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 11^th, 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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