DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Closes Regular Season Schedule at Marquette
2/28/2004 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Game #27
#20/#18 DePaul (22-4, 10-3 C-USA) at Marquette (18-8, 8-5 C-USA)
Sunday, Feb. 29, 2004 - 2 p.m.
Al McGuire Center - Milwaukee, Wis.
Game Notes
Internet Audio: None
TV: C-USA TV Network (FOX Sports Net Chicago)
CHICAGO - The No. 18 DePaul women’s basketball team wraps up the regular season at Marquette on Sunday afternoon. The Blue Demons stand at 22-4 and 10-3 in Conference USA action after dropping a pair of games at Houston and TCU last weekend.
DePaul enters the game at No. 20 in the latest Associated Press poll and No. 18 in the ESPN/USA Today/WBCA Coaches rankings. The club enters the weekend leading C-USA and the nation in scoring and steals. DePaul averages 86.8 points and 14.3 steals per contest.
The Golden Eagles enter the game with an 18-8 overall record and 8-5 mark in C-USA action following two losses at TCU and Houston last weekend. Marquette fell, 56-47, at TCU on Friday before losing, 77-64, at Houston on Sunday.
Sunday’s game can be seen in Chicago on FOX Sports Net Chicago as part of the C-USA Television Network. Don Russell and Amy Prichard call all of the action courtside.
What’s the Scenario?: A win on Sunday makes the Blue Demons the third seed in next week’s C-USA Tournament. A loss by DePaul and a win by Louisville would give the Cardinals the No. 3 seed and DePaul the No. 4 seed. If both DePaul and Louisville lose this weekend, the Blue Demons would get the No. 3 seed based on the 102-83 win over the Cardinals on Jan. 9.
Noting the Blue Demons: The 2003-04 campaign is the 30th season of women’s basketball at DePaul University... the team is averaging an NCAA-high 86.8 points per game... they have scored at least 90 points in 11 games and 100 points five times... the five 100-point games are a single-season school record... DePaul has scored at least 50 points in a half on 14 occasions this season... since scoring 90 at East Carolina on Feb. 2, DePaul is averaging just 69.8 points per game... at least four players have scored in double-figures in 17 games... Khara Smith has earned Conference USA Player of the Week honors four times this season and was named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 20 Candidates list... over the last five games, non-starters have scored just 17 points... over the last seven games, the club is shooting .267 from behind the arc (36-of-135)... DePaul’s former 10-game win streak from Dec. 19, 2003-Jan. 25, 2004 was the longest since a 17-gamer from Jan. 11-Mar. 3, 1988... there have been just five winning streaks of at least 10 games in school history... DePaul is 9-3 on the road and victorious in 17 of the last 22 regular season C-USA games... over the last two seasons, the Blue Demons are 27-1 at home with the lone loss coming in overtime to No. 2 Tennessee in December... in those 28 games, DePaul is 25-1 at the DePaul Athletic Center and 2-0 at the Allstate Arena... with the Dec. 14 win over Southern Illinois at the Allstate Arena, the Blue Demons are 20-4 all-time in Rosemont... the victory at Holy Cross was the 500th in the program’s history... the club has 372 steals while forcing 605 turnovers... the team single-season steal record is 493 by the 1988-89 squad... DePaul has trailed at halftime four times this season and is 1-3 in those games... at the free throw line, DePaul has made 434 free shots while opponents have attempted 418... the team single-season record for free throws made is 527 in 1986-87.
Checking on the Golden Eagles: Marquette enters the game at 18-8 overall and 8-5 in Conference USA action. Since playing at DePaul on Feb. 8, Marquette holds an identical 2-2 record with the Blue Demons. The club has dropped four of their last six games, but are a perfect 7-0 at the Al McGuire Center. Kelly Schwerman leads the team with 12.3 points while Crystal Weaver adds 7.8 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game. Head coach Terri Mitchell is in her eighth season as head coach of the Golden Eagles. At Marquette, she holds a 147-81 record.
