DePaul University Athletics
Women's Basketball Goes on the Road
12/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
DePaul (6-2) at Valparaiso (3-4)
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) - Valparaiso, Indiana
Dec. 13, 2002 - 7:05 p.m.
Back on the Road
After a three consecutive wins at the DePaul Athletic Center, the women’s basketball team goes back on the road this weekend at Valparaiso and Toledo. The Blue Demons knocked off eighth-ranked Notre Dame, 75-59 on Wednesday night to cap a perfect start to the home-opening schedule. Doug Bruno’s squad started the season with five straight road games, including three in Hawai’i. DePaul enters the Valparaiso game at 6-2 after winning five of their last six ballgames.
Valparaiso stands at 3-4 following a 88-82 win against Ball State on Saturday in the Hoosier State Classic in Indianapolis. Last week, the Crusaders narrowly upset Notre Dame before falling, 74-68, at Valparaiso.
DePaul leads the series, 13-0, but the two programs are playing for the first time since March 1991. DePaul won the last meeting, 100-85, in Green Bay, Wis., to clinch the North Star Conference Tournament championship.
Noting the Blue Demons
With a win against the Crusaders, the Blue Demons would be off to their best start since going 7-2 to open the 1996-97 campaign... the ‘96-97 club was the last DePaul team to play in the NCAA Tournament... a year ago, the team started 6-2 and then lost three straight to Top 25 teams George Washington, Purdue and Tennessee... dating back to last season, the Blue Demons have won six of their last seven games that have been televised (5-1 in ‘01-02, 1-0 in ‘02-03)... DePaul’s roster features eight of the 12 players as either freshmen or sophomores... four players are averaging at least 9.5 points per game... Khara Smith has the only two double-doubles for the Blue Demons... Doug Bruno has used six different lineups, but has had the same five starters in the last three victories... DePaul is 24-7 all-time at the DePaul Athletic Center... the Blue Demons have started five of the eight games with a three-pointer... the club has made 62 three’s this season while opponents have attempted 85... DePaul opened the Montana State game with five consecutive treys... the season-opening five-game road trip was the longest to start the season in program history... 1980-81 campaign opened with four straight road games... the Blue Demons play four of the next six games at home... the Northern Illinois game on Dec. 18 will be the first appearance since 1996 at the Allstate Arena... the program is 18-4 all-time in Rosemont... after defeating Southern Illinois, DePaul is 21-8 all-time in season openers... head coach Doug Bruno is 12-5 in first games.
Against the Top 10 at the DePaul Athletic Center
The month of December means top 10 teams at the DePaul Athletic Center. On Wednesday, the Blue Demons toppled eighth-ranked Notre Dame, 75-59, for the first top 10 victory in the three-year old DePaul Athletic Center. A year ago, the Blue Demons entertained No. 7 Purdue and No. 2 Tennessee in the span of three days. The Boilermakers escaped the Athletic Center with a 63-61 win after trailing, 30-22, at halftime. Two days later, the Blue Demons trailed the Lady Vols by eight with just over seven minutes left before Tennessee went on a late run to seal the victory, 80-66.
Prior to the Notre Dame victory, DePaul’s last win over a top 10 opponent was Dec. 14, 1996, when the Blue Demons toppled No. 3 Louisiana Tech, 70-67, in Alumni Hall.
Last Time Out - DePaul 75, Notre Dame 59
CHICAGO (AP) — DePaul coach Doug Bruno wasn’t ready to celebrate just yet after his team defeated eighth-ranked Notre Dame 75-59 Wednesday night.
‘’It puts us on the map if we play well Friday and Sunday,’’ Bruno said. ‘’The good news is that we played a great game tonight, but we have to prove ourselves Friday on the road and Sunday on the road.’’
Jenni Dant scored 23 points, Charlene Smith added 19, and both keyed important runs for DePaul.
Dant scored six straight points for DePaul (6-2) in the second half to give the Demons a 48-36 lead with 16:41 remaining. Notre Dame (4-1) responded with nine straight points. Alicia Ratay hit two free throws to get Irish within three with 12:53 left.
Notre Dame had trouble guarding DePaul’s quick guards, especially Dant and Smith.
‘’I think there was a quickness mismatch difference on the perimeter,’’ said Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw. ‘’We are not a very quick team and they were.’’
But DePaul outscored Notre Dame 13-3 during a five-minute span. Dant had a 3-point play to give the Blue Demons a 51-45 lead, and Smith made layup for a 61-48 advantage with 5:57 remaining.
Jacqueline Batteast led Notre Dame with 17 points.
The teams traded leads for most of the first half, but DePaul was able to go on an 8-0 run to the break. Sarah Kustok hit a 3-pointer to start the run and another 3 to close out the half and give DePaul a 42-33 lead. Dant had 13 first-half points.
Ratay finished with 10 points for Notre Dame. Kustok had 11 for DePaul.
DePaul’s last win over a top-10 opponent was Dec. 14, 1996, when the Blue Demons defeated Louisiana Tech.
Recapping the Moran Realty Classic
After a season-opening five-game road trip, the DePaul women’s basketball team returned to the friendly confines of the DePaul Athletic Center and convincingly won the Moran Realty Classic. The Blue Demons knocked off Montana State, 85-55, in the championship game after defeating Loyola-Chicago, 87-59, on Friday night. Redshirt freshman Khara Smith was named MVP and joined Charlene Smith and Ashley Luke on the All-Tournament team.
DePaul posted a season-best .508 shooting percentage in the championship game while going 10-for-27 from behind the arc. All 12 players scored as the Blue Demons tallied 24 points off 22 Bobcat turnovers. On Friday night, DePaul raced out to a 25-0 lead and coasted to a 87-59 win over Loyola-Chicago.
