Women's Hoops Drops Overtime Heartbreaker To JWU, 63-55

WEST HARTFORD, Conn.— The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team scored seven points in the final two minutes to force overtime, but ultimately dropped a home heartbreaker to Johnson & Wales University (JWU), 63-55, inside the O'Connell Center Tuesday night, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action.

Senior guard Tiondra Hands (Boynton Beach, Fla.) scored nine of her game-high 22 points in overtime to lift the Wildcats to victory. Senior center Maddy Moro (Catawissa, Pa.) finished with a double-double (17 PTS, 12 REB).

Junior captain Raelynn Voislow (Windsor Locks, Conn.) led the way for the Blue Jays with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Neither team led by double digits throughout the game. USJ trailed 48-42 with 3:04 to go, and forced overtime at 49 all. The Wildcats went wild in OT, outscoring the Blue Jays, 14-6.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Saint Joseph 55, JWU 63 (F/OT)
Records: USJ (8-9, 0-4 GNAC) JWU (10-8, 2-2 GNAC)
Location: O'Connell Center | West Hartford, Conn.

COACH QUOTE [Wendy Davis]
"We fought really hard tonight against a really good JWU team. I'm depending on a lot of very young players this season, and this overtime experience will only help us down the road."

KEY MOMENTS

• All looked well for USJ early, as six players combined for 14 points and a four-point lead after one.
• The Wildcats turned the tables in the second quarter, outrebounding the Blue Jays, 11-4, and outscoring them 15-9. USJ trailed by two, 25-23 at the half.
• Hands dropped 10 points in the third, but the Blue Jays turned it around, as Voislow chipped in with five in the period to give the Blue Jays a slim 38-37 lead into the final quarter.
• Moro scored nine of her 17 in the fourth, putting the Wildcats out in front late in the ballgame. Down six with 3:04 to play, freshman point guard Tiana Asberry (East Hartford, Conn.), who scored a career-high 13 on the night, put the team on her back in the final moments, sinking two driving layups, including an and-one with 40 seconds left to tie the game up. The Blue Jays forced a travel with 0.7 seconds on the clock. The Blue Jays' second-year head coach, Wendy Davis, immediately called for time. USJ had a chance to win it in regulation, but ran out of time on the final possession and did not get a shot off.
• JWU dominated in OT, scoring 10 of the final 12 points of the period. A dagger three from Hands with 45 seconds left pushed the lead to seven, at the Blue Jays ran out of time.

NUMBER TO KNOW

6 – The Wildcats played just six players, with starters averaging more than 40 minutes each on the game.

NOTES

• USJ owned the bench points, 21-1.
• The Blue Jays have lost their last five. The Wildcats have split their last six.
• JWU was 7-for-10 from the free-throw line in overtime (70%). They shot 9-for-16 in regulation (56%).

UP NEXT
The USJ women's basketball team returns to the hardwood on Saturday in a GNAC clash with the Rivier Raiders. Tip-off is slated for 1:00 p.m. inside the O'Connell Center in the front end of a basketball doubleheader where the USJ men's game will follow versus Rivier at 3:30 p.m. Tickets for both games can be purchased here.

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