Blue Demons Pull Away in DePaul Invitational Championship
11/19/2005 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Box Score
CHICAGO – A 21-5 run over a 10-minute span in the second half propelled No. 18 DePaul to an 88-72 win over UNLV in the championship game of the DePaul Invitational. The Blue Demons turned a five-point deficit into an 11-point lead with the run as Allie Quigley, Jenna Rubino and Khara Smith combined for 56 points.
DePaul (2-0) built a nine-point advantage in the first seven minutes at 15-6 before UNLV chipped away and went into halftime leading, 35-34. UNLV's Sheena Moore totaled 19 points in the first period to lead the Lady Rebels.
A looping lay-up in the lane by Moore pushed the lead to 41-36 early in the second half. Two jumpers by Quigley and two lay-ups by Suzanne Morrison sandwiched a bucket by Sherry McCracklin and DePaul never looked back. Morrison's shot off an assist from Rubino gave DePaul its first lead since just before halftime.
The run continued to the 11-point advantage when Rubino drove the baseline past a UNLV defender for a 57-46 lead. The DePaul lead grew to as many as 22 points with under a minute left in the game before the scored settled at 88-72.
Quigley led DePaul with 21 points and four assists while Smith tallied her first double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 boards. The senior forward also added a team-high five assists. Rubino dropped in 17 points with five rebounds.
Moore finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists to lead UNLV (1-1). Brittney Thomas added 21 points off the bench with six three-pointers for the Lady Rebels.
The victory was No. 350 for head coach Doug Bruno at DePaul. In his 20th season with the Blue Demons, he holds a record of 350-210. Overall in 22 seasons of coaching women's basketball, Bruno is 390-240.
Rubino was named the tournament's MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament team by Quigley and Smith. Moore from UNLV was named to the All-Tournament squad as were Harvard's Jessica Holsey and Alabama State's Danielle Sanders.
Harvard defeated Alabama State, 69-56, to claim the consolation game. Holsey and Laura Robinson led the Crimson with 18 points each while Sanders totaled 14 rebounds and 10 points.
Game Notes: DePaul has won 25 straight home games overall and 41 in-a-row at home over unranked opponents… since 2002, the Blue Demons are 43-1 at home… Khara Smith grabbed her 1,000th career rebound in the second half against UNLV… she is just one of two players in school history with at least 1,630 career points and 1,000 career rebounds… she has 1,667 points and 1,003 rebounds… Diana Vines holds the career records in both categories with 2,504 points and 1,269 rebounds.