DePaul University Athletics
Women's Basketball Takes on West Virginia
1/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Game #22
DePaul (18-3, 5-3) at West Virginia (11-7, 3-4)
WVU Coliseum - Morgantown, W. Va.
Jan. 31, 2006 - 7 p.m. EST
Game Notes - Live Audio
CHICAGO - The DePaul Blue Demons play the first of two road games this week with a Tuesday night date at West Virginia. Connecticut ended DePaul’s 33-game home winning streak with an 84-75 decision on Saturday night. The Blue Demons finished a perfect non-conference schedule with a 84-74 win over Missouri State on Dec. 28. The 18-3 start matches the second-best record through the first 21 games of the season.
The Blue Demons stand at No. 12 in last week’s Associated Press poll and No. 11 in the ESPN/USA Today/WBCA Coaches’ Top 25. DePaul is one of four BIG EAST programs in the nation’s top 25 and three ranked in the top 12.
The West Virginia game and all remaining regular-season games can be heard live at www.depaulbluedemons.com. Jason Benetti is in his first year on the headset for the Blue Demons and describes all the action this season.
Following the West Virginia game, the Blue Demons travel to No. 10/9 Rutgers on Saturday, Feb. 4. Next week has Cincinnati and Notre Dame visiting the DePaul Athletic Center.
Noting the Blue Demons: Khara Smith surpassed the 2,000-point mark against Connecticut on Jan. 28... she also reached the 1,200-rebound plateau with 12 boards against Louisville on Jan. 25... the Blue Demons held the nation’s longest home-floor winnings streak for about six hours on Saturday... Western Illinois lost for the first time at home in 47 games before the Blue Demons fell to Connecticut... the nine-game winning streak snapped at Notre Dame was the 14th run in school history of at least eight consecutive wins... it is the longest since last season’s 14-game win streak... the team started the season at 7-0 for the second time in the last three years and the third time in school history... only one team (2003-04) has started the season at 19-2... the 91-79 victory at UW-Milwaukee on Nov. 30 was the 550th win in program history... in the 32nd season of play at DePaul, the women’s basketball program is 561-334... the Blue Demons have scored at least 50 points in a half four times this season... it occurred 11 times during the 2004-05 season... in six of 20 games this season, the team has combined to shoot better than .500 from the field... on the flip side, DePaul has held the opposition to .350 or less on eight occasions... UW-Milwaukee, USF, Notre Dame, Louisville and Connecticut are the only teams to post a higher field goal percentage this season... DePaul is 2-3 in those games... over the last five-plus seasons (175 games), DePaul has scored at least 80 points in 67 games.. they hold a 64-3 record in those games... Khara Smith’s 24 points against Villanova marked the 100th career game in double-figures for the two-time All-American... Allie Quigley became the 10th player in school history with 100 three-pointers on Dec. 22 at Northwestern... Jenna Rubino hit her 100th career three at Seton Hall to become the 11th in school history... Ciara Johnson’s 6-for-6 effort against Saint Francis marked the 11th time in school history that a player has gone perfect from the field with a minimum of five attempts... the Rainbow Wahine Classic title was DePaul’s sixth straight in-season tournament championship... they won the Moran Realty Classic in 2002, 2003, 2004 and the Blue Sky Restaurant Classic in 2004... the team opened this season with a DePaul Invitational championship followed by the Rainbow Wahine Classic title.
West Virginia Preview: The Mountaineers enter Tuesday’s game having lost three of their last four games. On Sunday, West Virginia fell, 74-69, at St. John’s. Overall, the are 11-7 and hold a 3-4 record in BIG EAST play. Meg Bulger leads the team with 19.8 points per game and 63 three-pointers. Chakhia Cole averages 10.7 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds pre contest. Head coach Mike Carey is in his fifth season at West Virginia and holds an 82-58 record.
The Series: DePaul leads the series, 1-0, with the lone meeting on Dec. 5, 1980. The Blue Demons topped the Mountaineers, 86-79, at the Pitt Invitational in Pittsburgh, Pa.
In Case You’re Wondering: Khara Smith’s five points and 12 rebounds against Louisville preceded by the 18-point, nine-rebound game at Seton Hall marked just the fourth time since the start of the 2003-04 season (83 games) that she’s gone without a double-double in consecutive games. Since the start of her sophomore year, Smith has never played three straight games without a double-double.
The last two-game double-double drought occurred on Feb. 20 at Memphis (15 pts./9 rebs.) and on Feb. 27 against Marquette (8 pts./9 rebs.). It also happened earlier in the 2004-05 season on Dec. 12 at Tennessee (18 pts./8 rebs.) and Dec. 15 at Northern Illinois (26 pts./9 rebs.).
