Blue Jays Trounce Bulldogs, 68-29, on the Road Thursday Night

FRANKLIN, Mass. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team trounced Dean College (Dean) on the road, 68-29, during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action Tuesday night inside Pieri Gymnasium in Franklin, Mass. Junior forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) paced the USJ offense with 14 points from a perfect 7-of-7 shooting.

GAME INFORMATION 
Score: USJ 68, Dean 29
Records: USJ (10-6, 6-3 GNAC), Dean (0-13, 0-8 GNAC)
Location: Pieri Gymnasium (Franklin, Mass.)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Blue Jays dominated from the opening tip, jumping out to a quick 3-0 lead after three straight points from Janai Oliver (Hartford, Conn.) at the 7:40 mark. Dean would cut the early momentum, cutting the score to one, 3-2, but USJ put on the clamps, playing ferocious defense for the remainder of the quarter. The Blue Jays exploded for a 15-0 run, keeping the Bulldogs scoreless over a six-minute stretch to take a commanding 18-2 lead with 1:40 left in the first. A well-balanced offense was the main theme of the stretch as Jordan Farrell (West Hartford, Conn.), Ouellette Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.), Maya Slisz (new Britain, Conn.) and Oliver all recorded points during the run. Dean would cut the Blue Jays momentum with a bucket at the 1:12 mark, but a Slisz layup followed by an easy Heslin layup with four seconds left saw USJ take a 21-4 edge entering the second quarter.

The Bulldogs scored the first basket of the second quarter, but Oliver put a quick end to the hosts momentum, securing an offensive rebound before nailing the putback, maintaining a 17-point lead, 23-6, at the 9:07 mark. Dean would try and find a way back in the game, cutting the gap to 25-9, but USJ ended the second quarter on fire, using an 18-4 run over the final 7:06 of the half to take a commanding 43-12 edge into the half. Ouellette played a crucial role in the closing stretch, tallying eight points, including a buzzer beating layup to end the quarter, to give the Blue Jays the edge. 

USJ carried the momentum into the third quarter, using a quick 6-0 stretch, featuring buckets from Khalise Harris (South Windsor, Conn.), Julia Olson (North Scituate, R.I.) and Farrell increased the gap to 37, 49-12, at the 7:48 mark. Dean cut the momentum with a quick triple, but another 6-0 stretch increased the gap to 40, 55-15 with 5:33 remaining. The Bulldogs began to gain some momentum, using a 5-0 run of their own to cut the deficit to 35, while the two teams traded buckets to end the quarter as USJ entered the final period of play leading, 59-24.

The Blue Jays continued to dominate in the fourth quarter, limiting Dean to just five points as USJ took home a convincing, 68-29 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Ouellette dropped a game-high 14 points off a perfect 7-of-7 shooting from the floor.
• Oliver and Harris  joined her in double figures, dropping 12 and 10 points, respectively.
• Ouellette continued her streak of double-digit scoring, recording the mark in every game this season.
• Oliver was the leading rebounder, hauling in a career-high 8 rebounds.
• Jelly Frigo (Canton, Conn.) was the primary playmaker, dishing out four assists.
• The Blue Jays outshot the Bulldogs 55.4 percent (31 of 56) to 22.2 percent (10 of 45).
• USJ were held without a three-pointer while Dean shot 33.3 percent (2 of 6) from deep.
• The Blue Jays held a significant advantage on the glass, outrebounding Dean 41-24.
• USJ remained perfect against Dean, increasing the lead in the all-time series to 4-0.

UP NEXT

Women's basketball returns to James A. Calhoun Gymnasium for a two-game homestand, starting on Thursday, Jan. 19 for a rematch against Regis College. Tipoff against the Pride is set for 5:00 p.m. in West Hartford. Tickets to attend Thursday'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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