WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team cruised to an 83-37 victory against Bard College at home in its 2022-23 season opener Saturday night inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford during the opening round of the 24th annual USJ Tip-Off Tournament. The Blue Jays lead wire-to-wire, dominating on both ends of the court to advance to the championship game tomorrow afternoon.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: USJ 83, Bard 37
Records: USJ (1-0), Bard (0-1)
Location: James A. Calhoun Gymnasium (West Hartford, Conn.)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Blue Jays opened the game on fire, rushing out to an 8-1 lead, paced by four points from sophomore guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) and junior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.). Slisz continued her red-hot start to the game, sinking a pair of free throws followed by a three pointer, extending USJ's lead to double digits, 13-3, with 4:49 left in the opening quarter. The Raptors would pull back within eight, but the Blue Jays offense was firing on all cylinders in the opening stanza, as junior forward Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) scored four straight points to reestablish a 12-point edge, 17-5. Bard would look to fight back late, going on a 3-0 run, but the Blue Jays defense continued its strong start, holding the Raptors to only nine points in the first quarter, taking a 19-9 advantage into the second quarter.

USJ carried the momentum into the second quarter, as senior guard Amanda Fudge (Middletown. Conn.) made back-to-back layups in the opening minute to increase the lead to 23-9. The Blue Jays continue to roll, increasing its lead to 15 after a junior forward Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.) jumper, 27-12. After a Bard layup, USJ exploded for an 11-1 run to break open the gap, 38-15. The run featured a balanced offense as Verboven, Fudge, sophomore Janai Oliver (Hartford, Conn.), sophomore guard Emiah Soto (Wolcott, Conn.) and freshman guard Jordan Farrell (West Hartford, Conn.) all recorded points. Highlighting the run was a tough and-one layup by Fudge and the first collegiate points for Farrell. The Blue Jays continued to be a handful for the Raptors, as a late 13-4 run in the closing two minutes, fueled by five points from fudge, and a Verboven triple saw the hosts take a commanding 53-21 lead into the halftime break. Fudge finished with 16 points in the first half.

Bard would score first to open the second half, but USJ quickly responded with a 6-0 run inside the opening minute and a half. The Raptors tried to cut the Blue Jays momentum with a bucket of their own, but a 9-0 stretch for USJ extended the gap to 68-25. USJ kept Bard off the scoreboard for 3 minutes and 41 seconds, as the visitors ended USJ's run with 3:56 left in the third quarter. The Raptors would go on an 8-4 run to close the third quarter, as USJ took a 72-33 edge entering the final quarter of play. USJ continued to play something defense in the final quarter, allowing only four points to take home a 83=37 victory to open the 2022-23 season.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Fudge led all scorers with 21 points.
• Four Blue Jays finished in double digits as Slisz (13 points), Verboven (11 points), and Ouellette (10 points) joined Fudge in double figures.
• Oliver grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
• Ouellette dished out six assists to pace the Blue Jays.
• USJ held the advantage on the glass, outrebounding Bard, 47-38.
• Turnovers were a key factor, as USJ forced 29 Bard turnovers, scoring 32 points off of Bard miscues.
• The Blue Jays outshot the Raptors from the field, 42.5 percent to 28.6 percent.
• The margin of victory is the largest since a 52-point victory against Dean last season.

UP NEXT

Women's basketball returns back to the hardwood tomorrow, Saturday, November 12 for the championship game of the 24th annual USJ Tip-Off Tournament against either Wellseley or Lehman. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. Fans who cannot make it to the game in person can watch all of the action live by visiting https://portal.stretchinternet.com/usj/.

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