Demon Doings: Notes following the 84-75 loss against Connecticut on Saturday night:
- The loss snapped DePaul’s 33-game home-floor winning streak.
- DePaul actually held the nation’s longest winning streak for about six hours as Western Illinois lost to Oral Roberts earlier on Saturday. North Carolina now owns the longest home-court streak at 29 games
- The 18-3 record matches the second-best start in school history (fourth time).
- The loss also ended a 24-game winning streak at home in conference games.
- Connecticut is the first opponent to score 80 or more points.
- DePaul is now 8-1 on Saturday.
- Khara Smith passed the 2,000-point plateau. She also registered her 67th career double-double. Since the 2003-04 season (83 games) she has never played three straight games without a double-double. She entered the Connecticut game without a double-double in the previous two contests.
- The 38-29 deficit at halftime was the largest of the season.
- Connecticut’s .534 field goal percentage was a season high for an opponent and the 33 rebounds for DePaul was a season low
- The Blue Demons have scored less than 80 points in four straight games.
- In the last two games, DePaul is 15-for-57 (.263) from the three-point line.
- The series is now tied 1-1.
Add it Up: Closing in on the final chapter of her collegiate career, Khara Smith is ranked among the top six in program history in 11 of 17 statistical categories. She holds DePaul’s top career field goal percentage of .605 and is ranked second in field goals and rebounds, third in scoring and rebounding average, fifth in free throw attempts and steals, tied for fifth in free throws, sixth in scoring average, blocked shots and field goal attempts.
With 13 rebounds against UNLV on Nov. 19, Khara Smith became the fourth player in school history with 1,000 career rebounds. She joins Diana Vines, Mfon Udoka (pronounced Oom-fon U-dough-kuh) and Debra Robinson in the DePaul record books. The 12-rebound game against Louisville on Jan. 25 pushed her over the 1,200-rebound mark and following the game against Connecticut, she has 1,215 career boards. With 55 more rebounds, she will pass Vines, who holds the record with 1,296 rebounds.
The 24-point, 12-rebound effort against the Huskies moved Smith over the 2,000-point mark with 2,017 career points. She needs 30 points to surpass Lenae Williams for second all-time. Williams totaled 2,046 points in her four-year career. Vines holds the career scoring mark with 2,504 points.
Smith is the fourth male or female player in DePaul history with 2,000 career points - joining Vines, Williams and Mark Aguirre. Aguirre finished his career with 2,182 points.
Blue Demons Reach New Heights: On the heels of a 15-1 record over the first 16 games of the season, the DePaul women’s basketball team entered the nation’s top 10 in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today/WBCA Coaches’ poll for the first time in school history. DePaul jumped up a spot from No. 11 in the coaches’ poll after a pair of BIG EAST victories over Pittsburgh and Marquette.
The Blue Demons were slotted at No. 10 in the Coaches’ top 25 with 505 points, just a point behind No. 9 Rutgers with 506 points. A panel of 31 head coaches at NCAA Division I institutions votes on the weekly top 25. The writers’ poll saw a No. 10 ranking after the Blue Demons knocked off Villanova. Before the win over the Wildcats, DePaul was slotted at No. 11.
Khara Smith Named BIG EAST Player of the Week: DePaul senior forward Khara Smith was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week after leading the Blue Demons to a pair of league victories over Pittsburgh and Marquette. The two-time All-American scored 29 points in each game and grabbed a total of 24 rebounds for the week. Smith opened the week with a season-high 29 points and 14 rebounds in an 81-75 win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. On Saturday, she followed that game with another 29-point effort in the 67-52 win at Marquette. She also added 10 rebounds against the Golden Eagles for her 65th career double-double. Joining Smith with BIG EAST honors was Seton Hall freshman Shantel Brown as Freshman of the Week.
Vote Early and Often: Already a two-time All-American, Khara Smith stands as a consensus National Player of the Year candidate. She is a 2005-06 candidate for the Wade Trophy, Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy for National Player of the Year honors. A veteran of the national award lists, she has been one of 16 finalists for the Wooden Award in each of the last two years.
The State Farm Wade Trophy preseason list is made up of 25 student-athletes that are selected by a national awards committee of leading basketball coaches, journalists and basketball administrators. The selections are based on the criteria of game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability.
Smith is one of three players on this season’s preseason Wooden Award list that is a two-time finalist. Joining Smith on the short list is LSU’s Seimone Augustus and Cappie Pondexter of Rutgers. Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is bestowed upon the nation’s best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his/her university the he/she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 grade point average. The top 30 preseason candidates were selected by a national poll conducted by the Los Angeles Athletic Club’s National Advisory Board.
The Naismith Trophy selected Smith as one of 50 on its preseason list compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators. Additionally, Cingular Wireless provides fans the opportunity to vote for the Naismith Trophy winner through text messaging.
