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Saint Joseph's University

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USciences Women's Basketball

Women's Basketball Wins Fourth Consecutive NCAA Tournament First Round Game

Box Score

MANCHESTER, N.H. – The USciences women's basketball won its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament First Round game, leading wire-to-wire in a 64-38 triumph over sixth-seeded Le Moyne on Friday afternoon at Southern New Hampshire. 

The third-seeded Devils advance to the Second Round to face seventh-seeded Pace tomorrow at 5 p.m., looking to advance to the program's second-ever Sweet 16 (2018) in its final season. 

University of the Sciences is now one of just five Division II teams to win an NCAA Tournament game in the each of the previous four 64-Team Tournaments (Drury, Grand Valley State, Lander and West Texas A&M). 

The Devils pulled away for good with the first 13 points of the fourth quarter. 

Taylor Hamm opened the period with a jumper, before three consecutive 3-pointers by Jess Huber, Kendall Keyes and Isla Brennan.

Keyes then completed the surge with a jumper for a 21-point advantage, 50-29, with 5:46 remaining. 

All 10 Devils to play more than three minutes scored, but the story as it has been throughout the postseason run was the defense. 

USciences held Le Moyne to 20.4 percent shooting (11-of54), including 5.9 percent (1-of-17) in the first quarter. The Dolphins made just four field goals in the second half and three 3-pointers - on 18 attempts - for the entire contest. 

University of the Sciences meanwhile shot a combined 54.5 percent (18-of-33) in the second and fourth quarters, scoring 50 of its 64 points. The Devils made 11-of-27 (40.7 percent) from beyond the arc. 

Brennan led a balanced scoring attack with 15 points off the bench for the second-highest scoring total of her career. 

Keyes and Huber were also in double-figures with 14 and 12, respectively. 

Dayna Balasa added six off the bench as University of the Sciences' bench outscored Le Moyne's 30-0. 

Hamm led all players with 14 rebounds, the second-highest total of her career, to help the Devils outrebound the team with NCAA's ninth-best rebounding margin. 

The senior also posted game-highs of six assists and four steals, both of which were career-bests. 

Shannon May chipped in with five assists, the game's second-highest total, and two steals, good for second on the team.   

University of the Sciences held Le Moyne scoreless for the first 6:10, but the Devils only managed five points themselves as they took a 7-4 advantage into the second quarter following a Brennan layup. 

The Dolphins (17-8) got as close as one, 13-12, 2:16 into the period, but USciences made five 3-pointers over the final 6:14 of the half to establish a first-half-high 10-point lead. Brennan and Balasa both made two, before Keyes brought the scoreboard to 30-20 at the 51-second mark. 

Le Moyne would close out the scoring with a layup for a 30-22 halftime score, and the deficit remained between seven and 10 throughout the entirety of the third quarter. 

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Players Mentioned

Dayna Balasa

#32 Dayna Balasa

G
5' 8"
Freshman
Isla Brennan

#5 Isla Brennan

G
5' 7"
Junior
Taylor Hamm

#45 Taylor Hamm

F
6' 0"
Senior
Jess Huber

#15 Jess Huber

G
5' 10"
Graduate Student
Kendall Keyes

#4 Kendall Keyes

G
5' 6"
Senior
Shannon May

#2 Shannon May

G
5' 4"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Dayna Balasa

#32 Dayna Balasa

5' 8"
Freshman
G
Isla Brennan

#5 Isla Brennan

5' 7"
Junior
G
Taylor Hamm

#45 Taylor Hamm

6' 0"
Senior
F
Jess Huber

#15 Jess Huber

5' 10"
Graduate Student
G
Kendall Keyes

#4 Kendall Keyes

5' 6"
Senior
G
Shannon May

#2 Shannon May

5' 4"
Graduate Student
G