Blue Demons Travel to Notre Dame
12/30/2001 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
DePaul (7-5) at Notre Dame (5-5)
Joyce Center (11,418) - Notre Dame, Indiana
Dec. 31, 2001 - 1 p.m. EST
Final Non-Conference Contest
The DePaul women's basketball team plays their final non-conference game of the season on Monday afternoon at Notre Dame. The Blue Demons are in the midst of five straight games outside of Chicago and don't return to the DePaul Athletic Center until Jan. 18 against Memphis.
Notre Dame enters Monday's game at 5-5 after dropping a 72-61 decision at Rice on Friday night. The Blue Demons are 7-5 after snapping a three-game skid with a 71-51 win at Northern Illinois on Dec. 22.
DePaul leads the all-time series, 13-8, but the two programs haven't played since the Blue Demons won, 96-87, on Jan. 16, 1995 at Alumni Hall in Chicago.
Following this game, the Blue Demons will open the new year with games at Marquette, UAB and South Florida before hosting Memphis and Saint Louis.
If You Read One Thing, Read This
DePaul's record of 7-5 could be a bit deceiving as all five of the Blue Demons' losses have come to teams ranked in the top 25 at game time. Of the five defeats, three are to teams currently ranked in the top seven in the country in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls.
In their three top seven defeats to Iowa State, Purdue and Tennessee, the Blue Demons have lost by an average margin of just 6.7 points per game. DePaul dropped a 79-75 decision at Iowa State on Nov. 21. In the span of three days in December, the Blue Demons lost, 63-61, to Purdue and 80-66, to Tennessee.
Looking at the Blue Demons
The Blue Demons have received votes in either the AP or USA Today/ESPN poll seven of the eight weeks this 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)... no other league school has played more than one... Lenae Williams has 11 more three-pointers than all of DePaul's opponents combined... the Blue Demons are averaging 8.5 three-point field goals per game while opponents have just 2.4... opponents are shooting .215 from behind the arc... the Blue Demons are being outrebounded by 5.8 boards per contest... 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 13 consecutive games against teams from the state of Illinois and 20 of the last 21... all five loses this season are to teams ranked in the top 25 at game time and three are to top seven programs... 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 fifth all-time at DePaul with 82 career blocked shots... DePaul opened the season by winning the Moran Realty Classic... the Blue Demons are now 16-4 (.800) all-time at the DePaul Athletic Center.
Take Advantage From Beyond the Arc
Entering Monday's game the Blue Demons averaging just over six more three-point field goals per game than their opponents. As a team, the Blue Demons have made 102 three's compared to just 29 for the opposition.
In the last seven games, no opponent has totaled more than two three's in a game. Over that span, the opposition is a combined 9-for-69 (.130) from long range.
Individually, Lenae Williams has more three's with 40 than all Blue Demon opponents combined. The DePaul defense is holding opponents to a .215 (29-135) overall mark from behind the arc.
The Friendly Confines
In their second season playing at the DePaul Athletic Center, the Blue Demons hold a 16-4 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. The two losses this season came against No. 7 Purdue and No. 2 Tennessee. The Purdue loss also snapped the Blue Demons' 11-game DePaul Athletic Center winning streak.
In Conference USA action, Memphis, Saint Louis, Southern Miss and Tulane come to Chicago in January. February home games include Cincinnati, Louisville and Marquette. The 2002 Conference USA Tournament will be at the DePaul Athletic Center, Mar. 1-4.
The Notre Dame Series
DePaul leads the all-time series, 13-8. Monday marks the first game since the Blue Demons won, 96-87, on Jan. 16, 1995 at Alumni Hall in Chicago. DePaul has won eight of the last 10 meetings between the two schools.
Northern Illinois enters the contest at 5-5 following Friday night's 72-61 loss at Rice. Head coach Muffet McGraw is in her 15th season at Notre Dame and 20th overall as a head coach. Prior to Notre Dame, she was the head coach at Lehigh for five seasons. With the Irish, she owns a 327-122 record. Jacqueline Batteast leads the club with 14.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. She is followed by Alicia Ratay at 12.5 points and Le'Tania Severe with 9.3 points per contest.
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.
13 Straight Against the State
The Blue Demons have won 13 consecutive games against opponents from the state of Illinois over the last three seasons. This month, DePaul knocked off Illinois and Northern Illinois after defeating Northwestern and Loyola in November. 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 13 consecutive games, DePaul has also won 20 of the last 21 contests with state schools. Over the stretch of 21 games, DePaul has defeated Loyola and Northern Illinois four times and Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, and Northwestern three times each. They have also knocked off Southern Illinois twice and Chicago State once.
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 eight opponents are either ranked in the ESPN/USA Today poll or receiving votes for the top 25. DePaul has received votes for either poll in seven of the eight polls this season.
Giving to Charity
Through 12 games this season, DePaul is a combined 131-188 (.697) from the free throw line while Lenae Williams has made 45-of-55 (.818) free attempts. Earlier this season, she was a perfect 10-for-10 at Northwestern.
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 Knoxville, Tenn., is the world's only hall of fame dedicated solely to the athletic achievements of women.