Women's Basketball Falls on the Road at Emmanuel, 78-67, Tuesday Night

BOSTON – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team fell on the road to Emmanuel College (EC), 78-67, during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play Tuesday night inside the Jean Yawkey Center in Boston, Mass. With the result, the Blue Jays move to 10-6 on the season and 5-1 in GNAC play while the Saints move to 7-9 overall and 2-3 in conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• USJ jumped out to an early 6-2 lead with 8:21 on the clock, after buckets from senior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.), freshman guard Nevaeh Yorke (Norwich, Conn.) and graduate student forward Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.).
• The Saints were able to level the game at 8-8, but a quick 4-0 run, featuring a layup from graduate student guard Maci Dorantes (Bristol, Conn.) and a pull-up jumper by Slisz, saw the Blue Jays hold a 12-8 edge at the 5:15 mark.
• EC would fight back, utilizing an 8-4 stretch to hold a slim lead, but graduate student guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) drove to the basket and knocked down a driving layup to send the game into the second quarter tied at 18-18.
• The Saints and Blue Jays would trade shots to open the second, as an Ouellette jumper tied the game at 24-24 with 7:35 left in the half.
• USJ would retake the lead, utilizing a 6-2 stretch, capped off by layups from Heslin and Ouellette, to break open a 30-26 edge and force an EC timeout at the 3:50 mark.
• However, the Saints responded with a 7-0 run, retaking the advantage, 33-30, and causing USJ to call a timeout with 2:48 on the clock.
• Heslin would sink a layup to cut the gap to one, 33-32, but a 5-2 run to close the half saw the host Saints hold a 38-34 lead entering halftime.
• EC would increase the lead to six to open the third, holding a 44-38 edge at the 7:40 mark.
• USJ would fight back though, utilizing an 11-2 stretch, fueled by five points from Ouellette, to tie the game at 50-50, with 1:39 left in the third.
• Slisz would sink three free-throws to close out the quarter, sending the Blue Jays into the fourth with a 53-52 edge.
• The two sides would battle back and forth to open the fourth, as another timely Ouellette jumper saw USJ hold a 61-60 lead with 4:43 left to play.
• USJ would keep hold of a one-point lead, but a late 8-0 run saw the Saints retake the lead, 71-64.
• The Blue Jays would not be able to battle back, as EC secured the win, 78-67.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Ouellette finished with a game-high 21 points.
• Slisz and Heslin joined her in double-figures, scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively.
• Ouellette also hauled in a game-high eight rebounds.
• Senior guard Jelly Frigo (West Hartford, Conn.) dished out a game-high seven assists.
• Turnovers proved costly for USJ, as EC scored 25 points off 19 USJ miscues.
• Despite a significant size disadvantage, the Blue Jays outrebounded the Saints, 37-36.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays round out a two-game road trip on Saturday, January 25, heading to Weston, Mass., to face Regis College. Tipoff against the Pride on Higgins Court is set for 1:00 p.m.

Follow USJ Athletics
For the latest on University of Saint Joseph athletics, follow the Blue Jays on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Fans can also download the USJ Front Row Mobile App and subscribe to our Newsletter and Text Alerts. #FearTheFlock #GoBlueJays