Women's Hoops Wins Seventh Straight, Takes Down Dean, 87-47

FRANKLIN, Mass. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team took care of business, defeating Dean College (Dean), 87-47, during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action Thursday night inside Pieri Gymnasium in Franklin, Mass. Senior forward Maci Dorantes (Bristol, Conn.) recorded her first double-double of the year, scoring 11 points while hauling in a career-high 12 rebounds to pace the Blue Jays. With the result, the Blue Jays move to 17-3 overall on the year and 8-1 in GNAC play, while the Bulldogs drop to 2-17 overall and 0-9 in the conference.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bulldogs and Blue Jays traded buckets to open the quarter until a 4-0 USJ run, featuring four points from senior forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.), saw the visitors take an 8-4 lead at the 5:23 mark.
• Dean would cut the gap to two, 8-6, scoring a quick bucket before the game reached the first quarter media timeout with 4:19 on the clock.
• USJ continued to control the game, utilizing a 6-2 stretch, capped off by a long mid-range jumper from senior guard Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) forcing Dean to call a timeout, trailing 14-8 with 2:01 left in the first.
• The Bulldogs gained momentum out of the break in play, cutting the deficit to one, 14-13, but a pair of late free-throws by junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) established a 16-13 USJ edge entering the second quarter.
• Dean continued to fight back, opening the second on a 5-2 stretch, tying the game at 18-18 at the 8:21 mark.
• USJ responded with a 6-0 run, breaking the deadlock and establishing a 24-18 advantage with 6:47 left in the half.
• Dean put a quick stop to the run, but Slisz drained a quick transition layup to give the Blue Jays before Dean responded with a driving layup, giving the Blue Jays a 26-21 edge as the game reached a media timeout with 4:32 on the clock.
• USJ began to pull away, increasing the gap to double-digits, 33-21 with 2:52 left in the half, after a 7-0 run, fueled by five points from Ouellette.
• The two sides would trade buckets to close out the half, as USJ held a 35-25 advantage entering the halftime intermission.
• USJ came firing out of the gates to open the third, using a quick 5-0 run, capped off by an old-fashioned three-point play by Ouellette, to take a 40-25 edge and force a Dean timeout at the 8:25 mark.
• The Blue Jays continued to dominate, increasing the stretch to 9-0, as senior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) turned defense into offense, recording a steal before finishing at the other end, increasing the gap to 44-25 at the 7:41 mark.
• USJ extended the advantage to 20, as Dorantes finished through contact, sinking the and-one free-throw, increasing the lead to 51-31 as the game reached the third-quarter media timeout with 4:45 on the clock.
• Dean would try and fight back, but a 6-0 run to end the quarter, capped off by a Dorantes layup, increased USJ's lead to 64-40 entering the fourth quarter.
• The Blue Jays continued to dominate in the fourth, opening on a 10-2 stretch, capped off by a freshman guard Natalia Zappone (Morris, Conn.) triple, to increase the lead to 74-42 with 5:09 left to play.
• USJ continued to control the game on both sides of the court, preventing Dean from getting back into the game, as they took home an 87-47 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Ouellette paced the team with 14 points.
• Dorantes and Slisz joined her in double figures, scoring 11 and 10 points respectively.
• Dorantes paced the team on the glass, hauling in a career-high 11 rebounds to record a double-double.
• The double-double is the first for Dorantes this season.
• Verboven was the main playmaker, dishing out five assists.
• Fudge was a menace defensively, tying her career-high of five steals.
• The Blue Jays outshot the Bulldogs, 48.1 percent (37-of-77) to 34.0 percent (16-of-47).
• USJ held a significant edge on the glass, outrebounding Dean 52-23.
• The Blue Jays dominated inside, scoring 58 points inside the paint.
• All 13 members of the active roster played for the Blue Jays.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays return to the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium on Saturday, February 3, for a crucial GNAC matchup against rivals Albertus Magnus College. Tipoff against the Falcons is set for 1:00 p.m.

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