Blue Jays Win Eleventh Straight, Defeat Lasell at Home Wednesday Night, 66-56

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team extended its winning streak to a program-record 11 games, taking down the visiting Lasell University (Lasell) Lasers, 66-56, Wednesday night during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play inside the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium The victory also saw USJ remain a perfect 10-0 at home this season. With the result, the Blue Jays move to 21-3 overall on the year and 12-1 in GNAC play, while the Lasers drop to 15-8 overall and 9-4 in the conference.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both defenses started strong, forcing numerous turnovers before senior guard Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) scored the game's first bucket with a transition layup after recording a steal at the 8:28 mark.
• USJ and Lasell went on to trade buckets until a 4-0 Blue Jays stretch, capped off by a driving layup from junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.), saw USJ establish an 8-4 lead with 6:21 on the clock.
• The Lasers would fight back, cutting the gap to two, but a 4-0 USJ run, finished off by a mid-range jumper from senior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.), gave the Blue Jays a six-point advantage, 14-8, with 2:35 left in the first.
• Lasell fired back with an 8-0 stretch, taking their first lead of the game, 16-14, entering the second quarter.
• Defense was the main theme to open the second quarter, as senior forward Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.) broke the scoring draught, tying the game at 16-16 and forcing a Lasell timeout at the 8:02 mark.
• The Blue Jays continued to play stellar basketball, reestablishing a four-point lead, 20-16, after a driving layup by Verboven with 5:38 on the clock.
• After senior forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) increased the gap to six, the Lasers put an end to the USJ run, closing the gap to four, 22-18, with 3:56 left in the half.
• USJ began to find its rhythm offensively, utilizing a 6-0 stretch, featuring four points by Ouellette, to increase the advantage to double-digits, 28-18, with 1:33 on the clock.
• The Lasers brought themselves back within eight, but a Heslin jumper reestablished a ten-point lead for USJ, 33-23, heading into the halftime break.
• Lasell started the second half on fire, opening with a 4-0 run to cut the gap to six, 33-27, And force USJ to call a timeout at the 6:24 mark.
• The Lasers continued to fight back, closing the deficit to two, 33-31, but a timely step back three-pointer by Fudge, got the Blue Jays on the board, increasing the lead to five, 36-31, with 4:58 on the clock. Lasell answered immediately, decreasing the USJ edge back to three, 36-33, as the game reached a media timeout at the 4:33 mark.
• The Blue Jays would begin to find momentum, using a 5-0 run, featuring three points from junior forward Janai Oliver (Hartford, Conn.), to increase the lead back to eight, 41-33, with 2:03 left in the third.
• USJ continued to roll, as senior guard Jelly Frigo (Canton, Conn.) knocked down a buzzer-beating three-pointer off the glass, increasing the USJ edge to 11, 46-35, entering the fourth quarter.
• The Blue Jays and Lasers trade buckets to open the fourth, as Frigo knocked down a triple from the top of the arc, increasing the USJ edge to 12, 53-41, at the eight-minute mark,
• The fourth quarter continued to be all USJ, as Slisz increased the gap to 18, 63-45. Lasell would respond with a quick layup, closing the score to 63-47 as the game hit a media timeout with 4:37 remaining.
• The Lasers would not go away easy, using a 7-0 stretch to pull back within 11, 65-54, and force a USJ timeout with 2:45 left to play.
• Lasell chipped away at the lead further, cutting the deficit to single-digits, 65-56, at the 2:03 mark.
• However, the Lasers would not get any closer, as USJ took home a 66-56 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Verboven finished with a team-high 14 points.
• Slisz and Fudge joined her in double-figures, scoring 12 and 10 points, respectively.
• Verboven also paced the team on the glass, hauling in nine rebounds.
• Slisz and Fudge dished out a team-best four assists each.
• USJ outshot Lasell, 48.3 percent (28-of-58), to 35.8 percent (24-of-67).
• The Blue Jays held the Lasers to a 7.1 percent clip (1-of-14) from beyond the arc.
• Lasell won the battle of the glass, outrebounding USJ, 42-33.
• USJ dominated inside, scoring 42 of their points from inside the paint.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays round out the 2023-24 regular season at home on Saturday, February 19 against Colby-Sawyer College. The game against the Chargers will also serve as Senior Day for USJ. Tipoff inside the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium is set for 1:00 p.m.

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