Women's Hoops Falls to #8 Smith During Opening Day of Smith Holiday Classic

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team fell on the road at No. 8 nationally-ranked Smith College (Smith), 91-60, Saturday afternoon during the first day of the Smith Holiday Classic inside Ainsworth Gym in Northampton, Mass. With the result, the Blue Jays move to 10-2 on the year, while the Pioneers move to 8-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• USJ grabbed an early 3-2 lead after a junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) and-one layup, but the Pioneers responded with a 9-0 stretch to hold an 11-3 edge at the 6:07 mark.
• Senior guard Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) put a stop to the run with a midrange jumper, but Smith utilized a 5-0 run in response, extending the gap to double-digits, 16-5, with 4:15 on the clock.
• The Blue Jays would not go down easy, fighting back with an 8-0 run, featuring buckets from Fudge, Slisz, senior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) and senior forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) to close the deficit to three 16-13, with 1:35 left in the first.
• Fudge kept the score within two, 18-176, after a knockdown triple, before Verboven closed the gap to one, 21-20 moments later, but a late Smith three-pointer saw the hosts take a 24-20 lead into the second.
• Smith opened the second quarter on a 6-0 stretch, establishing a 30-20 lead with 8:57 on the clock.
• The Pioneers continued to control the remainder of the quarter, outscoring the Blue Jays 28-12 to hold a 52-32 advantage at the halftime break.
• USJ opened the third quarter strong, using a 6-1 run, capped off by a Verboven layup, to cut the gap to 53-39 at the 6:51 mark.
• Smith would reopen a 19-point edge, 60-41, but Slisz knocked down a three-pointer, closing the gap to 60-44 with 3:41 on the clock.
• The two sides would trade buckets to close out the third, as Smith held a 67-48 edge.
• The Pioneers would not let USJ get any closer, outscoring the Blue Jays 24-12 in the final quarter to take home a 90-61 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Fudge paced the team with 15 points.
• Verboven and Slisz added 14 points each, while Ouellette dropped 11 points.
• Ouellette hauled in a team-high seven rebounds.
• Slisz dished out a team-best four assists.
• Smith outshot USJ 58.1 percent (36-of-62) to 33.8 percent (22-of-65).
• The Pioneers held a significant 43-25 edge on the glass.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays quickly return to the court, facing off with UMass Dartmouth tomorrow, Sunday, December 31, to round out the Smith Holiday Classic. Tipoff against the Corsairs inside Ainsworth Gym in Northampton, Mass., is set for 1:00 p.m.

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