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Nwajei Post-Game Interview ((with the voice of Seahawk women's basketball Michael Ventola)

Staten Island, NY – Freshman point guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum), the reigning and five-time NEC Rookie of the Week, poured in 25 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out six assists and came up with four steals, in leading Wagner to a wire-to-wire 62-53 Northeast Conference (NEC) win over St. Francis Brooklyn.

Redshirt junior center Ugo Nwaigwe (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream South) also recorded a double-double, tallying 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while adding seven blocked shots. The school record-holder in single-season blocks, the 6-3 Nwaigwe is now up to 88 on the season.

Sharp-shooting sophomore guard Jordyn Peck (Shaker Heights, OH/Shaker Heights) was the third Seahawk in double figures, finishing with 10 points despite struggling from the perimeter. While Peck's string of 20-point-plus scoring games came to an end at four, the 5-6 lefty was able to hit for double digits for the 19th time on the season.

Nwaigwe's seven blocks Nwajei's four steals helped lead a Seahawk defensive effort that limited St. Francis Brooklyn to 29.7% shooting (19-of-64). And for the first time this season, the Terriers were held without a scorer hitting double-figures as they were led by Jasmin Robinson and junior forward Sarah Benedetti, who finished with nine points apiece. Forwards Leah Fechko and Jessica Kaufman added seven points each matching her career-high with a team-leading 13 rebounds in defeat.

In completing the season sweep over a Terrier squad that entered play tied for fourth in the conference, Wagner improved to 6-7 in the NEC and 7-17 overall, while St. Francis Brooklyn fell to 17-7 on the year, 7-6 in league play. Back on January 27, Wagner earned a 73-62 victory over the Terriers in Brooklyn Heights.

In completing the season sweep over a Terrier squad that entered play tied for fourth in the conference, Wagner improved to 6-7 in the NEC and 7-17 overall, while St. Francis Brooklyn fell to 17-7 on the year, 7-6 in league play. Back on January 27, Wagner earned a 73-62 victory over the Terriers in Brooklyn Heights.

The Seahawks will look to even their conference record at 7-7 on Monday night, and make it three straight NEC wins, when they host Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday, February 17 at 7:00 pm in a game that will be seen live on ESPN3. In this contest, the Green & White will be hoping to avenge an 82-70 loss suffered at FDU on February 8.

Nwajei's layup 27 seconds into the contest gave the Seahawks a lead they would never relinquish, although the Terriers would make things interesting, whittling an 18-point early second-half deficit down to six points.
 
When senior forward Laura Amorosa (Kirkland, Quebec/Phillips Academy) drained a three-pointer with 11:37 left in the half, Wagner was in control with a 20-9 lead en route to seizing a comfortable 37-22 halftime lead. Nwajei paced Wagner with 15 first-half points while Nwaigwe chipped in with 10 points while recording all seven of her blocks in the game's opening 20 minutes.
 
After a Fechko  bucket opened the second-half scoring, the Seahawks reeled off five unanswered points on a Nwajei layup ,followed by a Peck three-point jumper, the latter coming at the 17:50 mark which staked Wagner to its biggest lead of the game at 42-24.
 
St. Francis Brooklyn then steadily cut into the Seahawk lead, outscoring Wagner 21-9 over the next 11:38 and when Kaufman hit a layup with 6:12 to go, St. Francis Brooklyn was to within six at 51-45. Anyone's ballgame at this point, Nwaigwe tilted the tide in the Seahawks' favor with a driving layup off a pretty feed from freshman guard Lyndsay Rowe (South River, NJ/St. John Vianney) that pushed the lead back to eight at 53-45 with 4:04 remaining.
 
After Kaufman made one of two free throws, Nwajei hit a clutch foul-line jumper with 3:14 to go make it a 55-46 game. Benedetti sank two foul shots with 2:17 left to draw the Terriers to within seven at 55-48. But this is as close as St. Francis Brooklyn would get. With the Terriers having to foul each trip down, Wagner sank six of its next eight free throws en route to the nine-point victory.