New York, NY - For the second straight contest, four Bloodhounds netted double-figures, but it wasn't enough as the John Jay women's basketball team fell, 79-66, to the visiting University of Saint Joseph's on Tuesday evening in the Bloodhounds' home opener.
 
John Jay falls to 2-2 on the season, while the Blue Jays picked up their first win in their first game of 2024-25.
 
Senior guard Ashley Zeolla netted her second 20-point game of the season and sixth of her career, as the Yorktown Heights, NY native finished with a team-high 20 points on 7 of 19 shooting from the field but was perfect 6 of 6 from the free-throw line in 32 minutes. She also added eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
 
Sophomore Michaela Lattimore notched her third double-double in as many games as she finished with 13 points on an efficient 6 of 12 shooting while grabbing 12 rebounds.
 
Junior guard Natalie Simonds scored in double-figures for the third time in four games, adding 11 points on 4 of 5 shooting. Ayanna Edwards was the fourth Bloodhound in double-digits, finishing with 10 points, highlighted by a 6 of 6 performance from the line while dishing out six assists.
 
Four Blue Jays also reached double-figures, led by Maya Slisz, who struggled from the floor, connecting on 4 of 14 but hit 13 of 15 from the line to finish with a game-high 23 points. She distributed a game-high eight assists and six steals.
 
Jordan Ouellette tallied 20 points on 10 of 14 shooting while grabbing six rebounds in 37 minutes.  Taylor Verboven netted 14 points on 7 of 14 shooting displays while grabbing a team-high nine rebounds, adding six assists, two steals, and a block. Sequoia Turcotte Briggs concluded the contest with 12 points.
 
Both teams traded points in the early portion of the game before the visitors stretched their lead to 12-5 following two made free-throws from Slisz. The Bloodhounds outscored the visitors, 6-2, over the final three minutes as Briana Minick hit a driving layup that cut the deficit to 14-11. Slisz made one of two from the line as USJ led by four, 15-11.
 
Over the first three minutes of the second quarter, John Jay scored 11 of the first 21 points in the frame, with Alexis Jones drilling a three-pointer, chipping the USJ lead down to one possession, 25-22.
 
The Blue Jays closed the quarter on a 14-9 run as Briggs hit a layup as time expired for halftime.
John Jay opened the third quarter on an offensive flurry, connecting on 4 of 6 from the field, outscoring USJ 9-4, as Zeolla connected on a mid-range jumper, cutting the lead down to 43-40.
 
The Bloodhounds continued to battle back, getting the lead down to 48-44 at the 5:49 mark, but USJ finished the quarter on a 9-2 run, capped by a Verboven layup that increased the lead to 57-46.
 
The Bloodhounds tried to get the game back into single-digits, with Simonds hitting a corner three-pointer in front of the home bench after coming off a screen that made it 67-58.
Edwards and Zeolla each capitalized from the line that trimmed the lead down to five, 67-64, following two made free-throws by Zeolla.
 
On the next possession, Ouellete hit a jumper off the feed from Silsz, making it 69-64, but Zeolla again answered from the line as the lead shrunk to three, 69-66.  
 
The Blue Jays ended the contest on a 10-0 run as the University of Saint Joseph spoiled the home opener for the Bloodhounds.
 
For the game, John Jay shot 37.5 from the field while being held to just 26.7 percent from the outside. USJ connected on 43.1 percent from the floor and 41.7 from three-point range.
 
The Bloodhounds connected on 93.3 percent from the free-throw line (14 of 15) despite being outrebounded 33-27 and 10-8 on the offensive glass.
 
John Jay will be back in action on Saturday, November 23, as they welcome WestConn to the Doghouse. Saturday is a doubleheader, as the men's team will play after the women's contest against Russell Sage College.