DANBURY, Conn. - The Western Connecticut State University women's basketball team got off to a red-hot start and senior center Gabrielle Franks (Madison, Conn.) netted five of her team-high 13 points in the first quarter but it wasn't enough as the hosts fell to the visiting University of St. Joseph, 75-43, in a non-league matchup at Feldman Arena on Tuesday evening. 

Junior forward Alyssa Virtue (Groton, Conn.) added eight points and a game-high three blocks, while senior guard Nicole Vivian (New Milford, Conn.) chipped in with four points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Wolves.

Senior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) led the Blue Jays with a double-double on game-highs of 22 points and 18 rebounds. Classmate guard Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) contributed 20 points and seven boards, while the squad's season-leading scorer Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) finished with 15 points.

WestConn shot a blistering 53 percent (8-of-15) from the floor in the opening stanza and trailed by just one point before heading into the second. However, their shots turned cold as they knocked down just 20 percent in the period. St. Joseph put together a spurt and took a 34-23 lead into the break when Verboven hit a jumper from inside the paint. 

The Blue Jays didn't stop in the third quarter, outscoring the Wolves by a 23-10 margin as the lead ballooned to 24 when Oullette took a fast break feed from Fudge and connected on a runner. WestConn could not put together a run to get back into the contest. 

With the loss, the Wolves dropped to 1-5 overall, while the Blue Jays remained undefeated at 6-0. WestConn returns to action for their Little East Conference opener when they host Plymouth State on Saturday at 1 p.m.