The Series: Sunday is 42nd all-time meeting between the two teams with the Blue Demons holding a 26-15 advantage. Marquette is DePaul’s most common opponent with the first game played on Feb. 23, 1978. The Blue Demons haven won the last five meetings and seven of the last eight. Three weeks ago, Charlene Smith’s jumper in the final seconds lifted the Blue Demons to a 61-59 win at the DePaul Athletic Center. A complete box from the game is available on page 21 of today’s notes.
Demon Doings: Notes following the 73-53 loss at TCU on Feb. 22:
- TCU handed DePaul their worst loss of the season.
- The Blue Demons scored a season-low 53 points while shooting a season-low .290 from the field.
- The Horned Frogs took advantage of DePaul’s .194 (6-31) second-half field goal percentage and outscored the Blue Demons, 34-23.
- Khara Smith tallied her 19th double-double of the year with 14 points and a career-high (third time) 16 rebounds. Smith also became the 19th player in school history with 1,000 career points in the first half. She entered the game needing 11 points.
- TCU’s second-half lead was never smaller than 15 points.
- The Blue Demons are 17-5 in their last 22 regular-season C-USA games.
- TCU has won two of three all-time meetings between the two schools with each team winning on their home floor. DePaul has been the Horned Frogs Senior Day opponent both times in Fort Worth.
Eyeing 1,000: On two occassions this season, a player has been to the 1,000-point club at DePaul. Jenni Dant became the 18th player in DePaul basketball history to surpass the 1,000-point mark in her career with a three-pointer at USF on Jan. 18. Through 87 career games, the junior has 1,135 points. She is averaging a career-best 14.7 points per game this season after leading the club in scoring at 14.4 (460 points) points per game a year ago. As a freshman, Dant tallied 293 points while averaging 10.1 points per contest.
Khara Smith joined Dant on Feb. 22 at TCU with a jumper in the first half. The sophomore is the 19th player with at least 1,000 career points in program history. Smith’s average of 16.2 points per game over her first 62 career games give her 1,003 career points. She currently leads the club with 21.3 points per game after averaging 13.8 last season.
Outstanding On and Off the Court: Sarah Kustok and Ashley Luke were recently honored for their efforts both on and off the court by being named to the Academic All-District V second team. The two were of 10 players selected to the district first and second teams covering Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario and Manitoba.
Both players have played in all 26 games this season while being the top two three-point shooters for the Blue Demons. Kustok averages 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting .396 from behind the arc. Luke is one of four averaging double-figures with 12.4 points per game. She leads the club with 122 assists and 72 three’s. Kustok is set to graduate from DePaul with a Communications degree while Luke is majoring in Physical Education.
Khara Smith Named to Wooden Award Midseason List: DePaul sophomore forward Khara Smith was one of 20 players named to the Midseason All-American list for the inaugural Women’s Wooden Award. Smith was added to a list that includes Duke’s Alana Beard, Connecticut’s Diana Taurasi and Penn State’s Kelly Mazzante. Through 26 games, the four-time C-USA Player of the Week has a league-high 19 double-doubles to go with 21.3 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. In March, the Wooden Award Committee will select 15 players for the official ballot with the 2004 Award ceremony taking place on April 10 in Los Angeles.
20-20 Vision: With all of the points being scored this season, a player has scored at least 20 points on 30 occasions. Khara Smith leads the way with 15 games of at least 20 while Charlene Smith has checked in with eight, Jenni Dant has six and Ashley Luke has totaled a pair of 20-point outings. Nine times this season two players have tallied at least 20 in a game and twice there have been three with 20 or more. On the flip side, there have been eight games where no player has reached 20. Ironically, in four of those games the Blue Demons have totaled 94, 109, 106 and 99 points. The club set a DePaul Athletic Center record in the 109-73 win over Northwestern State after posting a 94-62 win against UW-Milwaukee in the season-opener. The 106 points were scored at Illinois-Chicago while the Blue Demons tallied 99 points at Manhattan.
