Women's Hoops Takes Down Rival Albertus Magnus, Advances to GNAC Title Game

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The second-seeded University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team continued its historic postseason run, advancing to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship game for the first time since 1998 after taking down third-seeded rivals Albertus Magnus College (AMC), 76-66, during the GNAC Semifinals Thursday night inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn. With the result, the Blue Jays move to 24-3 on the year, while the Falcons round out the 2023-24 season at 20-7 overall.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Blue Jays opened the game on a 5-2 run, holding the lead after a pair of free throws from senior forward Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.), but the Falcons responded with a 4-0 stretch, taking a 6-5 edge at the 7:06 mark.
• USJ and AMC traded buckets, as Heslin sunk a putback layup, giving the Blue Jays a 9-8 edge entering a media timeout with 4:24 on the clock.
• The two sides continued to fire off matching shots, until USJ closed the first on a 4-0 stretch, capped off by a driving layup from junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) to send the hosts into the second with a 19-14 lead.
• Senior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) increased the USJ edge to seven, 24-17, after a mid-range jumper, but the Falcons fought back, closing the gap back to one, 26-25, with 7:04 on the clock.
• AMC continued to claw its way back into the game, taking a 33-31 edge and forcing a USJ timeout with 5:05 left in the second.
• USJ quickly levelled the score at 33-33 as senior forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) knocked down a layup with 4:19 on the clock.
• The Falcons would regain the lead, 34-33, but a 4-0 Blue Jays run to close the half, closed out by a jumper from senior guard Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) saw USJ hold a 37-34 lead at the break.
• The Blue Jays opened the second half on fire, as Ouellette and Verboven sunk back-to-back buckets, increasing the lead to 41-34 and forcing a Falcons timeout at the 8:21 mark.
• USJ increased the lead to 12, 47-35, as Slisz drained a triple off the backboard while Verboven rattled off three-straight points with 6:55 left in the third.
• AMC slowly began to close the deficit, utilizing a 7-2 run to cut the advantage to seven, 49-42, as the game reached a media timeout with 4:42 on the clock.
• The Falcons would close the gap to five, 53-48, but Fudge would drain a crucial three, extending the lead back to eight, 56-48, entering the fourth quarter.
• USJ and AMC traded buckets to open the fourth, as freshman guard Natalia Zappone (Morris, Conn.) sunk a close-range jumper, establishing a 62-32 edge for the Blue Jays with 7:11 remaining.
• The Falcons would not go away though, closing the gap to six, 62-56, after a triple, as the game reached the final media timeout with 4:54 on the clock.
• AMC continued to chip away at the USJ lead, closing the gap to four, but a Verboven free-throw increased the lead back to five, 71-66, as the Blue Jays called a timeout with 2:21 left to play.
• The Falcons would not get any closer as the Blue Jays iced the game out at the free-throw line, advancing to the GNAC Championship with a 76-66 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Slisz paced the team with 21 points.
• Verboven joined her in 20 or more points, dropping 20.
• Ouellette recorded her second-straight double-double, posting 18 points and 14 rebounds.
• Heslin also hauled in 11 rebounds.
• Ouellette, Slisz and Fudge dished out a team-high four assists, each.
• Fudge swiped a team-high four steals.
• USJ outshot AMC, 44.3 percent (27-of-61) to 40.0 percent (26-of-65).
• The Blue Jays won the battle of the glass, 49-26.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays make their return to the GNAC Championship game for the first time since the 1998 GNAC Championship team on Saturday, February 24, heading to top-seed Saint Joseph's College of Maine. Tipoff against the Monks inside the Harold Alfond Center in Standish, Maine, is set for 1:00 p.m.

Follow USJ Athletics
For the latest on University of Saint Joseph athletics, follow the Blue Jays on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Fans can also download the USJ Front Row Mobile App and subscribe to our Newsletter and Text Alerts. #FearTheFlock #GoBlueJays