Women's Hoops Holds Off Lasell, 68-54, Tuesday Night

NEWTON, Mass. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team picked up its second consecutive win, taking down Lasell University (Lasell), 68-54, during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play Tuesday night inside the Lasell Athletic Center in Newton, Mass. With the result, the Blue Jays moved to 15-9 on the season and 10-3 in GNAC play, while the Lasers moved to 11-13 overall and 6-7 in the conference.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The two teams traded shots back-and-forth, as a graduate student guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) layup at the 5:06 mark tied the game at 8-8.
• Verboven and classmate Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) would combine for a quick 4-0 run, establishing a 12-10 USJ lead with 3:27 left in the first.
• However, Lasell would fire back, tying the game in the closing seconds of the first, 14-14.
• USJ would explode offensively to open the second, using an 8-0 run, featuring buckets from Ouellette, Verboven, senior guard Maya Slisz (new Britain, Conn.) and freshman guard Nevaeh Yorke (Norwich, Conn.), to break open a 22-14 edge at the 7:16 mark.
• The Lasers and Blue Jays then went on to trade shots, as a Slisz layup extended the gap to nine, 29-20, with 4:43 left in the second.
• Lasell would fight back though, closing the gap to three, 19-26, after a 6-0 run was capped off at the 3:41 mark.
• The hosts would stay within four, as USJ headed into the halftime break with a 33-29 lead.
• USJ and Lasell continued to battle back-and-forth, as senior guard Jelly Frigo (West Hartford, Conn.) knocked down a layup to increase the advantage to eight, 41-33, with 5:17 on the clock.
• The Lasers would not go away though, using a 6-2 stretch to cut the gap to five, 46-41, with 1:25 left in the third.
• USJ though would close the quarter on a 6-2 run of their own, reestablishing a nine-point advantage, 52-43, entering the fourth quarter.
• Lasell would open the fourth on a 6-1 stretch, closing the deficit to four, 54-39, with 7:23 left to play.
• The Blue Jays would fire back with a quick 4-0 run, capped off by a pair of free throws from Slisz, retaking an eight-point lead, 57-49, with 6:50 on the clock.
• Lasell would not go away though, cutting the disadvantage back to four, 57-53, and causing USJ to call a timeout with 4:06 left to play.
• The Blue Jays gained momentum out of the break, utilizing a 6-0 stretch, capped off by a jumper from Slisz, to break open a double-digit lead, 63-53, with 1:37 on the clock.
• Lasell would not be able to respond, as USJ took home the victory, 68-54.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Slisz finished with a game-high 19 points.
• Verboven and Ouellette joined her in double-figures, scoring 16 points each.
• Verboven notched a double-double, hauling in a game-high 14 rebounds.
• She also dished out a team-high three assists.
• Lasell outshot the Blue Jays, 43.1% (25-of-58) to 39.1% (25-of-64).
• USJ held a significant advantage at the free throw line, shooting 18-of-28 from the charity stripe, compared to a 4-of-9 mark by Lasell.
• USJ won the battle of the glass, outrebounding the Lasers, 45-34.
• Neither team made a three-point shot on the night.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays round out the 2024-25 regular season on Saturday, February 22, heading to New London, N.H. to face Colby-Sawyer College. Tipoff against the Chargers inside the Dan & Kathleen Hogan Sports Center is set for 1:00 p.m.

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