Home Cookin’: In four seasons, the DePaul Athletic Center has proven itself as one of the toughest venues in the Midwest. The Blue Demons have posted a 46-8 (.852) record in the arena’s first 54 games. In their 30th season, the Blue Demons have an all-time home court record of 290-88 (.767). 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. At the Allstate Arena, the women’s program has posted an all-time record of 20-4. DePaul returned to Rosemont this season with a 102-57 win over Southern Illinois on Dec. 14.
Tennessee snapped DePaul’s 18-game home court winning streak with the 96-89 overtime decision on Dec. 17. In 30 seasons of women’s basketball at DePaul University there have been 12 streaks of at least 10 straight home victories. The longest streak was a 20-game run from Feb. 4, 1978 to Feb. 19, 1979. The 18-gamer over the last year is the second-longest streak in school history followed by a 15-game home court win streak from Mar. 5, 1994 to Feb. 26, 1995. Over the last two years, the team is 27-1 at home with the lone loss coming to Tennessee on Dec. 17. Heading into next season, the Blue Demons hold a nine-game home winning streak.
In the Rankings: In the latest edition of the NCAA statistics, the Blue Demons rank among the nation’s leaders in a variety of categories. Through games of Feb. 23, DePaul leads the nation in steals and scoring offense and is in the top 10 in scoring margin, assists per game and three-point field goals per game. Khara Smith is one of two players nationally the nation’s top 11 in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage. The sophomore is fourth in field goal percentage and rebounding, 11th in scoring and 32nd in steals per game. Ashley Luke is 15th in three-point field goals per game, Jenni Dant ranks 28th in steals per game and Charlene Smith is 68th in scoring.
In the C-USA rankings for all games through Feb. 22, DePaul ranks first in scoring offense, scoring margin, field goal percentage, three-point field goals made, assists, steals, turnover margin and assist/turnover ratio. Khara Smith leads the league in double-doubles, rebounding and field goal percentage, and is ranked second in scoring and third in steals. Dant is second in the league in steals and third in free throw percentage. Luke ranks second in three’s per game and fifth in assists per contest. The team sports four of the top 20 C-USA scorers with Khara Smith second, Charlene Smith at seventh, Dant at No. 16 and Luke ranked 20th.
Player of the Week Times Four: Sophomore forward Khara Smith was named the Conference USA Player of the Week for the fourth time this season after a pair of huge games against Saint Louis and Memphis. After sitting out of practice with the flu during the week, she scored 32 points with nine rebounds against Saint Louis on Friday night. Smith returned on Sunday with her 17th double-double of the season on 27 points and 14 rebounds against Memphis. For the week, she averaged 29.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game while shooting .765 from the field.
Following the opening weekend of league play, she earned Player of the Week honors for the third time this season. Smith started the weekend by matching her then-career high with 26 points against the Cardinals. She also pulled down 15 boards while going 11-for-13 from the field. On Sunday, she bettered her Friday performance with a career-best 35 points and 10 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season. She averaged 30.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game while shooting .767 (23-30) from the field.
On Dec. 8, she earned the league honor after leading the Blue Demons to wins over Northwestern, Illinois and Holy Cross. In the three wins, she tallied two double-doubles while averaging 22.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. For the week, she posted a .571 field goal percentage with eight steals and eight assists.
On Dec. 22, she picked up her second honor of the year after shooting .735 (25-34) from the field in games against Tennessee, Alabama State and Valparaiso. She averaged 19.0 points, nine rebounds and three steals in the three games.
Smith is the first DePaul player to earn the weekly honor this season and is one of two league players to be recognized four times this season. As a freshman, she was named player of the week on two occasions.
