DePaul Hosts Toledo
11/30/2001 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
DePaul (4-2) vs. Toledo (2-1)
Saturday, Dec. 1 - 7 p.m.
DePaul Athletic Center (3,000) - Chicago, Illinois
Back Home Again
After four games outside of Lincoln Park, the Blue Demons return to the DePaul Athletic Center for tonight's game with the Toledo Rockets. The Blue Demons are 4-2 while the Rockets come to Chicago with a 2-1 mark.
Saturday's game is the first of two straight home games for the Blue Demons as they host Illinois on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Next weekend, DePaul travels to Washington, D.C., to play George Washington on Sunday, Dec. 9.
The Friendly Confines
In their second season playing at the DePaul Athletic Center, the Blue Demons hold a 14-2 home-court record. The program won over 75 percent of their home games in 26 seasons across the street at Alumni Hall.
This season opened with a pair of victories in the Moran Realty Classic. A year ago, DePaul was 10-2 with both loses coming in overtime games. In the 16 games all-time at the Athletic Center, DePaul is outscoring their opponents by an average of 13.4 points per game.
This season the home court advantage will be tested as the Blue Demons host Toledo, Illinois, Purdue and Tennesse in the month on December.
Looking at the Blue Demons
DePaul has won two straight since losing a pair of games to top 25 programs at the Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge... DePaul finished Thursday's game at Loyola with just five players as two of the seven available fouled out... the Blue Demons have won 11 consecutive games against teams from the state of Illinois and 18 of the last 19... both loses this season are to top 25 programs... Lenae Williams' 41 points against No. 5 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 61 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 89 of 147 field goals (.605)... the Blue Demons are averaging 8.7 three-point field goals per game... they are being outrebounded by 4.7 boards per contest... Williams was named MVP of the Moran Realty Classic after averaging 20.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game... Sarah Kustok joined Willams on the Moran Realty Classic All-Tournament team.
Checking In On the Rockets
Toledo enters tonight's contest with a 2-1 record. They opened the season by upsetting then-No. 5 Duke, 71-65. Since that game, the Rockets have lost to Evansville, 69-64, and defeated West Virginia, 72-58. Both of those games were played at the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational at Colorado State.
The Rockets have made seven NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 11 seasons while winning the Mid-American Conference Tournament last year.
Head coach Mark Ehlen is in his seventh season with Toledo and needs just one more victory to become the all-time winningest coach in the program's history.
Senior Melantha Herron leads four players in double-figures with 14.7 points per game. Junior Teresa Kahle is averaging 8.7 rebounds per game while chipping in 11 points per contest.
The Toledo Series
DePaul leads the all-time series, 2-1, with tonight's game being the first meeting since the 1989-90 season.
The first game was played Dec. 1, 1984 with the Blue Demons posting a 74-69 win at Alumni Hall. The second game, also played in Chicago, saw DePaul win, 86-50. The last and third matchup was a 57-55 win for the Rockets in Toledo.
11 Straight Against the State
The Blue Demons have won 11 consecutive games against opponents from the state of Illinois over the last three seasons. This week, DePaul knocked off Northwestern and Loyola. 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 11 consecutive games, DePaul has also won 18 of the last 19 contests with state schools. Over the stretch of 19 games, DePaul has defeated Loyola four times and Illinois-Chicago, Northwestern and Northern Illinois three times each. They have also knocked off Illinois and Southern Ilinois twice and Chicago State once.
Last Time Out - DePaul 80, Loyola 72
Lenae Williams led five players in double-figures with a game-high 25 points as DePaul held off Loyola, 80-72, at the Gentile Center on Thursday night. DePaul had to finish the game with just five players as two of the seven available fouled out late in the game.
After missing 17 of their first 18 shots, the Blue Demons warmed up and built a 12-point advantage as Laura Sobieszczyk drilled a three just before the half ended with DePaul leading, 42-30.
The second half started with DePaul going on a 12-4 run over the first four minutes to gain a 54-34 lead. The Ramblers came storming back with a 19-6 run to trim the lead to 63-60 with five minutes left. However, DePaul held Loyola off with free throws by Jenni Dant and Lindsay Forsberg.
Sarah Kustok scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Jamie Smith had 12 points, seven boards and three blocked shots. Others in double-figures were Dant with 13 and Sobieszczyk with 11 points.
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.
Noting the Moran Realty Classic
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.
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 missed 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 four forwards 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.