Blue Demons Play at Loyola
11/28/2001 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
DePaul (3-2) at Loyola (3-0)
Nov. 29, 2001 - 6 p.m.
Joseph J. Gentile Center (5,200)
Chicago, Illinois
On the Road Again?
The Blue Demons play their second road game in the Chicago area with a 6 p.m. game at Loyola. The game is the first of a doubleheader at the Gentile Center with a men's game following the women's contest. DePaul leads the all-time series, 24-9, and have won 14 of the last 16 meetings. The 33rd meeting on Thursday evening marks the second-longest running series for the program.
DePaul has won the last seven meetings and 14 of the last 16 overall. A year ago, the Blue Demons posted an 83-67 win over the Ramblers at the DePaul Athletic Center.
Ties to Loyola
Two coaches on the DePaul staff have ties to the Loyola programs. Head coach Doug Bruno was an associate head coach with the Loyola men's program from 1980-88. While with the Ramblers, he guided them to the 1985 NCAA Sweet 16 and a pair of 20-win seasons.
DePaul associate head coach Lisa Ryckbosch was a standout player at Loyola from 1980-84 and her name is found throughout the Rambler recordbook. Entering this season, Ryckbosch ranked second in field goals (557), third in rebounding (765), fourth in field goal percentage (.514), fifth in scoring (1,296), sixth in field goals attempted (1,083), eight in free throws attempted (286), ninth in blocked shots (36) and 10th in free throws made (182).
10 Straight Against the State
The Blue Demons have won 10 consecutive games against opponents from the state of Illinois over the last three seasons. Tuesday night, DePaul knocked off Northwestern. A year ago, the club went a perfect 6-0 against state opponents.
DePaul's last loss came on Dec. 10, 1999 when Illinois posted a 74-64 win over the Blue Demons in Champaign.
In addition to winning 10 consecutive game, DePaul has also won 17 of the last 18 contests with state schools. Over the stretch of 18 games, DePaul has defeated Illinois-Chicago, Loyola and Northern Illinois three times each. They have also knocked off Illinois, Northwestern and Southern Ilinois twice and Chicago State once.
Looking at the Blue Demons
The Blue Demons ended a two-game losing streak with a 67-50 win over Northwestern on Tuesday... only seven players were available for the game... both loses this season are to top 25 programs... Lenae Williams is averaging 29.0 points, 3.7 steals and 3.7 rebounds over the last three games... her 41 points against No. 6 Iowa State was a career-high and the second-highest single-game total in school history... the team set new program marks with 14 three's on 37 attempts... Williams tied her own school record with eight treys against the Cyclones... Jamie Smith now ranks ninth all-time at DePaul with 58 career blocked shots... DePaul opened the season by winning the Moran Realty Classic... the Blue Demons are now 14-2 (.875) all-time at the DePaul Athletic Center and have won nine straight at home... DePaul is 20-8 in season openers... the Nov. 16 opening game date was the earliest in the program's history... a generous team that has assisted 74 of 117 field goals (.632)... the Blue Demons are averaging 8.8 three-point field goals per game... they are being outrebounded by 5.8 boards per contest... Williams was named MVP of the Moran Realty Classic after averaging 20.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Checking In On Loyola
The Ramblers are off to their best start since the 1979-80 season with a 3-0 record. Loyola has posted victories over Columbia, Chicago State and UT-Pan American.
Tracy Hoffman and Lauren Yops are averaging double figures with Hoffman scoring 13 points a game and Yops chipping in with 11 per game. Maggie Toczylowski leads the club with 8.7 rebounds per game while scoring 9.7 points per contest.
Head coach Mary Helen Walker is in her third season with the Ramblers and owns a record of 17-41. Prior to coaching at Loyola, she was an assistant at Providence College and Southern Illinois.
Noting the Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge
Over Thanksgiving, DePaul played in third annual Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge in Ames, Iowa. A tough field featured host Iowa State, Maryland and Mississippi State.
- DePaul set school record with 14 three-pointers and 37 three-point attempts against No. 6 Iowa State. It also matched the most by an Iowa State opponent (Oklahoma, 1/7/96).
- Lenae Williams' 41 points against Iowa Stateshattered the Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge record of 25 set in 1999 by Amirah Leonard of Clemson. It was also a career-high for Williams, the second-highest single-game total by a DePaul player and the third-highest single-game effort in Conference USA history. It was the most points scored at Iowa State since Jan Jensen of Drake scored 41 in 1990. Connie Yori of Creighton holds the Hilton Colisuem record with 42 points on Dec. 12, 1982.
- Williams' eight three-pointers tied her own school record set on Dec. 22, 1999 against Oregon.
- The 36 points against Maryland was the lowest point total for a DePaul team since scoring 36 in a 59-36 loss at Marquette on Dec. 30, 1999.
- DePaul didn't score a point against Maryland in the final 5:38 of the first half and a 10-minute stretch of the second half.
- Jamie Smith grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against Maryland, but didn't score a point.
Moran Realty Classic Recap
DePaul opened the season by winning the fifth annual Moran Realty Classic. The Blue Demons knocked off Eastern Washington, 82-57, Friday night and Arkansas State, 86-68, in the championship game. Senior foward Lenae Willams was named tournament MVP after scoring 41 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in the two games. Sarah Kustok joined Williams on the All-Tournament team with 28 tournament points, 14 rebounds and eight three pointers.
