put Wagner back out in front 62-60 with 16 seconds remaining. Following a Red Flash timeout, Brittney Hodges' shot was blocked by senior Ali Ridge (Barrington, IL / Fremd). Ridge, who grabbed the rebound off her 200th career block, then was fouled and went to the line where she sank two free throws to seal Wagner's 64-60 win.

With the win, the Seahawks keep pace with Monmouth (5-11 NEC) for the eighth and final playoff berth for the upcoming NEC Tournament as the Hawks upset first place Quinnipiac 80-66 tonight. Wagner will get its crack at the Bobcats on Saturday at 4 pm before closing out their regular season against Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday, March 3 at 7 pm. Monmouth heads to Mount St. Mary's (6-11 NEC) in the Mountaineers' final game of the year. If Wagner and the Mount were to finish tied the Green & White would claim the playoff berth due to the fact they took both meetings this year. Monmouth's win over Quinnipiac gives the Hawks the tiebreaker over Wagner as of now.

Sophomore John'a Poole (Middle River, MD / Eastern Tech) led the Seahawks with 15 points, on 7-11 shooting, off the bench. Olsen hit for double-figures, scoring 12 of her 14 points in the second half, with six rebounds. Ridge netted 12 points with seven rebounds to round out the double-digit scorers for the Green & White. Also standing out in a big way was the Wagner floor general, Reed, who handed out 10 assists, against just three turnovers, with eight points, four rebounds and three steals.

Down 35-24 with 17:32 to go in the game, Wagner ripped off an 11-1 run over the next 3:57 to cut the deficit to one at 36-35 with 13:35 to go. Chelsey Bunyer (Shannon, IL / Eastland) got things rolling with a jumper and Olsen hit a three. After a missed a shot by the Red Flash, Bunyer hit another jumper. SFPA momentarily stopped the bleeding with a free throw. Poole concluded the run with two fast-break lay-ups. Wagner would complete their big rally with a three pointer from senior Ieva Sulskyte (Vilnius, Lithuania / Daytona Beach CC) and a lay-up from Reed to go in front 42-40 with 11:21 remaining.

The lead would be short-lived as the Red Flash quickly assumed the lead setting the stage for a back-and-forth second stanza, which featured nine leads and eight ties.

In the decisive second half, Wagner hit a blistering 58.1 percent of their shots (18-31), on their way to an even 50.0 percent (27-54) for the game. The 13-point deficit represented the Seahawks' largest margin in a Green & White victory. Wagner also hit the W column for the first time this season when trailing at the half.

The Red Flash hit on 44.6 percent of their shots (25-56) for the game, and outrebounded the Seahawks 32-28, but were done in by nine second-half turnovers that led to 11 points. On the flip side, Wagner committed just five turnovers and did not allow any points off turnovers.

Wagner's seven victories and five conference wins match their totals from the previous three seasons combined.

Allison Daly led SFPA with 16 points, on 4-8 shooting from beyond the arc, with eight rebounds while Brittney Hodges recorded her second-straight double-double (12 points, 10 assists).