Women's Hoops Wins Eighth Straight, Defeats Rival Albertus Magnus, 78-65

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team picked up their eighth win a row at home against Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) rivals Albertus Magnus College (AMC), 78-65, Saturday afternoon inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn. The win over the Falcons snapped a 12-game losing streak against Albertus for USJ. With the result, the Blue Jays move to 18-3 overall on the year and 9-1 in GNAC play, while the Falcons drop to 17-5 overall and 9-2 in the conference. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Falcons got off to a strong start, taking a quick 8-2 edge with 7:42 on the clock.
• AMC continued to knock down triples, extending the gap to 14-2, until a junior guard Jelly Frigo (Canton, Conn.) triple, closed the deficit to 14-5, at the 6:07 mark.
• The triple sparked a USJ offensive surge, as senior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) knocked down a tough driving layup, closing the gap to seven, 18-11, as the game reached a media timeout with 3:21 left in the first.
• The Blue Jays carried the momentum out of the break, utilizing a 6-0 stretch, capped off by a midrange jumper from freshman Natalia Zappone (Morris, Conn.), to close the gap to three, 18-15, at the 1:57 mark.
• AMC ended the run, but a late driving layup from junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) sent the Blue Jays into the second quarter trailing 20-17.
• USJ would tie the game early in the second, 20-20, as Verboven completed an old-fashioned three-point play at the 8:22 mark.
• The Blue Jays continued to roll, increasing the run to 6-0, as a senior guard Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) knocked down a triple from the top of the key, giving USJ a 25-20 edge and forcing a Falcons timeout with 7:09 left in the half.
• The Falcons would cut the gap back to one, 25-24, but an 8-0 USJ run, featuring four points from Verboven, increased the gap back to eight, 34-26, with 3:23 on the clock.
• The two teams traded buckets to close out the half, as the Falcons knocked down a buzzer-beating mid-range jumper, sending the Blue Jays into the half with a 39-34 advantage.
• USJ and AMC swapped buckets to open the second half, until Fudge drained a spot up triple, extending the Blue Jays edge to 46-38, at the 7:07 mark.
• Fudge continued her stellar three-point shooting performance, sinking a shot from the corner, increasing the USJ edge to 51-41, with 4:35 left in the third.
• Fudge would knock down another clutch triple, increasing the USJ lead to 54-41, and forcing a USJ timeout at the 3:18 mark.
• The Falcons were able to cut the deficit back to ten, but a Fudge layup increased the lead back to 12, 61-29, with 31 seconds left. AMC knocked down a free throw in the closing second, sending USJ into the fourth with a 61-50 edge.
• USJ opened the fourth quarter on fire, utilizing a 4-0 senior forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) run to increase the lead to 15, 65-50 with 8:06 on the clock.
• The Blue Jays continued to roll, increasing the lead to 17, 69-52, after a tough layup from junior forward Janai Oliver (Hartford, Conn.) with 6:02 left to play.
• AMC would respond with a 6-0 stretch to cut the gap to 11, but Oliver put an end to the run, reestablishing a 13-point lead, 71-58, as USJ called a timeout with 2:45 on the clock.
• The Falcons would not go away easy, piling on the pressure to pull back within nine, 74-65, calling a timeout with 51 seconds remaining.
• USJ would ice the game out at the free-throw line though, taking home a statement 78-65

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Fudge led all scorers with 21 points off 5-of-9 shooting from three.
• Verboven dropped 19 points.
• Ouellette recorded a double-double, dropping 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
• Verboven dished out a team-high seven assists.
• USJ outshot AMC, 44.1 percent to 32.4 percent.
• The Blue Jays were even more efficient from beyond the arc, outshooting the Falcons 46.7 percent to 21.7 percent.
• AMC narrowly won the free-throw battle, grabbing 43 boards compared to USJ's 42.
• The win was the first for USJ over AMC since 2013, snapping a 12-game losing skid.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays head back on the road, beginning a two-game road trip at Johnson & Wales University on Wednesday, February 7. Tipoff against the Wildcats inside the Wildcat Center in Providence, R.I., is set for 5:30 p.m. 

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