Women's Basketball Slips in Third Quarter, Falls at USJ, 79-68

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Head coach Wendy Davis secured her 300th career victory as the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team picked up a statement victory at home versus Emmanuel College, 79-68, during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play Tuesday night inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn. The victory snapped a 31-game losing streak against the Saints for the Blue Jays, marking the first win for USJ since the 1997-98 season. With the result, the Blue Jays move to 14-3 overall on the year and 5-1 in GNAC play, while the Saints move to 7-8 overall and 4-1 in the conference. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Senior guard Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) established a quick 5-4 USJ edge, knocking down a corner three at the 7:13 mark.
• Emmanuel would respond with an 8-0 stretch, jumping out to a 12-5 edge and forcing a USJ timeout with 5:52 on the clock.
• USJ would fight back, closing the gap to three, 14-11, after a junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) pull-up jumper from the free-throw line, with 4:24 left in the first.
• The Saints went on to establish an eight-point lead after a 6-1 run, 20-12, but junior forward Janai Oliver (Hartford, Conn.) cut the deficit back to six, 20-14, with a pair of free throws to end the first.
• The Saints and Blue Jays traded buckets to open the second, as senior forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) knocked down a close-range jumper, closing the gap to four, 23-19, at the 8:17 mark.
• USJ continued to roll, utilizing a 6-2 run, capped off by a senior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) mid-range jump shot, to close the gap to two, 25-23, and force an Emmanuel timeout with 7:20 on the clock.
• The Blue Jays chipped away at the lead further, as Fudge found Ouellette for a jumper at the elbow, closing the Saints lead to one, 29-28, with 4:15 left in the half.
• Slisz continued her stellar opening half, knocking down a jumper to tie the game at 34-34 with 1:33 on the clock.
• Senior forward Maci Dorantes (Bristol, Conn.) closed out the half with a wide-open layup after a nice find from Fudge, tying the score at 36-36 entering the halftime break.
• The Blue Jays began the second half strong, opening up on a 5-0 run, featuring a triple from Fudge and a close-range jump shot from Verboven, to take a 41-36 edge at the 8:18 mark. Ouellette increased the stretch to 7-0, increasing the gap to seven, 43-36, and forcing an Emmanuel timeout at the 7:46 mark.
• Verboven increased the run to 11-2, establishing a double-digit USJ lead, 49-38, with 5:41 on the clock.
• The Blue Jays continued to dominate in the third quarter, as Ouellette finished a driving layup through contact, increasing the lead to 18, 58-40, at the 3:40 mark.
• Emmanuel would begin to mount a comeback though, firing off an 8-0 run to close the gap to 15, 63-48, and force a USJ timeout with 57 seconds left in the quarter.
• The Saints knocked down a late free-throw to end the quarter, sending the Blue Jays into the fourth with a 63-49 lead.
• The game slowed down in the fourth quarter, as senior forward Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.) drained a mid-range jump shot to keep a double-digit lead for USJ, 65-53, with 6:44 left to play.
• Emmanuel continued to fight back into the game, utilizing a 7-0 run to get back within single digits, 69-64, and force a Blue Jays timeout with 4:03 on the clock.
• The Saints closed the gap to one, but Slisz knocked down a clutch jumper from the elbow, increasing the lead to three, 71-68, with 2:08 on the clock.
• USJ would not allow the Saints to get any closer, as the Blue Jays iced the game out at the free-throw line, taking home a 79-68 statement victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Slisz lead all scorers with 27 points, tying her career high.
• Fudge added 17 points, while Ouellette and Verboven dropped 13 and 11, respectively.
• Saints junior Paris Atuahene (Pheonix, Ariz.) scored a team-high 14 points.
• First-year Meagan Schuermann (Cooperstown, N.Y.) added 13 points for the Saints.
• Senior Kiera Eubanks (Portland, Maine) finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Saints welcome Mitchell College to the Jean Yawkey Center on Jan. 20 for a 1:00 p.m. game in GNAC play. The Blue Jays round out a two-game homestand against Regis College on Jan. 20 in West Hartford at 1:00 p.m.

**Release courtesy USJ Athletic Communications Office