DePaul Hosts Purdue
12/16/2001 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
DePaul (6-3) vs. Purdue (8-1)
DePaul Athletic Center (3,000) - Chicago, Illinois
December 17, 2001 - 7 p.m.
Click here for the audio broadcast.
Nothing But the Best
The DePaul women's basketball team plays two games in three days against a pair of teams ranked in the top seven in the nation. DePaul hosts No. 7 Purdue on Monday night before taking on second-ranked Tennessee on Wednesday evening. Both games will be played at the DePaul Athletic Center with a tipoff at 7 p.m.
Monday's opponent, Purdue, enters the game with an 8-1 record following their 82-67 win over UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. The Blue Demons stand at 6-3 and haven't played since losing at George Washington, 74-61, on Dec. 9.
Making Some National Noise
In the Dec. 10 NCAA statistical rankings, DePaul sharpshooter Lenae Williams is ranked among the national scoring leaders. The senior forward is second in the country with a 25.8 scoring average and also holds the top two single-game efforts this season.
Williams' 41-point outburst at No. 6 Iowa State on Nov. 21 is tied for the single-game high this season with George Mason's Laura Kooij and Tennessee Tech's Janet Holt. Her 39-point total against Illinois on Dec. 4 is the second-highest total this season along with Austin Peay's Brooke Armistead and Mississippi State's Latoya Thomas.
The Friendly Confines
In their second season playing at the DePaul Athletic Center, the Blue Demons hold a 16-2 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 followed by wins over Toledo and Illinois. A year ago, DePaul was 12-2 with both loses coming in overtime games. In the 18 games all-time at the Athletic Center, DePaul is outscoring their opponents by an average of 12.7 points per game. The Blue Demons have also won 11 consecutive games at the DePaul Athletic Center.
Remaining home games in December will test the home court advantage as the Blue Demons host Purdue and Tennessee. In Conference USA action, Memphis, Saint Louis, Southern Miss and Tulane come to Chicago in January. February home games include Cincinnati, Louisville and Marquette.
Looking at the Blue Demons
The Blue Demons received votes in this week's AP poll... DePaul has won four of their last five games after starting the season 2-2... the last time DePaul won five consecutive games was during the 1996-97 season... the Blue Demons are just one of two Conference USA programs to play at least three ranked opponents so far this season (Marquette is the other)... DePaul finished the Loyola game on Nov. 29 with just five players as two of the seven available fouled out... the Blue Demons have won 12 consecutive games against teams from the state of Illinois and 19 of the last 20... all three loses this season are to teams ranked in the top 25 at gametime... Lenae Williams' 41 points against then-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 is now tied for eighth all-time at DePaul with 68 career blocked shots... DePaul opened the season by winning the Moran Realty Classic... the Blue Demons are now 16-2 (.889) all-time at the DePaul Athletic Center and have won 11 straight at home... the Blue Demons are averaging 7.9 three-point field goals per game while opponents have just 2.7... they are being outrebounded by 3.9 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.
The Purdue Series
DePaul leads the all-time series with the Boilermakers, 5-4, but has dropped the last four games. Tonight's game marks just the third meeting in Chicago where the series is tied, 1-1.
A year ago, Purdue knocked off DePaul, 80-67, in West Lafayette. In 1988, the Blue Demons defeated the Boilermakers to win the WNIT Championship in Amarillo, Texas.
This season, DePaul is 2-0 against the Big Ten after winning games against Illinois and Northwestern.
Seventh-ranked Purdue enters tonight's contest with a 8-1 record. They opened the season by losing to Oklahoma before winning their last eight games. During the eight-game streak, Purdue has won by an average of 25.3 points per game. On Saturday, the Boilermakers defeated UC Santa Barbara, 82-67.
Head coach Kristy Curry is in her third season with Purdue and led the Boilermakers the 2001 Final Four before losing to Notre Dame in the championship.
Shereka Wright leads three players in double-figures with 17.6 points per game. She is followed by Kelly Komara with 12.2 points and Mary Jo Noon with 11.8 points per game. Laura Meadows leads the club with 8.0 rebounds per contest while chipping in 9.4 points.
Lenae Williams Picks Up C-USA Honor
DePaul senior forward Lenae Williams was named the Conference USA Co-Player of the Week after leading the Blue Demons to three wins over Northwestern, Loyola-Chicago and Toledo. The senior forward continued her strong start to the 2001-02 campaign by averaging 28 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game in those three contests. Houston's Chandi Jones joined Williams in the league's weekly honor.
12 Straight Against the State
The Blue Demons have won 12 consecutive games against opponents from the state of Illinois over the last three seasons. This month, DePaul knocked off Illinois after defeating Northwestern and Loyola in November. The final Illinois game this season will be on Dec. 22 at Northern Illinois. A year ago, the club went a perfect 6-0 against state programs.
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 12 consecutive games, DePaul has also won 19 of the last 20 contests with state schools. Over the stretch of 20 games, DePaul has defeated Loyola four times and Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, Northwestern and Northern Illinois three times each. They have also knocked off Southern Ilinois twice and Chicago State once.
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 records 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 State shattered 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 a 59-36 loss at Marquette on Dec. 30, 1999.
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 outscore Arkansas State, 47-32, in the second half. Williams dropped in 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Kustok added 15.
Preseason Picks
In the annual Conference USA preseason poll, the Blue Demons were picked to finish seventh. This season, C-USA will have one 14-team division instead of the American and National divisions as in previous years.
Senior forward Lenae Williams was one of six players named preseason All-Conference USA. She alse earned the honor prior to last seaason.
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 four opponents from the latest AP and USA Today/ESPN polls are featured. A total of 10 opponents are either ranked in the ESPN/USA Today poll or receiving votes for the top 25.
Giving to Charity
Through the first nine games of this season, DePaul is a combined 114-158 (.722) from the free throw line while Lenae Williams has made 39-of-47 (.830) free attempts. Against Northwestern, she was a perfect 10-for-10.
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. Williams ranked second in the league with an .827 (86-104) percentage from the stripe.
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 three teams currently in the AP top 10 and five teams in the ESPN/USA Today top 25.
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 two games after suffering a concussion in the Maryland game. Lewis was ran over by a Terrapin and hit her head on the floor. With that, DePaul played two games with just seven players available. Against Loyola, the Blue Demons finished the game with five players and Lenae Williams had four fouls.
Looking Ahead
DePaul signed four players to a National Letter of Intent in the early signing period. Three of the newcomers 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.