In the Eastern Washington game, DePaul started with a 15-0 run and never looked back in the 82-57 victory. Williams led four players in double figures with a team-high 19 points. The championship game saw DePaul take a 39-36 halftime lead only to outscore Arkansas State, 47-32, in the second half. Williams dropped in 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Kustok added 15, Lindsay Forsberg totaled 14 points and Jamie Smith chipped in 12 points.
Strength of Schedule
Doug Bruno calls this year's schedule the toughest ever at DePaul and CNNSI.com calls it the toughest in the midwest. A glance at the '01-02 slate reveals three of the last four national champions, the two finalists from a year ago and 15 teams that played in the postseason last March.
The current top 25's have a DePaul flavor as six opponents from the latest AP and USA Today/ESPN polls are featured. A total of 12 opponents are either ranked in the ESPN/USA Today poll or receiving votes for the top 25.
All Roads Lead to Chicago
The DePaul Athletic Center will be the site of the 2002 Conference USA Women's Basketball Tournament. The 12-team tourney will be Mar. 1-4 in Chicago. The winner receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Tulane won its third straight conference tournament last year while the Blue Demons reached the semifinals before falling to Cincinnati.
Giving to Charity
Last season, the Blue Demons led Conference USA with a .716 overall mark from the free throw line. In league play, DePaul shot .733 and were 241-326 (.739) over their last 19 games. Lenae Williams ranked second in the league with an .827 (86-104) percentage from the stripe.
Through the first five games of this season, DePaul is a combined 68-93 (.731) from the free throw line while Williams has made 25-of-28 (.893) free attempts. Against Northwestern, she was a perfect 10-for-10.
What's New
In addition to the usual loss and addition of players, the DePaul coaching staff saw a trio of changes during the offseason. Maggie Dixon and Candis Blankson replaced Corry Carter and Andre Wakefield as assistant coaches. Jana Mathis was hired over the summer to fill the Director of Basketball Operations position left open when Dixon assumed the assistant role. Also, just before the start of practice, Lisa Ryckbosch was named Associate Head Coach after serving as an assistant for the past 10 seasons.
On the roster, the program welcomes six new players to the roster. Freshmen Jenni Dant, Lindsay Forsberg, Khara Smith and Claudette Towers join transfers Ashley Luke and Charlene Smith. Luke and Charlene Smith will have to sit out this season under NCAA transfer guidelines.
Of DePaul's 13 players on the roster, 11 come from the Chicagoland area. Only Forsberg, from Tulsa, Okla., and Jamie Smith from Springfield, Ill., are from outside Chicago.
Regional Recognition
Prior to the start of the season, CNNSI.com ranked DePaul's 2001-02 schedule as the toughest in the Midwest. The slate features six teams currently in the AP top 25 and five teams in the ESPN/USA Today rankings.
In addition to the team recognition, freshman guard Jenni Dant was listed as one of the "Five New Faces to Watch" in the region and was the only player of the five not from either the Big Ten or Big 12 conferences.
True Student-Athletes
Earlier this year, the Blue Demons were rewarded for their hard work in the classroom by being named to the WBCA Academic Top 25. The Blue Demons were ranked in the top 20 for the second time in the last three seasons. DePaul finished 13th in NCAA Division I basketball after placing 20th following the 1998-99 season. DePaul and UW-Green Bay were the only two schools that played in the postseason last season. The Blue Demons reached the second round of the WNIT while the Phoenix lost in the WNIT first round.
Jenni Dant's Jersey in Ring of Honor
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame has recently added DePaul freshman Jenni Dant's jersey to their Ring of Honor. The Ring of Honor recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of high school and collegiate All-Americans. The former Stevenson High School standout is in an exclusive group of 40 young women from across the country to have their jerseys currently displayed at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, located in downtown Knoxville, Tenn., is the world's only hall of fame dedicated solely to the athletic achievements of women. Visitors are treated to such exhibits as a riveting video showcasing the history of the women's game, memorabilia from more than 100 years of basketball, inspirational halftime speeches from legendary coaches, a number of interactive exhibits and an opportunity for visitors to showcase their talents.
Injury Bug Bites Early
Prior to the start of practice, senior forward Latasha White injured her left knee and will miss the 2001-02 season. Last season, the junior college transfer averaged 1.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. She played in 21 games for the Blue Demons a year ago.
DePaul freshman forward Khara Smith suffered a stress fracture in her left foot during the week of Nov. 12 and will miss 2-6 weeks. Smith registered a pair of double-doubles in DePaul's two exhibition games before injuring the second and third metatarsal in her left foot.
Yolanda Lewis could miss up to two games after suffering a concussion in the Maryland game. Lewis was ran over by a Terrapin and hit her head on the floor.
Looking Ahead
DePaul signed four players to a National Letter of Intent in the early signing period. Three of thenewcomers next season are from the Chicago area and a fourth is Doug Bruno's first signee from the state of New York. The class features fourwards to go along with transfer guards Ashley Luke and Charlene Smith. Lauren Levine, Shiesha McCollum, Casmir Patterson and Maureen Simon join Luke and Smith who become eligible after sitting out this season.