Blue Jays Take Down Colby-Sawyer, 75-48, Saturday Afternoon During Senior Day

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team took down the visiting Colby-Sayer College (CSC) Chargers, 75-48, during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play inside the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium Saturday afternoon. The win increased the team's winning streak to 12 games and capped off a perfect regular season at home. With the result, the Blue Jays conclude the regular season 22-3 overall and 13-1 in GNAC play, while the Chargers finish at 8-17 overall and 5-9 in the conference. Prior to tipoff, the USJ Department of Athletics honored seniors Jelly Frigo (Canton, Conn.), Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.), Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.), and Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) in a special Senior Day ceremony. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• USJ started the game strong, jumping out to an 8-3 lead at the 6:26 mark after buckets from Heslin, Verboven and Ouellette.
• The Blue Jays extended the lead to seven, 12-5, after a nice turnaround jumper in the lane from Verboven, as the game reached a media timeout with 4:07 on the clock.
• CSC fought back, utilizing a 6-2 stretch to pull back within three, 14-11, with 2:08 left in the first.
• USJ fired back, closing the quarter on a 6-0 run, capped off by an easy Heslin layup, to establish a 20-11 edge entering the second quarter.
• The Blue Jays wasted little time increasing the gap to double digits, as Frigo knocked down a layup to take a 22-11 edge at the 9:07 mark.
• USJ and CSC then traded buckets as the Blue Jays called a timeout at the 6:12 mark, holding a 24-16 advantage.
• The Blue Jays took full advantage of the break in play, going on an 8-2 run, capped off by a layup from Verboven, increasing the lead to 14, 32-18 with 3:18 on the clock.
• USJ continued to roll, increasing the gap to 16, 38-22, after a pair of free throws from junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) and a fastbreak layup by junior forward Janai Oliver (Hartford, Conn.), with 1:05 left in the half.
• The Chargers would score the final bucket of the first half, decreasing the USJ edge to 38-24 entering the break.
• USJ and CSC went back-and-forth to open the third, as a Heslin free throw saw the Blue Jays hold a 43-30 edge at the 6:30 mark.
• The Chargers continued to claw back into the game, cutting the gap to 10, 43-33, as the game reached a media timeout with 4:46 on the clock.
• The Blue Jays then began to break the lead back open, as Verboven scored back-to-back buckets, increasing the gap to 14, 49-35, with 2:20 left in the third.
• CSC would not go away easy though, closing the third on a 6-1 run, cutting the deficit to nine, 50-41.
• USJ started the fourth quarter red hot, breaking open a 17-point lead, 58-41, after an 8-0 run, capped off by an Ouellette put-back layup at the 7:17 mark.
• The Blue Jays continued toll, breaking open a 24-point lead, 67-43, after a Frigo jumper from inside the lane, as the game hit a media timeout with 4:10 remaining.
• USJ continued to keep the Chargers at bay, taking home the 75-48 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Ouellette paced the team with 22 points.
• Verbovne joined her in double-figures, droping 12 points.
• Heslin and Ouellette hauled in a team-high nine rebounds each.
• Heslin set a new season-high in scoring, while matching her career-high in rebounds.
• Slisz dished out a team-best five assists.
• The Blue Jays outshot the Chargers, 48.5 percent (32-of-66) to 32.2 percent (19-of-59).
• USJ won the battle of the glass, outrebounding CSC, 41-32.
• USJ scored 56 points inside the paint.
• Turnovers were key for the Blue Jays, as they scored 27 points off 22 Charger miscues.
• All 12 active members of the roster received minutes. 

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays, who earned the second seed in the GNAC Playoffs, begin postseason play on Tuesday, February 20 in the GNAC Quarterfinals. Tipoff against an opponent still to be determined is set for 5:00 p.m. inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium. 

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