WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Devon Diliberto (Waterbury, Conn.) and Brianna Ferraro (Waterbury, Conn.) scored 17 points apiece as the University of Saint Joseph women's basketball team defeated Mount Ida 79-51 on Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) game at the O'Connell Center.
Freshman Katlyn Jesse (Marshfield, Mass.) scored 10 points to lead Mount Ida, while junior Jenn Rafuse (Brockton, Mass.) and freshman Stephanie Chamoux (Tewksbury, Mass.) had eight points apiece with Rafuse pulling down a team-high 11 rebounds.
Shauna Sullivan (Rocky Hill, Conn.) had a double-double for USJ with 12 points and 12 rebounds and Lindsey Dionne (Portland, Conn.) had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Diliberto, the career leader in three-point baskets at St. Joseph, made three three-pointers on the day and her first – with 8:09 left in the half which extended USJs lead to 26-12 – was the 200th of her career.
Mount Ida led at 8-7 on a layup by freshman Angelique Martinez (Taunton, Mass.), 2:34 into the game, but USJ scored 35 of the next 39 points to open up a 42-12 lead. Mount Ida had 21 first-half turnovers and St. Joseph led 48-15 at halftime.
Mount Ida shot 42 percent for the game (21-for-50) to USJs 40 percent (26-for-65), but the final turnover difference (33-12) and a 39-37 USJ edge in rebounds helped the Blue Jays improve to 9-10 overall (2-3 GNAC).
Mount Ida falls to 3-15 overall and is still searching for their first conference win (0-4). The Mustangs will try again on Tuesday when they host Anna Maria at 6:00 pm in Newton.
USJ next plays at Lasell in a GNAC game, Tue. Feb. 4 at Lasell.