Blue Jays Take Down Anna Maria In GNAC Opener, 68-56

PAXTON, Mass. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team took down the Anna Maria College (ANM) AMCATS, 68-56, on the road Saturday afternoon in both teams' 2022-23 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener inside Fuller Gymnasium in Paxton, Mass. Junior Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) dropped a game-high 17 points, while classmate Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) scored 16 points to pace the Blue Jays to victory. 

GAME INFORMATION 
Score: USJ 68, Anna Maria 56
Records: USJ (5-1, 1-0 GNAC), ANM (1-5, 0-1 GNAC)
Location: Fuller Gymnasium (Paxton, Mass.)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Blue Jays opened the game on fire, using a 6-0 run fueled by four points from Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.) to take an early lead. The AMCATS responded quickly, utilizing a 4-0 stretch to cut the gap to two, 6-4, with 6:09 on the clock. Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) answered back, draining a pair of jumpers to reestablish a six point edge, 10-4, midway through the quarter. ANM would get as close as three, 10-7, but another Verboven jumper followed by a Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) jumpshot gave USJ a seven-point lead, 14-7, with 2:38 left on the clock. However, the AMCATS continued to fight back, pulling within one, 14-13, but Jordan Farrell (West Hartford, Conn.) knocked down a pair of free throws to give USJ a 16-13 edge heading into the second quarter.

Farrell carried over her momentum into the second quarter, pacing the Blue Jays with four points during a 6-2 stretch to give the visitors a 22-15 edge at the 7:32 mark. ANM kept the game close, keeping the score within three, 22-19, but a 9-0 USJ run broke the score open as the Blue Jays took a commanding 31-19 lead. Verboven knocked down a triple to start the run, leading the stretch with five points. ANM would not go down easy though, getting back within single digits, 33-24, forcing a USJ timeout with 2:02 left in the first half. The AMCATS carried its momentum out of the time out, using a timely 7-0 stretch to get within four, 33-29. Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) ended the ANM run with a pair of free throws, as Verboven knocked down two more freebies with seven seconds left to give USJ a 37-32 edge entering the halftime break.

USJ would dominate the third quarter, exploding for an 11-0 run, jumping out to a 49-32 edge. Ouellette paced the opening stretch with six points, while Verboven, Heslin and Jelly Frigo (Canton, Conn.) all found the bottom of the net. The Blue Jays played spectacular defense, not allowing an ANM made bucket until the 3:42 mark in the quarter. ANM would try and get back into the game, but after being fouled on a three-point attempt, Slisz sunk all three free-throws to extend USJ's lead to 20, 58-38, with 35 seconds left in the quarter. The AMCATS would score once more late in the quarter and USJ took a 58-40 edge into the fourth quarter.

Ouellette wasted little time getting the scoring started in the fourth quarter, sinking an easy layup to reestablish a 20-point lead, 60-40. ANM would respond with an 8-2 stretch, cutting the gap to 62-48 with 7:20 left in the game. USJ cut the hosts momentum as Ouellete knocked down a layup, but ANM continued to fight back, getting back within single digits, 64-56 at the 2:25 mark. However, ANM would not get any closer, as the Blue Jays shut the AMCATS down, taking home a 68-56 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Verboven lead all scorers with 17 points off 6-of-10 shooting.
• Ouellette (16 points), Farrell (14 points) and Heslin (10 points) joined Verboven in double-digits.
• Ouellette has scored double digits in every game this season.
• The 14 points marked a season-high for Farrell.
• Heslin nearly recorded a double-double, grabbing a team-high nine rebounds.
• She also was the team's primary playmaker, dishing out a team-high five assists.
• The Blue Jays outshot the AMCATS, 49.1 percent to 35.3 percent.
• The percentage marked the best shooting output by USJ this season.
• ANM slightly outrebounded USJ, grabbing 41 rebounds compared to 39.
• USJ extended its winnign streak to three games over ANM, increasing its leas in the all-time series to 11-3.

UP NEXT

Women's basketball returns back to the hardwood on Wednesday, December 7 for another GNAC road contest in the state of Massachusetts and plays at Elms College. Tipoff between the Blue Jays and Blazers is slated for 5:00 p.m. inside the Maguire Center in Chicopee, Mass.

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