WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The Pride were victorious in a neck-and-neck contest with the University of Saint Joseph defeating the Blue Jays, 73-63, Thursday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball contest at Calhoun Gymnasium.
Madi Zancan (Cumberland, R.I.) led the Pride with 20 points while Pam Gonzalez (Revere, Mass.) earned a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Courtney Doherty (Willimantic, Conn.) was another major contributor with 13 points while Olivia Pacheco (Waterford, Conn.) added 9 coming off the bench.
The defensive nature of the game was evident from tipoff as Jordyn Striggles (Raynham, Mass.) scored the first basket of the game, a three-pointer, after nearly two minutes without a score. The Pride maintained the lead throughout the first quarter with a three-pointer from Erika Marinelli (Point Pleasant, N.J.) giving Regis a 5-point advantage (11-6) more than halfway through the period. The Blue Jays temporarily held a one-point lead over the Pride late in the quarter but a Doherty layup made the score 15-14 at the end of the first.
Doherty knocked down a three-pointer early in the second quarter to once again recapture the lead for the Pride as the visitors were unable to extend their lead beyond five points. Zancan drove to the hoop late in the period, making a basket and drawing a foul. After hitting the free throw the Pride would end the half on top, 34-31.
The Pride quickly went on a five-point scoring run off layups by Striggles and Gonzalez as well as a Striggle free throw to take an eight-point lead (39-31) early in the third. Layups by Valerie Whalen (Stoughton, Mass.) and Gonzalez at the start of the fourth quarter and a three-pointer by Zancan gave the Pride a game-high 13-point lead (55-42) with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation.
The Blue Jays chipped away at the Pride lead with a three-pointer by Amanda Fudge and a successful three-point play by Janai Oliver to cut the deficit to six points (63-57) with just under four minutes left on the clock. Regis managed to fend off the home team with a pair of made free throws by Zancan, a put-back layup by Pacheco, another layup by Zancan, and a fast break score for Pacheco, putting the game out of reach for the University of Saint Joseph.
Jordan Oulette led the Blue jays with 15 points while three players, Oliver, Fudge, and Maya Slisz, finished with 12 points.
Regis College (6-9, 6-3 GNAC) continues its stretch of road games with a matchup against division rival Elms on Saturday, January 21, beginning at 1:00 p.m., and another GNAC road contest against Norwich on Wednesday, January 25, starting at 7:00 p.m.