Women's Basketball Falls on the Road at Salve Regina Wednesday Night

NEWPORT, R.I. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team dropped a non-conference road game to Salve Regina University (Salve Regina), 71-55, Wednesday night inside the Rodgers Recreation Center in Newport, R.I. With the result, the Blue Jays moved to 2-3 on the season, while the Seahawks improved to 5-3.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a back-and-forth start to the game, graduate student forward Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.) knocked down a jumper to establish an 8-7 USJ lead at the 5:56 mark.
• The Seahawks responded with an 8-0 scoring stretch, holding a 15-8 edge with 4:16 left in the first.
• USJ would close the quarter on a 5-2 run, closing the deficit to 17-13 entering the second.
• Heslin quickly leveled the game, sinking back-to-back jump shots to knot the score at 17-17 with 8:43 on the clock.
• Salve Regina would begin to pull away though, utilizing a 9-0 stretch to break open a 26-17 edge and force a USJ timeout with 6:08 left in the half.
• Senior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) would break a nearly four-and-a-half-minute scoreless stretch for USJ with a pair of free throws with 4:15 on the clock, but the Seahawks would take a double-digit lead, 29-19, with a three-pointer at the 3:45 mark.
• USJ would begin to fight back though, as an 8-2 stretch to close the half, fueled by four points each from Slisz and graduate student guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) brought the Blue Jays back within four, 31-27, entering the halftime break.
• Salve Regina would control the opening portion of the second half, extending its lead to 39-27 with 5:27 on the clock after an 8-0 run.
• The Blue Jays answered back with a 7-0 stretch, capped off by a steal and layup by freshman guard Nevaeh Yorke (Norwich, Conn.) to close the gap to four, 39-34 at the 3:54 mark.
• The hosts would fire right back though with an 11-2 run, taking a 52-36 edge into the fourth quarter.
• Salve Regina would continue to control the game, matching the USJ bucket for bucket in the fourth to secure the win, 71-55.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Verboven finished with a team-high 18 points and nine rebounds.
• Slisz joined her in double-figures, scoring 13 points.
• Senior guard Jelly Frigo (West Hartford, Conn.) dished out a team-high six assists.
• Salve Regina won the battle of the boards, outrebounding USJ, 48-35.
• Second chance points proved vital for the Seahawks, scoring 20 points off second opportunities.
• Salve Regina also turned USJ turnovers into vital buckets, scoring 31 points off 21 Blue Jay turnovers.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays return home for their 2024-25 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener, hosting Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Saturday, December 7. Opening tipoff against the Monks inside the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium 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