LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis women's basketball team (14-8, 12-4 NEC) travels to No. 2 Wagner (12-5, 12-4 NEC) for the NEC Tournament Semifinals on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and NEC Front Row.
 
The Matchup: No. 2 Saint Francis (14-8, 12-4 NEC) at No. 3 Wagner (12-5, 12-4 NEC)
Location: Spiro Sports Center (Staten Island, N.Y.)
Date and Time: Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Watch: ESPN3 | NEC Front Row
Live Stats: wagnerathletics.com
Game Notes: Saint Francis
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
 
COACH WHITTINGTON'S PREVIEW
"We are always excited to have the opportunity to play in the postseason. We did not have the opportunity to play Wagner in the regular season so we are both in the same place right now. It's a different type of feeling going into this game but we understand who they are as a team and we know that we have improved and that we're looking forward to putting our best foot forward and our best effort out there. It's March. It's March Madness. It's time to play a strong game of basketball."

SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS
Wagner earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament with a 12-4 conference record this season. The Seahawks hold a 12-5 overall record entering Wednesday's contest. Wagner swept Mount St. Mary's at home to conclude the regular season on a four-game win streak.

The Seahawks won the first game with MSM by a 73-62 margin and followed that up with a double-overtime victory on Friday, prevailing 73-68. Junior Emilija Krista Grava scored a season-high 32 points in Friday's victory while senior Khaleah Edwards scored 17 points as the Seahawks' two double-figure scorers.

This season, Grava leads the team with 15.1 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game. Edwards is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.4 points per game while junior Kem Nwabudu rounds out double-figure scorers with an even 10.0 points per game. Nwabudu is second on the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg).

SERIES HISTORY
Saint Francis leads the all-time series 49-23 against Wagner and is 27-9 inside DeGol Arena. Last season, the teams split the series with each winning on its home court.

On Jan. 13, 2020, Saint Francis won by a 51-50 margin. Sam Miller hit two free throws with 5.6 seconds remaining to give the Red Flash the lead. Thomas recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Karson Swogger also scored 11 points while Jenna Mastellone scored 10.

On Feb. 8, 2020, Wagner earned the 55-50 win in Staten Island. Swogger led the Red Flash offense with 16 points and Haley Thomas totaled 14.

LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis swept Central Connecticut on the road to end the regular season with a 12-4 record in conference play. The Red Flash won by an 80-69 margin on Thursday before securing the 69-62 victory on Friday in the regular-season finale.

Saint Francis put together its best offense game as a team on Thursday, scoring a season-high 80 points with five players reaching double figures. SFU had its best shooting performance, shooting 52.5 percent from the floor during the contest. The Red Flash had four players reach double figures on Friday as the team shot 47.4 percent from the floor and 46.7 percent from long range.
 
Follow Saint Francis Women's Basketball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get up-to-date information and a behind-the-scenes look at the Red Flash program.
 
To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit francis.edu.