Anna Maria Defeated By Saint Joesph, 60-42

WEST HARTFORD, CT - In Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action that saw the University of Saint Joesph Blue Jays and Anna Maria College AMCATS square off, it was the Blue Jays who came away with the GNAC win by a score of 60-42 Tuesday afternoon at the O'Connell Center.

BASICS

• Date: February 18, 2020
• Score: Saint Joesph Blue Jays 60, Anna Maria College AMCATS 42
• Records: Saint Joesph (11-13, 3-7 GNAC), Anna Maria College (6-18, 2-8 GNAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Blue Jays raced out to a quick 7-2 lead early in the first highlighted by a three from Raelynn Voislow (Windsor Locks, CT) along with contributions by Meredith Forman (Bristol, CT), Anna Chevarella (Derby, CT) who chipped in two points each. Meanwhile, Anna Maria cut the lead down to three after Franchesca Hammond (Worcester, MA) knocked down a jumper that made it 7-4 Blue Jays. 
• From there, that was the closest Saint Joesph let the squad get in the quarter as they utilized a 14-7 run to end the quarter that was spearheaded by Voislow's eight points that featured two made three-pointers as the Blue Jays ended the quarter with a 21-11 advantage.
• As the second quarter became underway, Saint Joesph continued their offensive output that featured an 8-2 run which opened the quarter highlighted by Forman's four points along with makes by Chevella and Deanna De La Cruz (Winsted, CT). Despite being outscored 14-9 in the quarter, Ashley Rufo (Pittsfield, MA) contributed five points off the bench while Deyarna Achille (Boston, MA) and Hammond had two points respectively. 
• Saint Joesph notched their largest lead of the contest (47-26) midway through the third (4:58) when Chevarella hit a three-pointer to give the Blue Jays the advantage. Anna Maria outscored Saint Joesph for the rest of the quarter by a 10-6 advantage that featured two three-pointers by Hailey Vergara (Rialto, CA) and four points from Sienna Johnson (Brockton, MA). 
• The 'CATS opened the fourth on a 6-2 run which knocked the Blue Jays' advantage down to 13 (55-42). In the AMCATS offensive spurt, Sierra Johnson (Brockton, MA) paced the squad with four points, and Hammond also had a layup too. Although Anna Maria held Saint Joesph to their lowest scoring quarter of the contest (eight), it was not enough as the Blue Jays held on for the 60-42 win. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Hammond led all AMCATS scorers with 11 points and collected a team-high eight rebounds. 
• Hammond also swiped four steals which marked her sixth game of four or more steals. 
• Vergara and Rufo tied with nine points that rounded out the top-three Anna Maria scorers. 
• Saint Joesph saw four out of their five starters score in double-figures (Voislow-16 points, Forman-14points, De La Cruz-11 points, and Chevarella-10 points).
• Forman and De La Cruz also had double-doubles for the Blue Jays when they grabbed 13 and 10 rebounds respectively. 
• The Blue Jays shot 40.0 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three. Whereas Anna Maria shot 29.0 percent from the field and 15.2 percent from three. 
• The AMCATS defense forced 12 turnovers compared to Saint Joesph 10. 

WHAT'S NEXT

Anna Maria has their senior day when they host Albertus Magnus on Saturday, February 22 at 1 PM. Saint Joesph continues their homestand taking on Colby-Sawyer College Saturday, February 22 at 1 PM. 

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