Women’s Basketball Holds Off Elms, 62–53, in GNAC Opener Saturday

CHICOPEE, Mass. — The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team opened Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play with a 62–53 road victory over Elms College on Saturday afternoon inside Picknelly Arena. With the win, the Blue Jays improve to 3–10 overall and 1–0 in GNAC play, while the Blazers fall to 4–10 overall and 0–1 in conference action.

HOW IT HAPPENED

USJ opened the game strong, jumping out to a 6–2 lead behind baskets from junior forwards Kiatyanna Denmark (New Britain, Conn.) and Madeline Greene (Storrs, Conn.) and sophomore guard Ella Kulas (Cheshire, Conn.). Elms answered with a 5–0 run to take a 7–6 lead with 5:49 remaining. Sophomore guard Sequoia Turcotte Briggs (Andover, Conn.) halted the run with her first three-pointer of the afternoon, but the Blazers responded with a 6–2 spurt to regain the advantage, 13–11, forcing a USJ timeout at the 2:22 mark. The teams traded baskets down the stretch, ending the first quarter tied at 15–15.

The Blue Jays reclaimed the lead early in the second quarter as freshman forward Reagan Heafey-De Angelis (South Windsor, Conn.) capped a quick 4–0 spurt with a mid-range jumper to make it 19–17 at the 7:57 mark. The teams continued to trade shots, and Denmark's putback layup with 1:36 left tied the game at 25–25, a score that held heading into halftime.

USJ came out of the break firing, opening the third quarter with a 13–3 run fueled by two triples from Turcotte Briggs and four points from Denmark to build an 11-point cushion, 39–28, with 6:10 remaining. Elms responded with an 10–3 run to cut the deficit to four, 42–38, with 1:19 left in the period. Both teams exchanged baskets late, as USJ carried a 45–40 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Blazers continued their push to open the fourth, using an 8–2 run to take a 48–47 lead and force a USJ timeout with 6:25 remaining. The Blue Jays responded with a decisive 6–0 run, capped by a driving layup from sophomore guard Nevaeh Yorke (Norwich, Conn.), to regain control at 53–48 with 3:23 left. Elms pulled within four, 57–53, but USJ sealed the victory at the free-throw line to secure the 62–53 win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Turcotte Briggs led all scorers with 17 points.

• Denmark recorded her first career double-double, finishing with career highs of 11 points and 13 rebounds.

• Yorke and Kulas also reached double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

• Denmark and Greene dished out a game-high three assists apiece.

• USJ held a slight rebounding edge, 35–34.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays step out of conference play for the final time during the 2025–26 season, hosting the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor on Monday, January 12, inside the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium. Tip-off in West Hartford is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

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