Women's Basketball Upsets Top-Seeded JWU, 89-73, Advances to GNAC Championship Game

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The fourth-seeded University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team advanced to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship Game for the second consecutive season, upsetting top-seeded Johnson & Wales University (JWU) in the GNAC Semifinals, 89-73, Thursday night inside the Wildcat Center in Providence, R.I. With the result, the Blue Jays improved to 18-9 overall, while the Wildcats ended their 2024-25 season 23-3 overall.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Wildcats grabbed an early lead, holding a 9-0 edge at the 6:33 mark of the first quarter.
• USJ responded with a 4-0 stretch, as graduate students Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) and Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) each knocked down jumpers, cutting the gap to 9-4, and forced a JWU timeout at the 4:13 mark.
• The Blue Jays continued to battle back, as Verboven completed an old-fashioned three-point play, tying the game at 9-9 with three minutes left in the opening period.
• USJ kept its foot on the gas and took a 17-11 lead after an 8-2 run was capped off by a tough layup from Verboven with 47 seconds remaining on the first-quarter clock.
• However, the Wildcats closed the quarter strong with a 5-0 spurt, cutting the gap to one, 17-16, entering the second quarter.
• After JWU regained the lead to start the second, USJ fired back with a big 10-2 run, fueled by triples from senior guards Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) and Jelly Frigo (West Hartford, Conn.), to establish a 27-20 USJ lead at the 7:07 mark.
• JWU closed the gap to four, but Ouellette would sink an easy layup to establish a five-point gap, 31-26, at the 4:32 mark before halftime.
• The layup would spark a 6-0 run, capped off by a deep mid-range jumper from Verboven, increasing USJ's advantage to 35-26 with 3:27 left in the first half.
• Saint Joseph extended its lead to double-digits, 41-31, with 1:46 to go before the break, after Frigo sparked a 5-0 stretch with a three-pointer.
• However, the Wildcats once again ended the period strong, using a 5-2 stretch to close out the half, and cut their deficit to 43-36 heading into the locker rooms.
• USJ came out firing to start the third quarter with a 6-2 run, featuring buckets from Ouellette and Verboven, to extend the gap to 11, 49-38, at the 6:48 mark.
• The Blue Jays maintained a double-digit lead, as another 6-2 stretch, capped off by a turnaround jumper by Ouellette, increased the advantage to 53-40 and forced a JWU timeout at the 4:36 mark in the third.
• The two teams would go on to trade buckets, as USJ called a timeout with 2:07 on the clock, leading 58-49.
• USJ then closed the quarter strongly with a 6-0 run, capped off by a tough driving layup from Slisz, to take a 66-51 edge heading into the final quarter.
• JWU opened the fourth on a frenzy with back-to-back triples, forcing USJ to call a timeout at the 9:07 mark, leading 66-57.
• The Wildcats extended their spurt to an 11-0 run, closing the deficit to just four, 66-62, and forced another USJ timeout with 8:25 remaining in regulation.
• JWU stormed all the way back to retake the lead, 67-66, at the 7:46 mark.
• USJ fired back though with a clutch 8-0 run, featuring four points from Slisz, to catapult back in front, 74-67, with 3:24 left to play.
• The Blue Jays continued to shut down the Wildcats the remainder of the way, ultimately closing the game on a 15-4 run, featuring seven points from Ouellette, to secure the upset victory, 89-73.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Verboven and Slisz both scored a team-high 26 points.
• Ouellette joined them in double figures, scoring 17 points.
• Ouellette recorded a double-double, hauling in a team-high 13 rebounds.
• Slisz dished out a team-high six assists and swiped four steals.
• USJ outshot JWU, 53.3% (34-of-65) to 36.5% (27-of-74).
• The Blue Jays outrebounded the Wildcats, 42-41.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays advance to the GNAC Championship for the second consecutive season and will take on second-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Saturday, March 1. Tipoff between the Blue Jays and Monks inside the Harold Alfond Center in Standish, Maine is set for 1:00 p.m.

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