Women's Hoops Historic Season Concludes, Falls to SJC in GNAC Championship

STANDISH, MAINE – The second-seeded University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team saw its historic 2023-24 season come to a close, falling to top-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine (SJC), 85-72, in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship Game Saturday afternoon inside the Harold Alfond Center in Standish, Maine. With the result, the Blue Jays conclude the year at 24-4 overall.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Monks and Blue Jays traded buckets to open the game, as junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) tied the game at 6-6 with a jumper at the 7:17 mark.
• Senior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) would give the Blue Jays an 8-6 lead after a driving layup, but SJC responded with a 7-2 stretch, taking a 13-10 lead with 4:27 left in the first.
• The Blue Jays would fight back though, using a 5-0 run, fueled by three points from senior forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) to regain the lead, 15-13, and force a SJC timeout at the 2:54 mark.
• Senior guard Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) would give the Blue Jays a 21-19 lead after a floater, but a three-pointer by the Monks saw the hosts take a slim 22-21 edge entering the second quarter.
• SJC quickly regained the lead with a three to open the second, but a pair of free throws from senior forward Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.) enabled the Blue Jays to tie the game at 25-25, with 8:56 on the clock.
• The two teams continued to trade blows, until a 4-0 run by USJ, capped off by a turnaround jumper from Ouellette, saw the team take a 31-29 lead at the 4:45 mark.
• However, the Monks would regain the lead, 37-34, forcing the Blue Jays to call a timeout with 1:32 left in the half.
• SJC would close the half on a 6-0 run, taking a 41-24 edge into the halftime break.
• The Blue Jays opened the game on a quick 4-0 run, thanks to back-to-back buckets from Slisz, closing the gap to three, 41-38, with 8:56 on the clock.
• However, the Monks responded with a 7-0 run, opening up a 48-38 advantage at the 7:16 mark.
• SJC continued to extend the gap, utilizing a 7-2 run to take a 58-44 lead and force a USJ timeout with 2:50 left in the third.
• USJ would not go away though, closing the gap to nine, 58-49, after a triple from Fudge at the 1:41 mark.
• However, the Monks fired right back, matching the triple to hold a 61-49 edge entering the fourth.
• SJC would open the fourth on a 6-2 run, establishing a 67-51 edge and forcing USJ to call a timeout with 7:29 remaining.
• USJ would fight back, utilizing a 6-0 run to cut the gap to 12, 74-62, with 2:30 left in the fourth.
• The Blue Jays continued to fight, as a Fudge triple closed the deficit to 10, 80-70, with 42.5 seconds on the clock.
• The deficit would ultimately prove too much, as the Blue Jays fell, 85-72.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Ouellette paced the team with 21 points.
• Verboven, Fudge and Slisz joined her in double figures, scoring 20, 10 and 10 points, respectively.
• Ouellette and Verboven both recorded double-doubles, hauling in 13 and 12 rebounds, respectively.
• Fudge dished out a team-best three assists.
• She also swiped a team-best two steals.
• SJC outshot USJ, 40.8 percent (29-of-71) to 36.8 percent (25-of-68).
• The Monks also outshot the Blue Jays from beyond the arc, 31.0 percent (9-of-29) to 13.3 percent (2-of-15).
• The Blue Jays won the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Monks, 42-40.

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