Kulas’ 24 Points Lifts Women’s Basketball Past NEC, 72-61, Tuesday Night

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — Sophomore guard Ella Kulas (Cheshire, Conn.) scored a game-high 24 points, lifting the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team past New England College (NEC), 72-61, during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action Tuesday night inside the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn. Due to the victory and results elsewhere across the league, USJ clinched a spot in the 2026 GNAC Women's Basketball Playoffs. With the win, the Blue Jays improved to 8–16 overall and 6–5 in GNAC play, while the Pilgrims dropped to 14-9 overall and finished 6-6 in league play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After a back-and-forth opening stretch, Kulas converted a transition layup off an assist from sophomore guard Nevaeh Yorke (Norwich, Conn.), giving USJ a 6–4 lead at the 7:24 mark. The Blue Jays and Pilgrims continued to trade baskets until freshman guard Maddy Evans (Hebron, Conn.) scored five straight points to extend the margin to 15–12 with 1:19 left in the quarter. NEC answered with a 4–0 run to close the period and take a 16–15 edge into the second.

The Pilgrims extended the run to 8–0 to open the second, but Evans knocked down her second three-pointer of the game to stop the stretch and cut the deficit to 20–18 with 7:48 on the clock. Sophomore guard Trinity Cruz (Windsor Locks, Conn.) followed with a triple of her own to tie the game at 21–21 at the 6:30 mark. The momentum shifted in USJ's favor as the Blue Jays used a 7–0 run — capped by a three-pointer from sophomore guard Sequoia Turcotte Briggs (Andover, Conn.) — to build a 32–24 lead with 2:24 left in the half. NEC responded with a 7–0 run to trim the deficit to 32–31 entering halftime.

After NEC tied the game early in the third, USJ erupted for a 12–0 run, highlighted by four points apiece from Kulas and Yorke, to open up a 46–36 advantage at the 4:42 mark. The Pilgrims countered with a 6–0 stretch, but USJ answered with an 8–4 run to carry a 54–46 lead into the fourth.

The teams traded baskets early in the final period, with USJ maintaining a 60–52 lead at the 6:03 mark. NEC continued to push, cutting the deficit to five, 66–59, after a three-pointer with 55 seconds remaining. However, the Blue Jays' defense held firm, and USJ sealed the 72–61 bounce-back victory at the free-throw line.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Kulas paced the offense with 24 points.
• Evans, Turcotte Briggs and Yorke joined her in double-figures, scoring 14, 12 and 10 points, respectively.
• Yorke nearly notched a triple-double, hauling in a team-high eight rebounds while dishing out a team-best eight assists.
• Turcotte Briggs was a menace defensively, swiping a game-high four steals.
• The Blue Jays outshot the Pilgrims from the field, 46.3 percent (25-of-54) to 45.3 percent (24-of-53).
• NEC outrebounded USJ, 33–30.
• The Blue Jays took advantage of fast break opportunities, scoring 13 points in transition.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays head on the road to close out the 2025-26 regular season, traveling to Standish, Maine for a GNAC showdown against Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Saturday, February 21. Opening tipoff inside the Harold Alfond Center is set for 1:00 p.m

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