Women's Basketball Drops Road Trip To St. Joseph's

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

WEST HARTFORD, CONN. – The Elms College women's basketball team fell to host University of St. Joseph's (CT), 77-50, in non-conference action at the O'Connell Center Tuesday evening. The Blazers move to 4-5 on the season, while the Blue Jays improve to 1-10.

The Blue Jays raced to an early 10-0 lead in the opening two minutes of play, powered by five points from senior Stephanie DeJesus (Meriden, Conn.). A layup from USJ junior Elisha Pertillar (Windsor, Conn.) capped a 12-3 run by the Blue Jays at the 5:04 mark of the first quarter, extending the USJ lead to 22-3. Elms freshman Nakia Mabin (Bridgeport, Conn.) delivered a layup in the paint, followed by a pair of free throws from junior Emily Burr (East Hartford, Conn.) to cut the Blue Jays advantage to 26-7 after the first frame.

Back-to-back layups from senior J.C. Pickett (Chicopee, Mass.) opened the Blazer scoring in the second quarter to make it a 26-11 game. Blue Jays junior Carlee Putnam (Niantic, Conn.) and sophomore Kayla Guest (Newington, Conn.) took over for a three-minute span in the second quarter, netting 13 combined points as part of a 15-6 run by St. Joseph's, pushing the USJ lead to 41-17. The Blazers responded with a 6-3 run, but Putnam closed the period with five straight points, sending the Blue Jays into the intermission with a 49-23 lead.

Elms senior Mariah Brown (Windsor, Conn.) knocked down three consecutive free throws to trim the USJ advantage to 52-26 with 7:37 left in the third quarter. Pickett and freshman Kayla Aberdale (Housatonic, Mass.) converted layups, followed by another pair of free throws from Brown to cut the deficit to 54-32. Pickett netted five points in the final two minutes, and then Burr converted a three-point play with two second on the clock, making it a 60-42 game heading into the final quarter.

Elms brought the score to 60-45, but the Blue Jays stifled the Blazers momentum with a 9-0 run, bookended by layups from Putnam to put USJ up 69-45. Layups from Guest put the Blue Jays ahead 75-48, while Elms freshman Erin O'Donnell (Glenmont, N.Y.) connected on a pair of free throws in the final minute as the Blazers fell to St. Joseph's, 77-50.

Pickett led the Blazers with a team-high 14 points, shooting 5-of-11 from the field, with seven rebounds. Brown added 11 points, two rebounds and two assists, while Burr chipped in seven points, two rebounds and two steals. Junior Heather Bailey (Williamstown, Va.) and sophomore Mackenzie LaRochelle (Chicopee, Mass.) came off the bench with seven rebounds apiece.

St. Joseph's had three scorers in double figures, paced by a game-high 33 points from Putnam, connecting on 12-of-23 attempts and 5-of-9 three-pointers. Putnam added eight rebounds, four steals, three assists, and three blocks. Guest notched 16 points with nine rebounds and three assists, while sophomore Rajeen Mayo (Middletown, Conn.) registered a double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds and 10 points.

The Blue Jays edged the Blazers on the glass, 48-47, during the contest. Elms connected on 27.6% (16-of-58) from the field and 52.9% (18-of-34) from the foul line. St. Joseph's shot 38.9% (28-of-72) from the floor, including 40% (6-of-15) from three-point range, and 75% (15-of-20) from the charity stripe.

The Blazers will look to return to the win column with a road test at Bridgewater State Thursday night with a 7:30 p.m. tip. The Blue Jays travel to Rivier for a conference tilt Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.

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