Women's Hoops Trounce Tigers, 82-55, During Season Opener

ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team stated its 2023-24 season in dominating fashion, taking down the Trinity Washington University (TWU) Tigers, 82-55, Friday night during the opening round of the Jamie L. Roberts Memorial Tournament inside the Michael P. O'Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena in St. Mary's City, Md. Senior guard Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) lead all scorers with 23 points off 11-of-17 shooting on the night. With the victory, USJ begins the year 1-0, while TWU drops to 0-2 on the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• USJ took a quick 4-2 lead inside the opening two minutes after a mid-range jumper from senior forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) followed by Fudge picking off a pass before finishing at the other end.
• However, TWU would utilize a 10-2 run to jump out to a 12-6 edge with 5:27 left in the first quarter.
• The Blue Jays would begin to fight back, exploding for a 9-3 stretch of its own, featuring a Fudge three-pointer and capped off by an Ouellette layup, reestablishing a USJ lead, 15-14, with 2:41 left in the opening stanza.
• TWU quickly regained the lead, 16-15, but junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) jumped in front of a passing lane, stealing the ball before finding a streaking Fudge down court for an easy fastbreak layup, forcing TWU to call a timeout trailing, 19-16, with 1:06 left in the first.
• USJ continued to roll, closing the half on a 6-0 run, finished off by a buzzer beating jumper from Ouellette, as USJ held a 23-16 lead entering the second quarter.
• The Blue Jays carried the momentum into the second quarter, opening on a 9-4 stretch, featuring six points from Fudge and senior forward Maci Dorantes' (Bristol, Conn.) first points in a USJ uniform, increasing the gap to 12, 32-20, and forcing a Tigers timeout at the 5:20 mark.
• The Tigers would begin to mount a comeback, closing the gap to seven, 33-25, but a 7-0 USJ stretch, capped off by an and-one layup from junior forward Janai Oliver (Hartford, Conn.) increased the gap to 14, 39-25 entering the halftime break.
• USJ showed no signs of slowing down in the third quarter, starting the second half on a 13-5 run, capped off by an easy transition layup by Fudge off an assist from Slisz, extending the USJ advantage to 52-30, and forcing a TWU timeout at the 5:20 mark.
• The Blue Jays and Tigers would trade buckets for the remainder of the quarter, as USJ headed into the fourth leading, 63-41.
• USJ continued to increase the lead, as a 7-3 stretch to start the fourth, featuring freshman guard Natalia Zappone's (Morris, Conn.) first collegiate bucket, and a junior guard Jelly Frigo (Canton, Conn.) triple, saw USJ take a 70-44 lead with 7:44 left to play.
• The Blue Jays would grow the gap to 30, 76-46, after Zappone found junior guard Emiah Soto (Wolcott, Conn.) for a layup at the 5:47 mark.
•  USJ continued to roll to close out the game, securing a season-opening victory, 82-55.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Fudge led the team with a game-high 23 points.
• Slisz and Ouellette joined Fudge in double-figures, dropping 19 and 12 points, respectively.
• Senior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) dished out a game-high seven assists and swiped a game-high four steals.
• Sophomore forward Julia Olson (North Scituate, R.I.) hauled in a team-high five rebounds.
• Dorantes, Zappone, freshman guard Taigan Parent (Bristol, Conn.) and classmate Adriana Correa-Berly (Coamo, Puerto Rico) all scored their first points in a USJ uniform.
• USJ outshot TWU, 50.0 percent to 31.4 percent.
• The Blue Jays outrebounded the Tigers, 40-34.
• All 16 members of the USJ roster recorded minutes.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays return to the court tomorrow, Saturday, November 11, for the Jamie L. Roberts Memorial Tournament Championship game against the hosts, St. Mary's College of Maryland. Tipoff against the Seahawks is set for 3:00 p.m.

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