Women's Hoops Wins Ninth Straight, Defeats JWU, 70-49

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team continued their winning ways, picking up their ninth-straight victory after defeating Johnson & Wales University (JWU), 70-49, Wednesday night during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play inside the Wildcat Center in providence, R.I. Junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) lead all scorers with 25 points. With the result, the Blue Jays move to 19-3 overall on the year and 10-1 in GNAC play, while the Wildcats drop to 9-12 overall and 4-7 in the conference.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both teams started slowly, as JWU scored the game's first bucket at the 7:30 mark, taking a 3-0 edge.
• USJ answered back with a 4-0 stretch, featuring buckets from Slisz and freshman guard Natalia Zappone (Morris, Conn.) to take a 4-3 lead with 4:48 left in the first.
• The Blue Jays extended the lead to 7-3 after Slisz knocked down a triple, but the Wildcats ended the run by cutting the lead to two, 7-5, at the 1:40 mark.
• JWU continued its momentum, closing the quarter with back-to-back threes, retaking the lead, 11-9, entering the second quarter.
• The Wildcat lead wouldn't last long, as senior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) completed an old-fashioned three-point lead, swinging the lead back in the Blue Jays favor, 12-11, at the 9:45 mark.
• Verboven finished through contact again to increase the edge to four, before senior guard Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) knocked down a triple, increasing the USJ advantage to five, 18-13, with 8:04 left in the half.
• The Blue Jays maintained its five-point gap, as Slisz grabbed an offensive rebound and sunk a putback layup, giving USJ a 22-17 edge and forcing JWU to call a timeout at the 6:17 mark.
• USJ increased the lead seven, 26-19, after a senior forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) mid-range jumper, but the Wildcats answered with a bucket of their own, closing the gap back to five, 26-21, heading into the halftime break.
• The Blue Jays started the third strong, using a quick 5-0 stretch to establish a 10-point gap, 31-21, at the 8:39 mark.
• The Wildcats responded with a quick three points, but an Ouellette layup reestablished a nine-point USJ lead, 34-25, forcing JWU to call a timeout with 7:29 on the clock.
• Senior forward Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.) knocked down a free throw, increasing the lead back to 10, 37-27, before Slisz maintained the 10-point gap, recording a steal before finishing at the other end, establishing a 42-32 and forcing a JWU timeout with 3:23 left in the third.
• JWU closed the deficit to eight, but a 4-0 USJ run, capped off by a Slisz layup, increased the edge to 12, 46-34, at the 2:03 mark.
• The two teams would go on to trade buckets, until Ouellette sunk a buzzer-beating triple, increasing the USJ edge to 53-38 entering the fourth.
• USJ dominated the opening portion of the fourth, increasing the lead to 20, 58-38, after an Ouellette jumper at the 6:17 mark.
• JWU finally got on the board in the fourth quarter, calling a timeout as they closed the gap to 18, 58-40, with 5:26 left to play.
• Zappone increased the edge to 21, 61-38, sinking a three-pointer at the 4:24 mark.
• The Blue Jays would not let the Wildcats get any closer, as they took down the hosts, 70-49.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Slisz lead all scorers with 25 points.
• Ouellette and Verboven joined her in double figures, dropping 15 and 11 points, respectively.
• Ouellette knocked down her first career three-pointer.
• She also paced the team on the glass, hauling in 10 rebounds.
• Ouellette recorded her eighth double-double of the season.
• Fudge was the primary playmaker, dishing out four assists.
• The Blue Jays outshot the Wildcats, 41.8 percent (23-of-55) to 27.5 percent (19-of-69).
• JWU narrowly won the rebounding battle, hauling in 46 boards to USJ's 44.
• All 13 members of the active roster saw the floor for the Blue Jays.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays remain on the road for the team's final game away from West Hartford in the 2023-24 regular season, making the quick trip north to Chicopee, Mass., to battle Elms on Saturday, February 10. Tipoff against the Blazers inside Picknelly Arena is set for 3:00 p.m.

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