
Women's Hoops Takes Down New England College, 71-64, Tuesday Night
HENNIKER, N.H. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team erased a late deficit to comeback and defeat New England College (NEC), 71-64, on the road Tuesday night during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play inside Bridges Gym in Henniker, N.H. With the result, the Blue Jays improve to 7-5 on the season and 2-0 in GNAC play while the Pilgrims drop to 6-6 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- NEC grabbed a quick 4-2 lead, forcing USJ to call a timeout at the 8:02 mark.
- USJ responded well out of the break, utilizing a 10-0 run, fueled by five points from graduate student forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) to establish a 12-4 edge and force a Pilgrims timeout with 3:51 on the clock.
- NEC would close the gap to seven to round out the quarter, as USJ headed into the second quarter leading 15-8.
- The Pilgrims continued to close the gap, cutting the deficit to two, 15-13, but Ouellette would knock down back-to-back buckets, extending the advantage back to six, 19-13, with 7:36 left in the half.
- USJ continued to roll, as senior forward Janai Oliver (Hartford, Conn.) grabbed an offensive rebound before sinking the putback layup, before senior guard Jelly Frigo (West Hartford, Conn.) drained a three-pointer to cap off a 9-3 run and establish a 24-16 Blue Jay's lead at the 6:06 mark.
- NEC would fire back with a 6-0 scoring run, closing the deficit to 28-24 and causing a USJ timeout with 3:05 left in the half.
- The Pilgrims would stay within four, until senior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) sunk a triple from the top of the arc, extending the lead back to seven, 33-26, with 1:06 on the clock. The score would hold as the Blue Jays entered the halftime break with the lead.
- USJ would increase the gap to double digits, 38-28, as Slisz capped off a 5-2 run to start the second half with a triple at the 7:29 mark.
- NEC though would answer back with back-to-back three-pointers, closing the gap to two, 38-36 before calling timeout with 6:15 on the clock.
- The Pilgrims would regain the lead after a 6-0 scoring run, 42-41, with 5:38 left in the third.
- Ouellette fired back with back-to-back buckets to swing the lead in USJ's favor, 45-42, before NEC scored the final basket of the quarter to send USJ into the fourth with a slim 45-44 lead.
- The two sides would trade shots to open the fourth, as NEC knotted the game at 50-50 with 7:47 left to play.
- The Pilgrims would regain the lead, using a 6-0 stretch to hold a 56-50 lead with 4:32 on the clock.
- Graduate student forward Maci Dorantes (Bristol, Conn.) would cut the gap to three, converting on an old-fashioned three-point play, forcing NEC to call a timeout with the score at 60-57 with 2:55 left to play.
- The Blue Jays continued to battle back, as Frigo capped off a 7-0 run with five straight points to give USJ a 66-62 edge and force the Pilgrims to call a timeout with 44 seconds on the clock.
- NEC would close the deficit back to three late, 67-64, as USJ called time with 33 seconds left to play.
- The Pilgrims would not get any closer though, as USJ iced the game out at the free-throw line, taking home the victory, 71-64.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Ouellette paced the team with a game-high 22 points.
- Slisz, Dorantes and graduate student guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) all scored double figures, scoring 13, 11 and 11 points, respectively.
- Slisz notched a double-double, dishing out a game-best 10 assists, which matches her career-high.
- Ouellette also hauled in a team-best seven rebounds.
- NEC won the battle of the glass, outrebounding USJ, 45-36.
- Nineteen of the Pilgrims' 45 rebounds were on the offensive boards.
UP NEXT
The Blue Jays return to West Hartford on Saturday, January 11th, welcoming Norwich University for a GNAC matchup. Tipoff against the Cadets inside the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn., is set for 1:00 p.m.
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