DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Hosts Illinois
12/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
DePaul (5-2) vs. Illinois (3-1)
Tuesday, December 4 - 7 p.m.
DePaul Athletic Center (3,000) - Chicago, Illinois
Click here for the audio broadcast.
Blue Demons Host Illini
The DePaul women's basketball team wraps up the brief two-game homestand with a Tuesday night contest against Illinois. The Blue Demons, winners of three straight, are 5-2 while the Illini, also winners of three straight, come to Chicago with a 3-1 mark.
Tuesday's game is the last home game for DePaul until they host Purdue on Dec. 17 and Tennessee on Dec. 19. Next weekend, the Blue Demons travel 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 15-2 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 the Toledo win three nights ago. A year ago, DePaul was 12-2 with both loses coming in overtime games. In the 17 games all-time at the Athletic Center, DePaul is outscoring their opponents by an average of 13 points per game. The Blue Demons have also won 10 consecutive games at the DePaul Athletic Center.
This month the home court advantage will be tested as the Blue Demons host Illinois, 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.
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 last week. The sharpshooter continued her strong start to the 2001-02 campaign by averaging 28 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game against Northwestern, Loyola-Chicago and Toledo. Houston's Chandi Jones joined Williams in the league's weekly honor.
Looking at the Blue Demons
The Blue Demons received votes in this week's AP poll... DePaul has won three straight since losing a pair of games to top 25 programs at the Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge... last season, the Blue Demons put together a pair of four-game winning streaks... DePaul finished the Loyola game last week 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... as a team, DePaul has grabbed 41 rebounds in each of the last three games... 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 now ranks ninth all-time at DePaul with 64 career blocked shots... DePaul opened the season by winning the Moran Realty Classic... the Blue Demons are now 15-2 (.882) all-time at the DePaul Athletic Center and have won 10 straight at home... DePaul is 20-8 in season openers... the Nov. 16 opening game date was the earliest in the program's history... the Blue Demons are averaging 8.0 three-point field goals per game... they are being outrebounded by 2.4 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 Illinois Series
DePaul leads the all-time series, 6-5, with tonight's game marking the fifth straight season that the two schools have played. The first game was played Feb. 15, 1979, with the Illini posting an 86-63 win in Champaign. A year ago, DePaul won at the United Center, 65-63.
Illinois enters tonight's contest with a 3-1 record. They opened the season by losing at Clemson, 82-73, before winning their last three. During the three wins, Illinois won the St. Mary's Tournament with victories over James Madison and St. Mary's. Last Tuesday, the Illini won at Duquesne, 74-71.
Head coach Theresa Grentz is in her seventh season with Illinois and 27th overall as a head coach. With the Illini, she is 119-72. Iveta Marcauskaite leads four players in double-figures with 14.5 points per game. Cindy Dallas is averaging 12.8 points and nine rebounds per contest.
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.
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.
- 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.
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.
2001-02 C-USA Preseason Poll
1. Tulane
2. Louisville
3. TCU
4. Cincinnati
5. Houston
6. UAB
7. DePaul
8. Marquette
9. Memphis
10. Southern Miss
11. Charlotte
12. Saint Louis
13. East Carolina
14. South Florida
Preseason All-Conference Team
*Deanna Jackson – UAB, Sr., F
Chandi Jones – Houston, So., G/F
Valerie King – Cincinnati, So., G
Teana McKiver – Tulane, Jr., C
Sara Nord – Louisville, So., G
Lenae Williams – DePaul, Sr., F
* Preseason Player of the Year
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 five 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 seven games of this season, DePaul is a combined 97-136 (.713) from the free throw line while Williams has made 34-of-31 (.829) 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 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 run 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.
