Women's Hoops Suffers Home Setback Against Salve Regina Tuesday Afternoon

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team suffered a 71–65 setback at home against Salve Regina University on Tuesday afternoon in non-conference action inside the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium. With the result, the Blue Jays fall to 2–9 overall, while the Seahawks improve to 6–7.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Salve Regina grabbed the early advantage, opening a 5–0 lead with 6:56 left in the first quarter. Sophomore guard Trinity Cruz (Windsor Locks, Conn.) halted the early spurt with a three-pointer, but the Seahawks extended their lead to 9–3 at the 5:57 mark. USJ battled back to within one, 10–9, behind a triple from sophomore guard Sequoia Turcotte Briggs (Andover, Conn.) and a layup by sophomore guard Ella Kulas (Cheshire, Conn.).

The Blue Jays continued to push, erupting for a 10–2 run highlighted by five points from freshman forward Reagan Heafey-De Angelis (South Windsor, Conn.) to take a 19–14 lead. Salve Regina answered with the final basket of the quarter to trim the deficit to 19–16.

Salve Regina carried its momentum into the second quarter, opening on a 9–0 run that forced USJ to call a timeout, trailing 25–19 with 5:54 left in the half. The teams traded baskets down the stretch, and a layup by junior forward Kiatyanna Denmark (New Britain, Conn.) cut the deficit to 30–25 heading into halftime.

The Blue Jays and Seahawks exchanged baskets to open the third quarter before junior forward Gjamory'a McTier (Palmer, Mass.) converted a putback layup at the 5:07 mark to pull USJ within three, 36–33. USJ would get no closer in the period, as Salve Regina carried a five-point lead, 43–38, into the fourth quarter.

USJ continued to battle, as back-to-back baskets from Turcotte Briggs and Kulas pulled the hosts within two, 52–50, with 7:06 remaining. Turcotte Briggs trimmed the margin to one, 53–52, with a pair of free throws, but Salve Regina responded with a 4–0 run to extend its lead to 57–52 with 4:38 on the clock. USJ pulled within one again at 58–57 following a McTier free throw, but the Seahawks closed the game with a strong finish to secure the 71–65 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Turcotte Briggs paced the Blue Jays with 18 points.

• Cruz and sophomore guard Nevaeh Yorke (Norwich, Conn.) joined her in double figures with 10 and 12 points, respectively.

• McTier hauled in a team-high 10 rebounds, matching her career high.

• Yorke led the offense with a team-best five assists.

• Salve Regina narrowly outshot USJ, 35.2 percent (19-of-54) to 34.9 percent (22-of-63).

• The Blue Jays held a slight rebounding edge, 42–41.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays wrap up a three-game homestand on Thursday, January 8, hosting East Texas Baptist University inside the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium. Tip-off against the Tigers is set for 6:00 p.m.

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