Women's Basketball Falls on the Road at SJC to Open GNAC Play

STANDISH, Maine – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team dropped its Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener on the road at Saint Joseph's College of Maine (SJC), 64-53, Saturday afternoon inside the Harold Alfond Center in Standish, Maine. With the result, the Blue Jays fall to 6-1 on the year and 0-1 in GNAC play, while the Monks move to 5-3 overall and 1-0 in the conference. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Monks opened the game on a 9-3 run, but senior guard Taylor Verboven cut the gap to four, 9-5, with a midrange jump shot at the 6:05 mark.
• SJC would reestablish a six-point lead, but a 6-0 USJ run, capped off by a pair of free throws from senior guard Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) tied the game at 11-11with 4:35 on the clock.
• Both offenses slowed down in the remainder of the quarter, but USJ would take the lead at the 1:42 mark after a junior forward Janai Oliver (Hartford, Conn.) jumper and held on to take an 18-15 edge into the second quarter.
• The Monks started the second quarter hot, utilizing a 6-0 stretch to retake the lead, 23-18, and force a USJ timeout at the 7:01 mark.
• The Blue Jays responded in kind out of the break, as a 6-0 run of their own, featuring four points from senior forward Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.) saw USJ reestablish a lead, 24-23.
• However, SJC swung the advantage back in their favor, jumping out to an eight-point edge to end the first half, 34-26.
• SJC controlled the third quarter, jumping out to the biggest lead of the game, 46-31, with 3:17 left in the third.
• USJ began to claw back though, as a Verboven layup finished off an 8-1 USJ stretch, cutting the deficit to nine, 47-38, entering the final quarter.
• The Monks would maintain the lead until a 9-0 USJ stretch, fueled by seven points from junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.), got USJ within three, 51-48 with 5:32 left to play.
• The Monks would not let USJ get any closer though, closing the game on a 13-3 run, securing the victory, 64-53.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Slisz dropped a game-high 14 points on the night.
• Senior forward Jordan Ouellette and Verboven paced the team with seven rebounds each.
• Fudge dished out a team-high four assists.
• The Monks outshout the Blue Jays, 40.0 percent to 31.3 percent.
• SJC outrebounded USJ, 37-34.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays return to the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium for a non-conference matchup against Salve Regina University on Tuesday, December 5. Tipoff against the Seahawks is set for 7:00 p.m.

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