BOX SCORE
Staten Island, NY – The Wagner College Seahawks used a big second half to defeat the Quinnipiac Bobcats 72-58 at the Spiro Sports Center.
With the win the Seahawks improve to 7-13 and 4-5 in the NEC while snapping a 15-game losing skid to the Bobcats, having last won on January 3, 2002. The victory was also the 200th of head coach Gela Mikalauskas’ career and her first-ever against Quinnipiac, having lost her previous eight games against the Bobcats.
Juniors
Megan Mahoney (Staten Island, NY / St. Peter’s) and
Ashley Olsen (Staten Island, NY / Notre Dame Academy) each scored 16 points to the lead the Green & White. Olsen also pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the year while Mahoney added eight caroms.
With Quinnipiac holding a 7-6 lead with 15:33 to go in the first half, Wagner busted off seven-straight points. Junior
Nyoto Patterson (Teaneck, NJ / Manhattan Center (NY)) notched a pair of lay-ups before classmate
Stephanie McBride (Mechanicville, NY / Catholic Central) buried a three pointer from the top of the key, giving the Seahawks a 13-7 lead with 12:35 to go in the half. After a Bobcat bucket, McBride started a 7-1 run with a jumper. Courtney Kaminski then split a pair from the line before Mahoney drained a long three and Olsen knocked down a jumper, extending the lead to 20-10 at the 9:25 mark. From that point both teams went ice-cold from the field and the Bobcats took advantage, ending the half with a 9-4 run.
After starting 9-of-20 (45.0 %) from the floor, Wagner finished the first hitting on just 2-of-16 (12.5 %), and was 11-of-36 (30.6 %) for the half. Quinnipiac fared no better, connecting on just 7-of-23 (30.4 %).
Patterson and Olsen each had six first-half points to pace the Green & White while Mahoney and McBride each notched five.
With the Wagner leading 42-34 early in the second half, the Seahawks put the game on ice using an 8-0 spurt, highlighted by three pointers from Mahoney and freshman
Marie-Laurence Archambault (Montreal, Quebec / Gatineau), making it 50-34 with 10:55 to play. The Bobcats would cut it to eight on two occasions but never get any closer, as Wagner won going away, 72-58.
Junior
Sha'Ron Harrison (Paterson, NJ / John F. Kennedy) scored 10 points while Patterson notched nine points and five rebounds, rounding out the top performers for the Green & White.
Courtney Kaminski scored 18 points with 10 rebounds to pace Quinnipiac.
Wagner shot 37.8 percent (28-74) from the floor, including 44.7 percent (17-38) in the second stanza, while connecting on all 11 of their free throws. Quinnipiac hit on 40.4 percent (21-52), but committed 27 turnovers that led to a 24-12 Wagner advantage in points off turnovers.
The Green & White will host defending NEC Champion Sacred Heart on Saturday, January 30 at 3:00 pm.