Slisz Nets Career-High, But Women's Hoops Falls to WCSU in OT

WEST HARTFORD, Conn – Sophomore guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) dropped a career-high 25 points, but the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team fell in overtime, 65-63, against intrastate foe Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) on Tuesday night inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: USJ 63, WCSU 65 (OT)
Records: USJ 3-1, WCSU 3-1
Location: James A. Calhoun Gymnasium | West Hartford, Conn.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both teams traded buckets in the opening minutes of the first quarter, as a Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) layup at the 7:13 mark levelled the score at 4-4. Buckets would be hard to come by in the opening stanza as both USJ and WCSU played stellar defense, until USJ took the lead at the 5:43 mark after a layup from Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.). WCSU fought back, but a timely Slisz layup saw the Blue Jays take a three-point edge, 10-7, with a little over three minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Wolves knotted the score late with a triple, but Jordan Farrell (West Hartford, Conn.) quickly responded with a jumper to see USJ take a 14-12 lead after the first quarter.

Slisz and Farrell combined for a quick 4-0 run, extending the USJ lead to 18-14 at the 8:00 mark in the second quarter before Janai Oliver (Hartford, Conn.) recorded a tough and-one layup, to give the Blue Jays its largest lead, 21-16 midway through the second quarter. Oliver again came up big for the Blue Jays, knocking down a pair of free throws to give USJ a seven-point gap, 27-20 with 3:08 remaining in the opening half. WCSU cut the deficit to five, as USJ entered the break up, 29-24.

The Wolves started the second half strong, utilizing a 6-2 run to pull within one, 31-30. However, Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) cut the visitors momentum, draining a jumper to reestablish a three-point Blue Jays edge at the 6:45 mark. USJ put on the clamps, not allowing another made WCSU basket until the 4:18 mark. A 6-0 Wolves run would then see the visitors take its first lead of the game, 38-36, with 1:43 left in the third quarter. The Blue Jays would answer back with a 4-0 stretch, featuring a pair of free throws from Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) and Slisz, that saw them take a 40-38 lead into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter was a battle between the Blue Jays and Wolves, as both teams fired shots back-and-forth as USJ lead, 48-46 with 6:37 left in regulation. WCSU cut the gap to one, but a clutch Slisz jumper extended the gap to three, 50-47, at the 4:55 mark. Ouellette would reestablish a three-point lead later on in the quarter as the Blue Jays held a 52-49 advantage entering the final three minutes. Following some clutch defending by USJ, Slisz increased the gap to four, 55-51 with 53 seconds left after a tough layup. However, trailing by three, the Wolves tied the game with a late three-pointer, to send the game into overtime deadlocked at 56-56.

WCSU started the overtime period strong, using a 6-1 run to take a 62-57 edge. USJ would not go down easy though as a 6-2 run of its own cut the gap to one, 64-63 with 1:29 remaining. However, the Blue Jays would not get any closer as the Wolves escaped with a 65-63 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Slisz lead all scorers with a career-high 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
• Slisz also hauled in a career-high seven rebounds.
• Oliver also notched a career-best in points (11) while Ouellette joined Oliver and Slisz in double-figures with 10 points.
• Jelly Frigo (Canton, Conn.) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
• The Wolves held the advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Blue Jays 59-41.
• USJ outshot WCSU 36.8 percent to 32.5 percent, but the Wolves held the Blue Jays to zero three pointers.
• The contest marked the first time USJ went into overtime since January 21, 2020 against Johnson & Wales.
• Tuesday marked the first time the Blue Jays and Wolves met in West Hartford.
• WCSU won its third-straight game against USJ, increasing its lead in the all-time series to 3-0.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays hit the road for the first time in the 2022-23 season, heading to New London, Conn., for a matchup against Mitchell on Thursday, December 1. Tipoff against the Mariners is set for 6:00 p.m. 

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