Blue Demons Win 10th Game
12/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Boxscore
CHICAGO – Matching the best start in 30 seasons of women’s basketball at DePaul, the Blue Demons improved to 10-1 with a 70-47 win against Valparaiso on Sunday afternoon at the DePaul Athletic Center. Khara Smith and Jenni Dant paced DePaul with 15 points each while Charlene Smith added 14 points.
DePaul (10-1) started slow, hitting their first field goal of the game with just under 15 minutes left in the first half. Charlene Smith’s baseline layup cut the Crusader lead to 7-4. Ashley Luke started the scoring for DePaul with a pair of free throws before Valparaiso put together a 7-0 run.
The Blue Demons took the lead for good on a Sarah Kustok three-pointer at 9:19 for a 16-14 advantage. Kustok’s three started a 19-4 run that opened up the DePaul advantage to 14 points with 1:30 to go until halftime.
Valparaiso (5-5) couldn’t slow down the Blue Demons in the second half as the home team used a 24-6 run over a nine-minute stretch for a 60-29 advantage with just over seven minutes left in the game. DePaul’s lead increased to a game-high 32 points on two occasions in the final seven minutes.
DePaul’s 70 points marked the first time this season that the club didn’t score at least 82 in game. They entered the game leading the nation in scoring and currently hold an average of 93.1 points per game heading in Tuesday’s matchup with Loyola-Chicago.
The Blue Demons take the short trip to Rogers Park for a Tuesday afternoon game with the Ramblers. Tipoff at the Gentile Center is set for approximately 3:30 p.m. as the game is the second of a Loyola basketball doubleheader.