Women's Hoops Tripped Up at Albertus Magnus, 59-54

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team fought hard, but fell on the road, 59-54, against in-state rival Albertus Magnus College (AMC) during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action Wednesday night inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center in New Haven, Conn. The Blue Jays held a nine-point lead at the halftime break, but the Flacons stormed back in the third quarter, securing the victory.

GAME INFORMATION 
Score: USJ 54, AMC 59
Records: USJ (9-5, 5-2 GNAC), AMC (12-1, 7-0 GNAC)
Location: Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center (New Haven, Conn.)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first quarter started as a back-and-forth battle between USJ and AMC, as the two teams played out an 8-8 tie after the opening six minutes. However, USJ closed the opening quarter strong, using a 9-3 stretch to take a commanding lead. Junior forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) got the run going with an easy layup and post jumper stretching the Blue Jays lead to 12-9. The Falcons responded with a bucket of their own to cut the gap to one, but sophomore guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) quickly fired back to reestablish a three-point edge, 14-11, with 1:42 remaining. USJ ended the quarter with a bang as junior guard Jelly Frigo (Canton, Conn.) launched a three from well beyond the arc, beating the buzzer and sending the Blue Jays into the second quarter leading 17-11.

USJ continued to roll in the second, as Ouellette and Slisz broke open a double-digit lead for the Blue Jays, 21-11 with 8:57 on the clock. AMC put an end to the USJ run a minute and a half later, but five straight points by junior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) quickly reestablished a double-digit edge, 26-13, and forced AMC into calling a timeout with 5:50 remaining in the first half. The hosts snapped the Blue Jays 9-2 streak, cutting the gap to 11, but Ouellette hauled in an offensive rebound before making the putback to reestablish a 13-point edge, 28-15, with 2:12 left in the half. However, the Falcons would finish the half strong, using a 4-0 run to bring themselves back within single digits, 28-19 entering the halftime break.

The hosts would have all the momentum to start the second half, exploding for a 7-1 run, cutting the deficit to three, 29-26, and forcing a USJ timeout with 7:44 left in the quarter. AMC continued its stretch, pulling within one, 29-28, but an Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) three-pointer snapped the Falcons momentum, increasing USJ's lead to 32-28 at the 6:17 mark. Verboven would knock down a midrange jumper to give the Blue Jays a six-point edge, but an 11-0 AMC run gave the Falcons the lead, 39-35, forcing another USJ timeout at the 2:42 mark. The Blue Jays and Falcons would trade buckets to end the quarter as sophomore forward Janai Oliver (Hartford, Conn.) scored from a putback layup, cutting the gap to two, 40-38, heading into the fourth.

Both teams traded buckets to start the fourth, as USJ pulled back within one, 41-40, after a Slisz layup at the 8:56 mark. The Blue Jays and Falcons continued to battle back-and-forth in the fourth, until AMC extended the gap to five, 48-43, with 4:11 remaining. The Falcons would pull away by as many as seven, but a late layup by Fudge and a triple from Verboven made it a one possession game, 57-54, with nine seconds left. However, AMC would ice the game at the free throw line, taking home a 59-54 victory. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Ouellette paced the Blue Jays with 16 points.
• She has recorded double figures in scoring in every game this season.
• Verboven joined Ouellette in double figures, tallying 10 points.
• Frigo paced the team in rebounding, hauling in a career-high 14 rebounds.
• Ouellette and Verboven also hauled in 11 rebounds each, securing double-doubles.
• It is the fifth for Ouellette, and second in a row, while Verboven recorded her second of the year.
• The rebounding total was also a career-best for Verboven.
• Ouellette was the primary playmaker, matching her career-high of six assists.
• USJ outshot AMC 33.3 percent (24 of 72) to 29.0 percent (18 of 62).
• The Blue Jays limited the Falcons to one made three-pointer from 13 attempts.
• AMC made frequent trips to the free-throw line, shooting 22 of 30.
• USJ held a double-digit advantage in rebounding, 53-43. 
• AMC extended its lead in the all-time series to 27-9.
• The Falcons increased its winning streak to 11 games against the Blue Jays.

UP NEXT

Women's basketball returns to James A. Calhoun Gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 14 for a matchup against St. Joseph's College of Maine. Tipoff against the Monks is set for 1:00 p.m. in West Hartford. Tickets to attend Saturday's game can be purchased by visiting www.usjbluejays.com/tickets. Fans who cannot make it to the game in person can watch all of the action live by visiting https://portal.stretchinternet.com/usj/.

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