DePaul Faces Texas A&M on Saturday
11/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Game #4
#17/17 DePaul (3-0) vs. Texas A&M (2-0)
Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic
Stan Sheriff Center - Honolulu, Hawai'i
Nov. 26, 2005 - 2:50 HT (6:50 p.m. CST)
Game Notes
Live Audio (Texas A&M broadcast with subscription fee)
HONOLULU, Hawai'i - DePaul looks to advance to the championship game of the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic against the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Demons opened play with a 64-49 win over Eastern Michigan on Friday. DePaul plays either host Hawai’i or Wisconsin in either the 3rd-place game or championship game on Sunday. This is DePaul’s second appearance in the tournament as they finished fifth in 2002.
The Blue Demons opened the season with a pair of victories in the DePaul Invitational last weekend against Harvard and UNLV. DePaul enters this weekend ranked No. 17 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today/WBCA Coaches’ Top 25.
Rainbow Wahine Classic History: The Blue Demons finished fifth in the 2002 edition and won two of three games. North Carolina handed DePaul an 82-66 decision in the first game before the Blue Demons responded with a 92-73 win over Fordham and a 55-44 decision over Denver. With the two wins on Saturday and Sunday, the team finished in fifth place.
With Friday’s win over Eastern Michigan, the Blue Demons are 3-1 all-time in the tournament. Following the North Carolina loss in 2002, DePaul has reeled off 11 straight regular-season tournament victories.
Three-Fifty on to Four Hundred: Head coach Doug Bruno earned his 350th coaching victory at DePaul in the win over UNLV on Nov. 19. In his 20th season with the Blue Demons, he holds a record of 351-210. In 22 seasons of coaching women’s basketball, he has a 391-240 record.
One Thousand: With 13 rebounds against UNLV, Khara Smith became the fourth player in school history with 1,000 career rebounds. She joins Diana Vines, Mfon Udoka and Debra Robinson in the DePaul record books. She enters Saturday’s game with 1,014 career boards and joins Vines as one of two players in school history with at least 1,650 points and 1,000 rebounds. She passed Robinson against Eastern Michigan is ranked third in school history in career rebounds.
Noting the Blue Demons: DePaul returns nine players and four starters from last season’s 26-5 team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s second round... the nine returners accounted for 85 percent of the offense a year ago while the four starters were responsible for 62 percent of the points... DePaul also returns 91 percent of the rebounding with the nine players combining for a .477 field goal percentage... Claudette Towers started the first two games this season... it was her first start since Dec. 15, 2004 at Northern Illinois... Ciara Johnson made her first collegiate start against Eastern Michigan... a Rainbow Wahine Classic title would be DePaul’s fifth straight in-season tournament championship... they won the Moran Realty Classic in 2002, 2003, 2004 and Blue Sky Restaurant Classic in 2004... they opened this season with a DePaul Invitational championship... the Blue Demons have scored at least 50 points in a half twice this season... it occurred 11 times during the 2004-05 season... the Blue Demons have posted 16 consecutive regular-season wins.
Texas A&M Preview: The Aggies knocked off Cal State Northridge, 76-52, behind 14 points each from A’Quonesia Franklin and Danielle Gant. Morenike Atunrase leads the team with 12.5 points followed by Franklin’s 12.0 points and 5.0 assists per game. Prior to the arriving in Hawai’i, the Aggies topped Saint Peter’s, 77-36, to open the season on Monday. Head coach Gary Blair is in his third season with Texas A&M after stops at Stephen F. Austin and Arkansas. He holds a 27-34 record with the Aggies and overall he has 435 victories and 197 defeats in 21 seasons.
The Series: Saturday is the first meeting between the two programs.
Against the Big 12: DePaul is 5-10 all-time against Big 12 programs. Saturday is the first game against a Big 12 school since a 79-75 loss to Iowa State at the Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge in Ames, Iowa on Nov. 21, 2001.