Basketball Earns 79-51 Win over Mount Ida

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 Saturday in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference game at the O'Connell Center.

USJ improved to 9-10 overall and 2-3 in the GNAC. Mount Ida is 3-15 and 0-4.

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.

Katlyn Jesse (Marshfield, Mass.) scored 10 points to lead Mount Ida. Jenn Rafuse (Brockton, Mass.) and Stephanie Chamoux (Tewksbury, Mass.) had eight points apiece with Rafuse pulling down a team-high 11 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 200^th of her career.

Mount Ida led just once at 8-7 on a layup by 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 gave the Blue Jays many more opportunities.

USJ next plays at Lasell in a GNAC game, Tue. Feb. 4 at Lasell.