Women's Hoops Bests Rivier, 72-60, Saturday Afternoon

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Graduate student forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) notched her second consecutive double-double to lead the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team to victory over Rivier University (Rivier), 72-60, during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play Saturday afternoon inside the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn. With the victory, head coach Wendy Davis became the all-time winningest coach in program history, notching her 79^th win at the helm of the Blue Jays. With the result, the Blue Jays improve to 10-5 on the season and 5-0 in GNAC play while the Raiders drop to 8-8 overall and 4-1 in conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The two teams traded shots to open the game, as senior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) knocked down a layup to tie the game at 6-6 at the 6:29 mark.
• USJ began to pull away, utilizing an 8-0 run, featuring points from Ouellette, Slisz and graduate student forward Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.) to break open a 17-11 edge with 3:14 left in the first.
• Rivier would respond with an 8-2 run to close the quarter, holding a slim 23-22 lead after the first.
• The Raiders would maintain the lead, until a 6-0 USJ stretch, sparked by a layup from Heslin and four points from graduate student guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.), saw the hosts retake the advantage, 34-33 at the 2:27 mark of the second quarter.
• Rivier would regain the lead, but Slisz drained a buzzer-beating three to send the Blue Jays into the halftime break with a 37-35 lead.
• USJ carried the momentum into the second half, holding a six-point lead, 43-37, after a pair of free throws from Verboven at the 7:40 mark.
• The Blue Jays extended the edge to eight, 49-41, with 4:46 on the clock, after back-to-back baskets from Heslin and Ouellette.
• Rivier would cut the gap to four, 49-45, but a 7-0 USJ run, fueled by a three-pointer from senior guard Jelly Frigo (West Hartford, Conn.) saw the hosts hold a nine-point edge, 56-45, with 1:37 left in the third.
• Ouellette would score three unanswered to close out the quarter, giving USJ a 59-47 lead.
• Rivier would not go down easy though, using a late 6-2 stretch to cut the deficit to seven, 65-58, with 2:50 left to play.
• However, graduate student forward Maci Dorantes (Bristol, Conn.) and Slisz would close the game out with a layup and free throws, respectively, to secure the win for USJ, 72-60.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Ouellette paced the team with 21 points and 12 rebounds to pick up her third double-double of the season, and the 25^th of her career.
• Slisz and Verboven joined her in double figures, scoring 18 and 14 points, respectively.
• Slisz and Yorke dished out a team-best five assists each.
• Heslin tied her career-high in rebounding, hauling in nine boards.
• USJ held the Raiders from beyond the arc, as Rivier shot 17.9 percent (5-of-28) from three.
• The Blue Jays outshot Rivier, 42.0 percent (29-of-69) to 34.3 percent (23-of-67).
• USJ dominated inside, scoring 44 points inside the paint, compared to Rivier's 26.
• The Blue Jays won the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Raiders, 47-38.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays embark on a two-game road trip, starting with a stop in Boston to face Emmanuel College on Tuesday, January 21. Tipoff against the Saints inside the Jean Yawkey Center is set for 5:30 p.m.

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