Program-Best Ranking: Prior to back-to-back losses at Houston and TCU, the Blue Demons achieved their highest ranking in both the Associated Press (No. 12) and ESPN/USA Today/WBCA Coaches (No. 11) poll.
With the 22-4 record, the Blue Demons are currently placed at No. 20 in the latest Associated Press poll. DePaul entered the poll on Dec. 22 at No. 22 and moved to their highest ranking in school history at No. 12 before losing at Houston and TCU last weekend. The No. 12 slot was the program’s highest ranking surpassing the previous high of No. 15 during the 1995-96 campaign. The Blue Demons have received votes in every poll this season. In program history, DePaul has been ranked a total of 38 weeks with a record of 37-29 as a ranked team.
In addition to the AP recognition, DePaul stands at No. 18 in the ESPN/USA Today/WBCA Coaches top 25. The Blue Demons made their coaches poll debut on Dec. 23 at No. 21 and remained there for three weeks. A year ago, the club was ranked as high as 20th in the coaches poll.
All in the Family: Cousins Charlene and Khara Smith have been an offensive force since joining the club a year ago. The two are among team, C-USA and national leaders in scoring, rebounding and steals. Khara, a sophomore, has 19 double-doubles this season and averages team-high’s of 21.3 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. Charlene, a junior, is second on the club with 17.3 points per game and leads the team with 112 free throws. The cousins also rank second and third in steals with Khara swiping 77 and Charlene totaling 65 steals. The two have combined for just over 44 percent of the scoring this season (1,003 points).
In the C-USA opener against Louisville, the two Smith’s combined for 52 points on 26 points each. Khara grabbed 15 boards while Charlene was 10-for-11 from the free throw line with four rebounds. At UAB, the duo totaled 54 of DePaul’s 88 points and in the Southern Miss game each tallied a double-double while combining for 37 points and 23 rebounds. At Houston, each player scored 27 while they combined for 19 boards. In C-USA games, Khara is averaging 22.9 points per game while Charlene is checking in with 17.9 points per contest.
Speaking of Family: Siblings and coaches Maggie and Jamie Dixon are a combined 47-6 this season. Jamie, the men’s head coach at Pittsburgh, has the No. 3 Panthers holding a 25-2 record in his first season leading the Panthers. Maggie, an assistant at DePaul, has the Blue Demons at 22-4 and ranked No. 18. On Sunday, Pittsburgh hosts Syracuse while the Blue Demons go on the road to Marquette.
Puttin’ It On the Board: The Blue Demons have kept the scoreboard operators busy as they are averaging 86.8 points per game this season. DePaul has topped the century mark five times and scored at least 90 points in 11 games. In school history, a DePaul team has scored at least 100 points in a game 29 times without a loss. The five 100-point games this season are a single-season record surpassing the four occasions in 1994-95 and 1995-96. DePaul’s 2,258 combined points are the highest total through 26 games in program history. The single-season team scoring record is 2,589 points in 1995-96.
In the NCAA rankings through games of Feb. 23, Louisiana Tech is second with an average of 84.2 points per game. Duke’s 2,066 total points rank second to DePaul’s nation-best 2,258 points.
Swarming: Despite all of the offensive numbers, the DePaul defense has been devastating to their opponents. Through 26 games, the Blue Demons have made 372 steals while forcing 605 turnovers. DePaul has converted the 605 mishaps into 667 points (25.7 ppg). At Northwestern, DePaul took advantage of 30 Wildcat turnovers for 39 points and used 27 Holy Cross mistakes to generate 39 points. Against Tulane, DePaul took advantage of 26 Green Wave miscues to score 36 points. In back-to-back games, the Blue Demons outscored Illinois-Chicago, 43-6, and Southern Illinois, 44-9, in points off turnovers.
