Posted: Nov 13, 2015
Chelsea Vujs Leads Women's Basketball to 74-50, Season-opening Win at Saint Joseph
Western New Eng.
(1-0)
74
St. Joseph (Conn.)
(0-1)
50
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Western New Eng. (1-0) | 20 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 74 |
|
St. Joseph (Conn.) (0-1) | 10 | 11 | 18 | 11 | 50 |
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (November 13, 2015) - Led by senior forward Chelsea Vujs' (Berlin, Conn.) 27th career double-double, the Western New England University women's basketball team opened its 2015-16 campaign in impressive fashion, rolling to a 74-50 victory over the University of Saint Joseph this evening in the 18th Annual USJ Blue Jay Tip-Off Classic at the O'Connell Center.
Western New England (1-0, 0-0 CCC) advances to tomorrow's championship game to take on Rhode Island College at 3 p.m., while the host Blue Jays (0-1, 0-0 GNAC) face Farmingdale State College in the consolation contest at 1 p.m.
Vujs recorded game-highs in both points (16) and rebounds (12), and also led the Golden Bears with three steals. Senior guard Amanda Lopez (Windsor, Conn.) finished with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting to go with four rebounds and three assists, while junior forward Emily Anderson (Rocky Hill, Conn.) had 11 points and eight boards.
Junior guard Sammie Battaini (Leominster, Mass.) turned in a strong all-around effort with ten points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals as Western New England posted a wire-to-wire victory. Freshman forward Aliyah Brito (Brockton, Mass.) made a significant contribution in her collegiate debut, totaling nine points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in just 13 minutes of action.
Sophomore guard Rajeen Mayo (Middletown, Conn.) paced the Blue Jays with 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals while junior forward Elisha Pertillar (Windsor, Conn.) added 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting and seven rebounds.
Leading by one (11-10) with just under three minutes remaining in the first quarter, Western New England scored nine straight points to open up a 20-10 lead that the Blue Jays were never able to recover from. Lopez hit one of two free throws to start the run, and Brito capped it with a layup in the closing seconds of the quarter.
The Golden Bears extended their advantage to 14 (24-10) early in the second quarter on a jumper by junior guard Kathleen Rafanelli (Exeter, R.I.) followed by a pair of free throws from Battaini, and led by as many as 17 (34-17) after a jumper by Vujs at the 3:06 mark, before carrying a 36-21 cushion into the locker room.
The Blue Jays cut their deficit to 11 on four occasions in the third quarter but were never able to get it into single digits the rest of the way, as Western New England pulled away late, outscoring Saint Joseph 19-11 over the final ten minutes of the game.
The Golden Bears shot just 38.5% (25-of-65) from the field tonight, but pulled down 24 offensive rebounds and scored 21 second chance points.
Western New England (1-0, 0-0 CCC) advances to tomorrow's championship game to take on Rhode Island College at 3 p.m., while the host Blue Jays (0-1, 0-0 GNAC) face Farmingdale State College in the consolation contest at 1 p.m.
Vujs recorded game-highs in both points (16) and rebounds (12), and also led the Golden Bears with three steals. Senior guard Amanda Lopez (Windsor, Conn.) finished with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting to go with four rebounds and three assists, while junior forward Emily Anderson (Rocky Hill, Conn.) had 11 points and eight boards.
Junior guard Sammie Battaini (Leominster, Mass.) turned in a strong all-around effort with ten points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals as Western New England posted a wire-to-wire victory. Freshman forward Aliyah Brito (Brockton, Mass.) made a significant contribution in her collegiate debut, totaling nine points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in just 13 minutes of action.
Sophomore guard Rajeen Mayo (Middletown, Conn.) paced the Blue Jays with 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals while junior forward Elisha Pertillar (Windsor, Conn.) added 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting and seven rebounds.
Leading by one (11-10) with just under three minutes remaining in the first quarter, Western New England scored nine straight points to open up a 20-10 lead that the Blue Jays were never able to recover from. Lopez hit one of two free throws to start the run, and Brito capped it with a layup in the closing seconds of the quarter.
The Golden Bears extended their advantage to 14 (24-10) early in the second quarter on a jumper by junior guard Kathleen Rafanelli (Exeter, R.I.) followed by a pair of free throws from Battaini, and led by as many as 17 (34-17) after a jumper by Vujs at the 3:06 mark, before carrying a 36-21 cushion into the locker room.
The Blue Jays cut their deficit to 11 on four occasions in the third quarter but were never able to get it into single digits the rest of the way, as Western New England pulled away late, outscoring Saint Joseph 19-11 over the final ten minutes of the game.
The Golden Bears shot just 38.5% (25-of-65) from the field tonight, but pulled down 24 offensive rebounds and scored 21 second chance points.
