Blue Demons Knock Off Northwestern
12/1/2003 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Boxscore
EVANSTON, Ill. – Fueled by a 39 points off 30 Northwestern turnovers, the DePaul women’s basketball team posted an 82-57 win at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Monday evening. Jenni Dant led three players in double-figures with 22 points while Charlene Smith added 21 as the Blue Demons improved to 3-0 for the first time since the 1996-97 season.
Smith kept DePaul (3-0) in the game early as she scored three straight buckets to put the Blue Demons up, 14-11 seven minutes into the game. Following three free throws by Alex Mueller to knot the score at 14, DePaul went on a 15-0 run and led, 29-14, with 7:19 left in the first half. Dant led the way with eight points in the run while the DePaul defense held the Wildcats scoreless for just over five minutes.
The Blue Demons built a 19-point lead on a lay-in by Dant and held their largest lead of the first half at intermission, 44-22. Dant and Smith finished the first stanza with 14 points apiece.
Northwestern (2-2) closed the gap to 18 points at 65-47 with 6:29 left in the game before the Blue Demons went on a 12-2 run to take the largest lead of the game at 77-49.
In addition to taking advantage of the turnovers, the Blue Demons also outscored the Wildcats, 40-18, in the paint and held a 24-4 advantage in fast break points.
Dant finished with 22 points and a career-high eight steals while Smith added a team-high seven rebounds to her 21 points. Khara Smith was the third Blue Demon in double-figures with 18 points, six rebounds and a team-high four assists.
As a team, the Blue Demons forced 30 turnovers and made 19 steals. In three games this season, opponents are averaging 32 turnovers per game with DePaul making 20 steals per contest.
The 3-0 start is the best beginning since the 1996-97 season and marks the eighth time in the program’s 30 seasons that a team has won the first three games. Monday’s game also marked a milestone for Doug Bruno as it was his 500th game on the sidelines for the Blue Demons.
DePaul continues the Big Ten flavor as they host the Illinois Fighting Illini on Thursday night. Tipoff at the DePaul Athletic Center is set for 7 p.m.