Taking Advantage From Beyond the Arc: The DePaul women’s basketball program has turned the three-point field goal into a potent offensive weapon. This season is no different as the Blue Demons return their top two sharpshooters from last season in Sarah Kustok and Ashley Luke. Kustok led Conference USA with a .445 three-point field goal percentage while Luke tied DePaul’s single-season record with 94 three’s last season. The two returners have combined for 114 three’s which are 15 more than all DePaul opponents combined.
As a team, DePaul has made at least one three-pointer in 233 consecutive games. Over the last four seasons the club has knocked down 877 trifectas compared to just 434 for the opposition. In the last two seasons, the Blue Demons have set new single-season records with 230 in 2001-02 and 233 in 2002-03.
In 26 games this season, the Blue Demons have outscored their opponents by 279 points from three-point range (10.7 ppg). DePaul is 192-565 (.340) from behind the arc while opponents are 99-338 (.293). The squad averages 7.4 three’s per game while the opposition makes 3.8 treys per contest.
Giving to Charity: Along with the accuracy from behind the arc, the Blue Demons also rank among the best in Conference USA from the free throw line. Over the last three seasons, DePaul has finished either first or second in the league in free throw percentage. The squad finished the 2002-03 campaign ranked second with a .718 (425-592) season percentage. Prior to finishing second, DePaul was a combined 384-520 (.738) from the free throw line in 2001-02 to rank first among Conference USA schools for the second straight season. In 2000-01, the Blue Demons led Conference USA with a .716 overall mark from the free throw line.
Through the first three games this season, the club struggled from the charity stripe with a combined .623 (43-69) percentage. Over the next 18 games, the Blue Demons combined to go 329-for-428 (.769) from the line. DePaul struggled against Marquette on Feb. 8 with a season-low .333 (4-12) free throw percentage, but bounced back against Saint Louis to go 16-for-20 (.800). The Blue Demons have also used the theory of making more free throws than the opponents attempt to ensure success. DePaul has made 434 free shots while the opposition has attempted 418.
Against Louisville in the C-USA opener, the team made 20 straight before finishing the game 20-of-21 from the line. On Feb. 2 at East Carolina, DePaul went 21-for-22 from the charity stripe. Currently, the club is ranked second in the league and holds a combined .729 (434-595) percentage. The team single-season record is .738 set during the 2001-02 campaign.
TV Time: As always, the DePaul women’s basketball program will be featured multiple times on national television. This season, the Blue Demons are scheduled for at least five televised games. They will be on the C-USA Network twice with games at TCU on Feb. 22 and Marquette on Feb. 29. The 88-61 win over Cincinnati on Jan. 11 was broadcasted on ESPN2. FOX Sports Net Chicago televised the 99-60 victory over Tulane on Jan. 25 and the 61-59 win over Marquette on Feb. 8 was broadcasted regionally on ESPN2. The Blue Demons are just one of 14 women’s basketball programs in the country scheduled to appear on the ESPN network multiple times this season.
DePaul was no stranger to the cameras last season as 10 games were televised. The Blue Demons posted a 6-4 record in televised games last year and have won 14 of the last 20 televised games. Over the last two seasons, DePaul has won five of seven games on C-USA TV including wins over Tulane, TCU, Marquette and Louisville.
Preseason Picks: Prior to the start of the season, the Conference USA coaches picked the Blue Demons to finish second behind preseason favorite TCU. The Horned Frogs earned the league’s automatic bid by winning the C-USA Tournament in Memphis after starting as the fifth seed. Charlotte, who won the league regular season title a year ago, was picked fourth just behind Cincinnati. DePaul posted a 10-4 record to earn the third seed in the 2003 conference tourney.
Junior Jenni Dant was named to the league’s preseason All-Conference team after earning second team All-CUSA honors after last season. Houston’s Chandi Jones was named the preseason Player of the Year and was joined on the league’s preseason team by Dant, Sandora Irvin of TCU and Cincinnati’s Valerie King and Debbie Merrill.
