Verboven Double-Double Powers Women's Hoops Past WestConn Tuesday Night

DANBURY, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team remained perfect on the year, defeating intrastate foe Western Connecticut State University (WCSU), 75-43, on the road Tuesday night inside Stephen Feldman Arena in Danbury, Conn. Senior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) paced the Blue Jays on the night, posting 22 points and a season-high 18 rebounds, recording her second double-double of the year. With the result, the Blue Jays improve to 6-0 on the year, while the Wolves drop to 1-5 on the season. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Wolves started the game strong, opening up a 6-2 lead inside the opening 1:20 of play.
• USJ exploded offensively in response, utilizing a 12-3 stretch, capped off by a transition layup from Verboven to establish a 14-9 USJ lead with 4:08 left to play in the first.
• WCSU responded with a 6-0 run to retake the lead, 15-14, but a junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) layup swung the lead back in the Blue Jays favor, 16-15.
• The Wolves fired back to take the lead, but a senior forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) mid-range jumper with 10 seconds left enabled USJ to take a slim 18-17 advantage into the second quarter.
• USJ carried the momentum into the second stanza, opening up the quarter on a 6-0 run as Verboven sunk a pair of free throws to break open a 24-17 edge at the 7:45 mark.
• WCSU would put a stop to the run, but the Blue Jays quickly increased the gap to 10, 29-19, after buckets from Slisz, Verboven and senior guard Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.)
• The Wolves fought back within single digits, but a Fudge triple from the wing extended the lead to 11, 32-21 at the 3:47 mark.
• Both offenses went quiet to close out the first half, as USJ took a 34-23 edge into the break.
• The offenses were slow to get going in the opening portion of the third quarter until USJ used a 4-0 Verboven run to establish a 16-point edge, 43-27, and forcing WCSU to call a timeout at the 4:32 mark.
• The Blue Jays continued to roll offensively, using a 14-6 run out of the stoppage in play to hold a 57-33 edge entering the final quarter.
• The Blue Jays and Wolves traded buckets throughout the fourth quarter, as USJ held a 71-43 lead as WCSU called a timeout with 4:13 on the clock.
• The Blue Jays continued to hold the Wolves at bay to close out the game, securing its sixth-straight win, 75-43.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• The victory is the first for USJ over WCSU in the all-time series.
• Verboven paced the team with a game-high 22 points and 18 rebounds.
• Fudge also dropped 20 points on the night.
• Verboven also paced the team with four assists and three steals.
• Slisz joined Verboven with three steals.
• USJ won the battle of the glass, outrebounding WCSU, 53-29.
• The Blue Jays did not allow a single three-pointer.
• USJ shot 40.0 percent from beyond the arc.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays cap off a three-game road trip with the teams Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener against Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Saturday, December 2. Tipoff against the Monks inside the Harold Alfond Center in Standish, Maine is set for 1:00 p.m.

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