Women's Hoops Falls to Carthage, 71-65, During Final Game of Puerto Rico Clasico Thursday

CAGUAS, P.R. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team rounded out the Puerto Rico Clasico Thursday afternoon, falling to Carthage College (Carthage), 71-65, inside the Roger Mendoza Coliseum in Caguas, Puerto Rico. With the result, the Blue Jays moved to 4-4 on the season while the Firebirds moved to 8-2 overall.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Carthage started off the game strong, jumping out to a 10-3 lead and forcing USJ to call a timeout at the 6:51 mark.
• USJ would fight back though, utilizing a 6-0 run, capped off by a senior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) triple, to close the deficit to one, 10-9, with 2:05 left in the first.
• The Blue Jays would continue to fight, taking the lead, 13-12, after a 4-0 stretch was capped off by a graduate student guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) layup with 29 seconds left in the quarter.
• The Firebirds though would drain a buzzer-beating three to end the first, taking a 15-13 edge.
• Carthage increased the gap to four to open the second quarter, holding a 19-15 edge with 8:59 on the clock.
• The two teams would trade buckets until an 8-3 Blue Jays scoring run, featuring six points from Slisz, saw USJ regain the lead, 29-28, with 3:47 left in the second.
• Carthage answered back with a 5-0 run to take a 33-29 lead, but USJ responded with a 5-0 run off their own, as a graduate student forward Maci Dorantes (Bristol, Conn.) layup with nine seconds left in the half gave the Blue Jays a 34-33 lead entering halftime.
• USJ extended the lead to four, 39-35, early in the third, as Dorantes sunk a jumper to cap-off a 5-2 stretch at the 8:55 mark.
• However, Carthage answered back with a 5-0 run to take a 40-39 lead, and force USJ to call a timeout with 6:36 on the clock.
• The Firebirds extended its advantage to 46-41, but a Slisz triple closed the gap back to two, 46-44, with 4:32 left in the third.
• Carthage would answer back with an 8-4 run, increasing the deficit to six, 54-48, with 1:07 on the clock. Verboven would sink a layup with 50 seconds left, sending the Blue Jays into the fourth quarter trailing, 54-50.
• After the Firebirds increased the deficit to seven, 57-50, USJ closed the score to three, 57-54, after a free-throw from freshman guard Nevaeh Yorke (Norwich, Conn.) at the 9:13 mark.
• USJ continued to chip away at the gap, decreasing the deficit to two, 62-60, after a jumper from Dorantes with 5:06 on the clock.
• However, the Blue Jays would not get any closer, as Carthage held on for a 71-65 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Slisz finished with a game-high 21 points.
• Verboven joined her in double-figures, scoring 19 points.
• Verboven, Dorantes and graduate student forward Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.) hauled in a team-best four rebounds each.
• Verboven, Slisz and Dornates dished out a team-best three assists each.
• USJ outshot Carthage, 52.3 percent (23-of-44) to 44.4 percent (28-of-63).
• The Firebirds outrebounded the Blue Jays, 39-20.
• Second chance points proved vital for Carthage, as the team hauled in 18 offensive rebounds to generate 22 second chance points.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays return to the court on Friday, December 27, playing local foe Trinity College in the opening day of the Lehman College Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament. Tipoff against the Bantams inside The Apex in the Bronx, N.Y., is set for 12:00 p.m.

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