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Video Highlights I Nwajei Post-Game Interview (with Pete Mundo)

Staten Island, NY – Sophomore guard Jasmine Nwajei (Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum), the nation's fourth-leading scorer entering the game,  scored 25 of her 33 points in the second half and accounted for 20 of the Seahawks' final 23 points in leading the Wagner women's basketball team to a stirring 63-60 comeback victory over St. Francis Brooklyn this afternoon.

In snapping a seven-game losing streak, the Seahawks improve to 3-8 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) and 5-17 overall while the Terriers fall to 4-7 in league play and are now 7-16 on the season.

After trailing by a 37-26 count at halftime, and by 10 at 52-42 with under eight minutes to play, the Seahawks stormed back, outscoring the Terriers 21-8 the rest of the way, with 18 of those points coming from Nwajei.

The Seahawks took their first lead of the game when Nwajei penetrated the lane, drawing two defenders, before dishing to sophomore forward Jackie Dluhi (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) who banked in the layup to put Wagner ahead 57-56 with 3:22 left.

Eilidh Simpson then hit an off-balance runner in the lane to out the Terriers back on top, 58-57, at the 2:46 mark.

On Wagner's ensuing possession, Nwajei was fouled on the floor following a missed three-point try with 2:27 to go. This was the Terriers' seventh team foul, sending Nwajei to the line for a crucial one-and-one, and the 5-8 sophomore knocked down both free throws to put the Seahawks ahead, 59-58.

Following a Simpson turnover, Nwajei drilled an 18-foot jumper to make it 61-58 with 1:59 left. Wagner's trapping defense then forced Sarah Benedetti into a turnover along the baseline, giving Wagner possession with 1:33 left. After Nwajei went 1-of-2 from the line at the 1:25 mark to make it 62-58, Bendedetti answered with a driving layup at 1:09 to make it a 62-60 game.

After Nwajei missed a three-point try, the Terriers came down trailing 62-60 with a chance to tie or take the lead but another Benedetti turnover gave the ball back to Wagner. Junior guard Jordyn Peck (Shaker Heights, OH/Shaker Heights), who finished with 11 points, was then fouled with 14 seconds left. The lefthander, however, missed the front end of the one-and-one, giving St. Francis Brooklyn a chance.

Down 62-60, the Terriers quickly worked the ball down the court but a Benedetti three-pointer from the top of the key was off the mark with freshman forward Samantha Sullivan (Manasquan, NJ/Manasquan) corralling the rebound in traffic with two seconds to play.

Following a timeout, and with the Terriers now in the double-bonus, Sullivan made 1-of-2 free throws to make it 63-60. Following a St. Francis timeout, the Terriers were unable to get off a shot at the end, with Nwajei swiping the ball from DiBenedetti with one second left as Wagner held on for the win.

Benedetti, a 5-10 senior forward, got things going early for the Terriers, knocking down four three-pointers in scoring 12 of her team's 14 points. For the half, the 5-10 senior forward tossed in 20 of her team-high 28 points as the Terriers raced out to a 36-27 halftime lead.

In the opening stanza, St. Francis Brooklyn went 11-of-22 (50 percent) from the floor while limiting the Seahawks to 11-of-29 shooting, a 37.9 percent clip. Nwajei led Wagner with eight first-half points while ever-improving 6-2 post player Sofia Roma (Richmond Hill, NY/Nazareth Regional) totaled six points and five rebounds in half number one.
The Seahawks are next in action on Monday, February 9 when they travel to Fairfield, CT to meet the Sacred Heart Pioneers.