Slisz Nets 1,000th Career Point, Women's Hoops Takes Down Saint Joseph's Maine, 70-64

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Senior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) became the 11th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points as the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team took down visiting Saint Joseph's College of Maine (SJC), 70-64, during the teams' Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener Saturday afternoon inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn. Graduate student guard Taylor Verboven also recorded a double-double, scoring 20 points and hauling in 10 rebounds. With the result, the Blue Jays moved to 3-3 on the season and 1-0 in the GNAC, while the Monks dropped to 5-3 and 0-1 in conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After the Monks grabbed a quick 3-0 edge, USJ responded with a 4-0 run, capped off by a transition layup by Slisz, to establish a 4-3 lead with 7:16 on the clock.
• The Blue Jays continued its hot shooting streak, increasing the gap to 8-3 after a graduate student forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) jumper at the 5:07 mark.
• SJC would fight back though, utilizing a 5-0 scoring run to tie the game at 8-8 with 2:12 left in the first.
• USJ would fire back with a 4-0 stretch to close the quarter, as a Verboven layup at the 57 second mark saw the Blue Jays take a 12-8 edge into the second quarter.
• The Blue Jays would extend the gap to six with 7:07 on the clock, as freshman guard Nevaeh Yorke (Norwich, Conn.) drove to the basket and knocked down a tough driving layup, giving USJ an 18-12 lead.
• The lead continued to grow for USJ, as Verboven knocked down a fast break layup, forcing SJC to call a timeout, trailing 21-12 with 5:56 left in the second.
• Verboven extended the scoring run to 14-0 with a jumper at the 4:19 mark, establishing a 26-12 USJ lead.
• The Monks would begin to fight back, answering with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to seven, 26-19 with 2:40 left in the half.
• SJC would be able to stay within single digits late, until a late free throw from Slisz saw USJ hold a 33-23 edge entering the halftime break.
• The Monks opened the third quarter strongly, using a 7-2 stretch to cut the gap to five, 35-30, with 8:20 on the clock.
• Slisz then made history at the 5:44 mark, knocking down a pair of free throws to hit 1,000 career points, giving USJ a 45-34 lead with 5:44 left in the third.
• The two sides traded baskets after the milestone, as SJC closed the gap to seven, 49-42, with 1:35 left in the third.
• The Monks continued to chip away at the disadvantage, decreasing the deficit to seven, 51-44, heading into the fourth quarter.
• USJ and SJC fired off shots back-and-forth, as the Monks cut the gap to four, 59-55, as the game reached a media timeout with 5:00 left in regulation.
• Slisz would knock down a driving layup at the 3:26 mark, but SJC fired back with a triple, closing the gap to three, 63-60, as the Monks called a timeout with 3:15 on the clock.
• The game remained close, as SJC pulled back within one, but Ouellette sunk a pair of free throws, establishing a 67-64 lead for USJ as the Monks called a timeout with 41 seconds left.
• The Blue Jays would hold off the Monks in the closing seconds, as USJ secured the 70-64 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Ouellette paced the team, scoring a game-high 25 points.
• Verboven tallied a team-high 10 boards, recording her first double-double of the season.
• Slisz dished out a team-best five assists.
• Ouellette, Yorke and Verboven all recorded two steals to lead USJ.
• USJ outshot SJC, 50.0 percent to 36.5 percent.
• The Blue Jays did not make a three-pointer but held the Monks to a 25.0 percent clip (5-of-20) from beyond the arc.
• USJ outrebounded SJC, 38-35.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays take the week off, returning to the court on Wednesday, December 18 for the opening day of the Puerto Rico Clasico. USJ is set to play two games in Puerto Rico, starting with a matchup against Bridgewater College on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.

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