Eyeing 300: With DePaul’s first win this season, DePaul head coach Doug Bruno earned his 300th victory with the Blue Demons. In his 18th season with the Blue Demons, he stands at 321-202. Along with being the winningest coach in DePaul women’s basketball history, Bruno has also tallied the most victories among Conference USA coaches at their respective schools. Laurie Pirtle is next with 268 wins at Cincinnati while Jeanne Milling has tallied 265 victories at UAB. Milling leads all C-USA coaches with 426 overall victories.
Nothing but the Best: The 2003-04 schedule features 13 opponents that played in the postseason a year ago. Among the 13 are 10 teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last March. The Blue Demons took on Alabama State, Illinois, Tennessee and Valparaiso in non-conference action at the DePaul Athletic Center while traveling to Holy Cross and Manhattan. A year ago, Conference USA sent seven teams to postseason action. Charlotte, Cincinnati, TCU and Tulane joined the Blue Demons in the NCAA Tournament while Marquette and Saint Louis played in the WNIT.
DePaul is 7-3 this season against 2002-03 NCAA Tournament teams with losses to Tennessee, Charlotte and TCU.
Against the State: DePaul has seen recent success against opponents from the state of Illinois. Over the last 24 games against Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, Loyola-Chicago, Northern Illinois, Northwestern and Southern Illinois, the Blue Demons have posted 23 victories. In games this season against Northwestern, Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois, the club was 5-0.
A year ago in Champaign, the Illini snapped a 14-game winning streak against state opponents for DePaul with the 71-67 decision on Dec. 4. In addition to the 14-game streak ended last year, DePaul has won 29 of the last 31 games against state opponents. Currently, the Blue Demons have nine straight wins over Illinois schools following the 70-60 victory at Northern Illinois on Jan. 3.
Preseason Picks, Part II: In the Athlon Sports preseason Top 25, the magazine slotted DePaul at No. 18. The Blue Demons were one of two Conference USA programs in the Top 25 as TCU was picked 22nd. The No. 18 ranking is DePaul’s highest preseason ranking by any magazine as the Blue Demons are coming off a 22-10 record in 2002-03 and a NCAA Tournament appearance.
Two-time defending National Champion Connecticut was Athlon’s preseason favorite. The Huskies were followed by Duke, Kansas State, Stanford and Texas. Tennessee, who the Blue Demons lost to in overtime, was ranked ninth.
Looking Ahead: The DePaul coaching staff signed one of the top recruiting classes in the country as Erin Carney, Allie Quigley and Caprice Smith signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Blue Demons starting next season. The trio makes up one of DePaul’s top recruiting classes in the program’s 30 years. Overall, Carney, Quigley and Smith are ranked as the nation’s 10th-best recruiting class by the Women’s Basketball News Service and No. 15 by the Blue Star Index.
Carney, a 6-1 forward, led the St. Francis Gladiators to the quarterfinals of the state tournament. Michigan and Montana are the nation’s only states that play girls high school basketball in the fall. Carney averaged 19.0 points and 17.4 rebounds per game while leading the Glads to a 18-3 record. This season, she has put together game highs of 29 points and 25 rebounds in a game. She finished sixth in Michigan’s Miss Basketball voting and was Class C All-State honoree by the Associated Press.
Quigley, a three-sport standout, was an honorable mention All-American by Street and Smith in 2003 and is ranked No. 78 on Blue Star’s top 100 seniors. In addition to her honorable mention All-American honors, she also earned All-State mention by the Associated Press, Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune last season after averaging 28 points per game.
Smith, a 6-2 forward, led Trinity to the first Elite Eight appearance in school history last season while averaging 21.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. She also shot .450 (54-120) from three-point range. Following her junior season, she received first team All-State honors from the Chicago Sun-Times, Champaign News-Gazette, Chicago Tribune and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. She is ranked No. 29 in the Blue Star Index Top 100 seniors and No. 50 by the All Star Girls Report.
