Blue Jays Tame AMCATS, 78-62, at Home Wednesday Night

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team took down visiting Anna Maria College (ANM), during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play Wednesday night inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn. With the result, the Blue Jays move to 12-3 overall on the year and 3-1 in GNAC play, while the AMCATS move to 5-7 overall and 1-3 in the conference. Prior to the game, USJ honored senior forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) for eclipsing the 1,000 career point mark. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The AMCATS got off to a quick start, opening on a 6-2 stretch to hold the lead at the 7:27 mark.
• USJ fought back, cutting the gap to three, 10-7, after a senior guard Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) triple, but ANM responded with a 4-0 run to jump out to a 14-7 edge at the 4:19 mark.
• The Blue Jays continued to cut away at the lead, closing the first on a 6-0 run, capped off by a mid-range jumper from Ouellette, to cut the deficit to two, 18-16, heading into the second quarter.
• USJ carried the momentum into the second, as a 4-2 stretch, capped off by a transition layup from Fudge after a steal by junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.), tied the score at 20-20 with 8:39 on the clock.
• The Blue Jays and AMCATS went on to trade baskets until Fudge gave USJ its first lead since the opening minute, 25-24, with a free throw at the 6:15 mark.
• USJ continued to roll, as senior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) swiped a steal before finding Fudge, who made a quick pass to Ouellette for a close-range jumper, increasing the USJ lead to three, 27-14, entering the second quarter media timeout with 4:53 on the clock.
• Junior forward Janai Oliver (Hartford, Conn.) increased the Blue Jays run to 9-0 after a tough layup, increasing the gap to seven, 31-24, with 2:53 remaining in the half.
• Anna Maria began to fight back, utilizing a 5-2 run to close the deficit to four, 33-29 at the 2:03 mark.
• The AMCATS would not get any closer, as the Blue Jays closed the half on a 4-2 stretch to take a 37-31 edge into the break.
• USJ increased the edge to double-digits, 43-31, after Verboven capped off a 6-0 stretch at the 7:28 mark in the third.
• ANM fired back though, responding in kind with a 6-0 stretch, closing the gap to 43-37 and forcing a USJ timeout with 6:09 on the clock.
• The AMCATS further closed the gap to four, 43-39, but Ouellette put a stop to the run, establishing a 45-39 USJ edge as the game reached a media timeout with 4:46 left in the quarter.
• However, USJ answered back with an 8-1 run, capped off by an old-fashioned three-point play from Slisz, increasing the advantage back to double figures, 52-40, with 2:05 on the clock.
• Oliver would knock down a second-chance layup to close out the quarter, sending USJ into the fourth with a 54-40 lead.
• Anna Maria started the quarter on a 5-3 run, but the Blue Jays continued to hold the advantage, as Fudge drained a triple, increasing the USJ lead to 16, 53-47, with 6:56 left to play.
• The AMCATS would try and fight back late, but USJ held the visitors at bay, taking home a 78-62 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Ouellette scored a team-high 20 points.
• Slisz, Fudge and Oliver joined her in double figures, scoring 13, 13 and 11 points, respectively.
• Ouellette also hauled in a team-high nine rebounds.
• Fudge dished out a team-best six assists.
• Fudge also swiped a team-high four steals.
• USJ outshot Anna Maria, 50.0 percent to 42.6 percent from the floor.
• The Blue Jays held the AMCATS to 12.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
• USJ won the rebounding battle, 36-31.
• USJ scored 22 points off 17 Anna Maria turnovers.
• The Blue Jays bench accounted for 20 of the teams points.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays head back on the road for a GNAC matchup at Rivier University on Saturday, January 13. Tipoff against the Raiders inside Muldoon Gymnasium in Nashua, N.H., is set for 2:00 p.m.

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