DePaul Tops Northern Illinois, 73-59
12/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
DeKALB, Ill. – The DePaul women’s basketball team snapped their brief two-game losing streak with a 73-59 win over Northern Illinois on Wednesday evening at the NIU Convocation Center. Khara Smith scored a season-high 26 points as the No. 20 Blue Demons won for the 13th straight time over opponents from the state of Illinois.
DePaul (7-2) started slow, leading by no more than six points, until an 8-1 run closed the first half to give the visitors a 35-27 lead at halftime. Smith led the way with 14 first-half points.
The Blue Demons took command of the game in the second period, building a double-digit lead with just over 11 minutes left in the game. Northern Illinois (1-6) would get no closer than 12 points over the final 10 minutes as the DePaul advantage grew to as many as 25 points.
DePaul led by 23 points at 73-50 on a Ciara Johnson lay-up before the Huskies finished the game with a 9-0 run for the 73-59 final score.
Smith added nine rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots while going 10-for-12 from the field. Jenna Rubino and Jenni Dant joined Smith in double-figures to lead DePaul. Rubino matched a career-high with 16 points to go with seven rebounds while Dant added 10 points, four assists and four steals.
Kristin Wiener led Northern Illinois with 11 points while Stephanie Raymond added nine points and 10 rebounds.
The win extended DePaul’s winning streak to 13 games over Illinois programs. The Blue Demons have also been victorious in 27 of their last 28 games against teams from Illinois and have won 11 consecutive contests against the Huskies.
DePaul plays the fourth game of a six-game road trip to close the 2004 calendar with a game next Tuesday at Saint Peter’s. The Blue Demons and Peahens tipoff at 7 p.m. EST in Jersey City, N.J. It is the first meeting between the two programs.