Women's Hoops Wins Fourth Straight, Defeats MCLA on the Road, 71-39

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team breezed past MCLA, 71-39, on the road Monday night inside the Amsler Campus Center Gym in North Adams, Mass. Senior forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) recorded her second-straight double-double, dropping 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, to lead the Blue Jays past the Trailblazers With the result, the Blue Jays move to 10-1 on the year, while the Trailblazers drop to 2-9.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Senior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) quickly scored back-to-back layups, establishing a 4-0 USJ lead, but the Trailblazers responded with a 4-0 stretch to tie the game at 4-4 at the 7:08 mark.
• USJ would establish another four-point edge after Ouellette knocked down a put-back layup, but MCLA continued to stay with the Blue Jays, tying the game at 8-8 with 5:16 on the clock.
• The Blue Jays began to find their rhythm offensively, utilizing a 12-0 stretch, featuring four points from Ouellette and junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain,) to break open a 20-8 edge with 47 seconds left in the quarter.
• The Trailblazers would convert an and-one play to end the first, cutting the gap to 20-11.
• MCLA cut the deficit to six, 22-16, to open the quarter, but USJ responded with a 5-0 run, fueled by four points from Ouellette, increasing the lead back to double-digits, 27-16, a the 6:25 mark.
• USJ increased the edge to 12, 32-20, after a pair of senior forward Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.) free throws, but the Trailblazers closed the deficit to nine, 34-25, entering the halftime break.
• The Blue Jays opened the second half strong, as senior guard Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) paced a 6-2 USJ stretch, increasing the gap to 40-27 at the 7:28 mark.
• USJ continued to dominate, opening a 20-point edge, 47-27, after a 7-0 run was capped off by a Verboven coast-to-coast layup with 4:12 on the clock.
• The Blue Jays would end the third quarter on a 6-2 stretch, capped off by a junior forward Janai Oliver (Hartford, Conn.) layup after picking off a pass, to hold a 53-31 edge heading into the fourth.
• USJ started the fourth quarter strong, utilizing a 9-2 stretch to jump out to a 62-33 advantage with 6:21 left to play.
• The Blue Jays continued to control the game, as sophomore guard Adalyse Gonzalez (Willimantic, Conn.) knocked down a triple, securing the win for USJ, 71-39.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Verboven paced the team with 16 points.
• Ouellette and slisz joined her in double-figures, dropping 14 and 12 points, respectively.
• Ouellette grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to record her second-straight double-double.
• Ouellette and Slisz also dished out a team-high three assists.
• USJ outshot MCLA, 36.5 percent to 26.4 percent.
• The Blue Jays dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Trailblazers, 55-31.
• USJ were a force inside the paint, scoring 40 of their points from inside the paint.
• All 14 active members of the roster saw the floor.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays take a 19-day break for the holidays, returning to the court on Saturday, December 30^th for the opening day of the Smith Holiday Tournament. USJ is set to face the No. 9 nationally ranked host Pioneers at 1:00 p.m. inside Ainsworth Gym in Northampton, Mass.

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