State Streak Ends
The Blue Demons streak of 14 consecutive victories against opponents from the state of Illinois ended on Dec. 4 at Illinois. With the wins over Southern Illinois and Loyola-Chicago, the Blue Demons are 2-1 this season. Last season, DePaul knocked off Illinois, Loyola-Chicago, Northern Illinois and Northwestern. In 2000-01, the club went a perfect 6-0 against state programs.
Prior to the loss at Illinois, DePaul’s last loss was Dec. 10, 1999, when Illinois posted a 74-64 win over the Blue Demons in Champaign.
DePaul has won 22 of the last 24 contests with state schools. Over the stretch of 24 games, DePaul has defeated Loyola five times, Northern Illinois four times and Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, Northwestern and Southern Illinois three times each. They have also knocked off Chicago State once. The lone two losses are to Illinois in Champaign.
Recapping the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic
After a tourney-opening loss to No. 11 North Carolina, the Blue Demons bounced back and claimed fifth place in the eight-team event. DePaul defeated Fordham, 92-73, and Denver, 55-44, in the consolation bracket.
Sophomore forward Jenni Dant was named to the All-Tournament team after leading the Blue Demons with 13 points and five rebounds per game. She joined a host of the nation’s top players as a member of the eight-player squad.
In a rematch of last year’s national championship game, Connecticut defeated Oklahoma. UConn’s Diana Taurasi was named the tourney’s MVP.
Khara Smith Named Conference USA Player of the Week
Redshirt freshman forward Khara Smith was named Conference USA Player of the Week following her double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds at Southern Illinois in the season opener. The 6-2 forward scored 12 points in the second half and grabbed eight boards to lead DePaul in the come-from-behind win. She also added five steals while playing just 24 minutes.
She is the first league player to earn the honor this season. Lenae Williams was named C-USA Player of the Week twice last season for DePaul.
Nothing but the Best
The Blue Demons once again play one of toughest schedules in the nation. In Hawaii, the Blue Demons lost to No. 11 North Carolina. In Dec., they defeated No. 8 Notre Dame and host 22nd-ranked George Washington next weekend. In Jan., DePaul travels to Knoxville to take on Tennessee. The Conference USA slate includes top 25 programs TCU and Cincinnati.
Preseason Picks
In the annual Conference USA Preseason Poll, chosen by the league’s 14 coaches, the Blue Demons are picked to finish seventh. Prior to last season, Bruno’s squad was picked seventh, but entered the league tournament as the fourth seed. Houston’s Chandi Jones was named the league’s Preseason Player of the Year and joined on the preseason all-league team by Sandora Irvin (TCU), Valerie King (Cincinnati), Teana McKiver (Tulane) and Sara Nord (Louisville).
Taking Advantage From Beyond the Arc
In eight games, the Blue Demons have outscored their opponents by 84 points from three-point range. So far, DePaul is 62-194 (.320) from behind the arc while opponents are 34-85 (.400).
Including this season and the last three years, the squad has made 717 (7.2/gm) three’s compared to 332 (3.4/gm) for the opposition.
In ‘01-02, the Blue Demons averaged over four more three-point field goals per game than their opponents. As a team, the Blue Demons made 230 three’s compared to just 105 for the opposition. The team total was ranked first on the single-season chart and the team three-point percentage of .353 is third.
Home Cookin’
In just over two seasons, the DePaul Athletic Center has proven itself as one of the toughest venues in the Midwest. The Blue Demons have posted a 24-7 (.774) home record over the first 31 games. In their 29th season, the Blue Demons have an all-time home court record of 266-87 (.754). Over 26 seasons at Alumni Hall, the women’s basketball program won over 75 percent of their games with a 242-80 all-time record.
TV Time
At least five games will be televised this season, including three on the Conference USA Television Network. DePaul will appear on the league network in games against TCU and Marquette and at Louisville. The Charlotte game on Feb. 14 will be televised on FOX Sports Net Chicago. The C-USA Network will broadcast the tournament semifinals while the championship game will be carried live from The Pyramid in Memphis on ESPN2, Mar. 9. DePaul’s first televised appearance will be Dec. 11, when they play Notre Dame. The contest will be televised back in South Bend. Friday’s game at Valparaiso will be televised on a tape delayed basis on Valparaiso’s AT&T Cable.
Giving to Charity
The Blue Demons consistently rank among Conference USA leaders and this season is no different. Currently, the squad ranks fourth with a .723 (120-166) season percentage. At Illinois, the Blue Demons posted a season-best .850 (17-20) percentage from the line. Khara Smith is ranked 13th at .773 (17-22).
DePaul was a combined 384-520 (.738) from the free throw line last season to rank first among Conference USA schools for the second straight season. The mark was also the second-best single-season percentage in league history. Over the final 15 contests, the squad shot a combined .770 (217-282).
In 2000-01, 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.
Looking Ahead
DePaul signed two players to a National Letter of Intent in the early signing period. Both newcomers next season are from the Chicago area. Head coach Doug Bruno signed 5-9 guard Ciara (pronounced Sierra) Johnson from Trinity High School and 6-1 guard Jenna Rubino out of Lincoln-Way East.
Entering her senior season at Trinity, Johnson was rated by the Chicago Sun-Times as one of the top 10 Underrated Players in the state of Illinois. As a junior, she averaged 11.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game while shooting over 60 percent from the field.
A McDonald’s All-American nominee, Rubino returns for her senior year at Lincoln Way-East after averaging 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game a year ago. Prior to this season, she was named to the “Tremendous 26” which recognizes the top 13 girls and boys players in Illinois.
