Women's Hoops Takes Down Bridgewater College, 61-56, During Puerto Rico Clasico Wednesday Afternoon

BAYAMON, P.R. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team picked up a statement victory, taking down Bridgewater College (Bridgewater), 61-56, during the opening day of the Puerto Rico Clasico Wednesday afternoon at the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. With the result, the Blue Jays move to 4-3 on the season while the Eagles, who were receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Top-25 poll, dropped their first game of the season, falling to 9-1 on the year.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Blue Jays got off to a strong start, using a 7-3 run, capped off by a senior guard Maya Slisz (New Britan, Conn.) layup, to take the lead at the 7:37 mark.
• Bridgewater would close the deficit to one, 9-8, but a graduate student forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) jumper saw USJ increase the gap back to three, 11-8, with 6:35 on the clock.
• The Eagles continued to fight back though, tying the score at 1-11 with 6:10 left in the first.
• The two teams would go on to trade buckets, until Bridgewater closed the first on a 6-2 stretch, holding a 22-17 lead after the opening quarter.
• USJ would regain the lead to start the second, using back-to-back buckets from graduate student forward Maci Dorantes (Bristol, Conn.) and senior guard Jelly Frigo (West Hartford, Conn.) to take a 23-22 edge at the 8:32 mark.
• Bridgewater would then swing the lead back in their favor, 27-23, but a 6-0 run, capped off by a tough mid-range jumper from graduate student guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) saw USJ take the advantage, 29-27.
• USJ continued to roll, increasing the lead to eight, 35-27, after a jumper from Dorantes with 3:15 left in the half.
• The Eagles would close the half though on a 5-2 stretch, cutting the USJ advantage to five, 37-32, heading into halftime.
• USJ and Bridgewater would trade buckets to open the third quarter, until a 6-2 stretch, featuring a pull-up jumper from freshman guard Nevaeh Yorke (Norwich, Conn.) and a bucket from Ouellette, saw the Blue Jays take a six-point lead, 45-39, with 6:18 on the clock.
• The Blue Jays increased the gap to eight, as a Verboven layup at the 55 second mark saw the team take a 51-43 edge into the fourth.
• Bridgewater began closing the deficit in the fourth, opening on a 4-2 run to cut the gap to six, 53-47 and force a USJ timeout at the 7:51 mark.
• The Eagles continued to chip away, utilizing a 7-2 run to close the gap to three, 57-54, with 1:44 left in the fourth.
• However, USJ was able to ice the game out at the free-throw line, holding on to defeat Bridgewater, 61-56.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Verboven lead all scorers with 18 points.
• Slisz and Ouellette joined her in double figures, dropping 17 and 14 points, respectively.
• Ouellette also grabbed a team-best six rebounds.
• Slisz dished out a game-high five assists.
• Dorantes snatched a game-best three steals.
• USJ outshot Bridgewater, 53.3 percent (24-of-45) to 33.3 percent (23-of-69).
• The Blue Jays did not convert a three-pointer on the day.
• USJ turned defense into offense, scoring 23 points off 14 Bridgewater turnovers.
• The Eagles dominated on the glass, outrebounding USJ, 42-19.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays wrap up the Puerto Rico Clasico tomorrow, Thursday December 19 against Carthage College. Tipoff against the Firebirds inside the Roger Mendoza Coliseum in Caguas, Puerto Rico is set for 12:00 p.m.

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