Smith is also one of 30 student-athletes nominated for the 2005-06 Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award. The award, now in its fifth year, is presented annually to the nation’s senior player-of-the-year for men’s and women’s basketball. An acronym for “Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School,” the award was initiated by sportscaster Dick Enberg and launched during the 2001-02 season. A list of 10 finalists will be named in February and be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide voting process during the NCAA Tournament. Enberg will announce the winners at the men’s Final Four in April.
Home Cookin’: In five-plus seasons, the DePaul Athletic Center has proven itself as one of the toughest venues in the nation. The Blue Demons have posted a 70-9 record in the arena’s first 79 games. In the 32nd season, the Blue Demons have an all-time home court record of 332-93 (.781). 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.
In 30-plus seasons of women’s basketball at DePaul University there have been 13 streaks of at least 10 straight home victories. The longest streak is the 33-game run that started on Dec. 19, 2003 with a 99-63 win over Alabama State and ended on Jan. 28, 2006 with an 84-75 defeat to No. 5/4 Connecticut. The victory over Houston on Feb. 11, 2005, broke the former record of 20 games from Feb. 4, 1978-Feb. 19, 1979.
Over the last three-plus years, the team is 51-2 at home with the two losses to a pair of teams ranked in the top five. DePaul lost in overtime to then-No. 2 Tennessee on Dec. 17, 2003 before the Connecticut loss this season. Maybe more impressive is that the Blue Demons average margin of victory during that span is 24.7 points per game.
The Blue Demons have also posted 48 straight home victories over unranked opponents. During the 48-game streak over unranked opponents, there have been 46 victories at the DePaul Athletic Center and two wins at the Allstate Arena. Tulane handed DePaul their last home loss to an unranked team on Mar. 2, 2002, with a 88-83 decision in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament.
Three-Fifty: 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 366-212 (.633). In 22 seasons of coaching women’s basketball, he has a 406-242 record.
Streaking: Dating back to last season and in some cases, the last couple of seasons, the Blue Demons have put together various streaks. Listed below are some current active streaks heading into the West Virginia game on Tuesday:
- 48 straight victories at home against unranked opponents
- 29 consecutive games with a three-pointer
- 16 straight wins against opponents from Illinois and 30 of the last 31
- six consecutive regular-season tournament championships
- three 20-win seasons in-a-row
Statistically Speaking: Through games of Jan. 25, DePaul ranks among the BIG EAST’s top five in 13 of 19 categories. The Blue Demons lead the league in scoring offense (79.7 ppg), rebounding offense (44.0 rpg), rebounding margin (+9.5), defensive rebounds (27.57 rpg), assists (18.90 apg) and steals (10.90). The team is also ranked second among the 16 programs in scoring margin (+16.5 ppg) and offensive rebounds (16.38 spg). Individually, Khara Smith leads the league in rebounding (11.0) and Claudette Towers is ranked second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.11). Smith is ranked among the BIG EAST’s top 15 in seven statistical categories. The Blue Demons also sport three of the league’s top 15 scorers with Smith at fourth (18.1), Quigley at ninth (16.0) and Rubino ranked 15th (13.9).
Through games of Jan. 23 in the NCAA statistics, DePaul is among the nation’s top 15 teams in six categories. The Blue Demons are fourth in assists per game, fifth in scoring and rebound margin, sixth in winning percentage, eighth in scoring margin, and 15th in field goal percentage. Khara Smith is 10th with a .615 field goal percentage, 11th with 10.9 rebounds per game and 35th with 18.5 points per game.
New Faces, New Places: The Blue Demons are in their first season as a member of the BIG EAST Conference this season. Cincinnati, Louisville, Marquette and South Florida join the Blue Demons from Conference USA to form the largest conference in NCAA Division I with 16 programs. The 2005-06 BIG EAST line-up includes Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, South Florida, Syracuse, Villanova and West Virginia.
DePaul holds a 90-58 all-time record against the 2005-06 group of BIG EAST members. Of the 148 games against BIG EAST opponents, the Blue Demons have played Cincinnati, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame and USF a total of 134 times. The program is a combined 8-6 all-time against Connecticut, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Providence, Seton Hall, Villanova and West Virginia. DePaul plays Rutgers, St. John’s and Syracuse for the first time this season.
BIG EAST Beast: The new-look lineup of BIG EAST programs hold a combined 136-45 (.751) in non-conference games and hold four of the top 25 spots in each of the national polls. League schools have played against 28 different conferences and remain undefeated against 13 of them. Joining the Blue Demons in the nation’s top 25 in the latest Associated Press poll are No. 5 Connecticut, No. 9 Rutgers and No. 21 Notre Dame. In the most recent ESPN/USA Today/WBCA Coaches’ Top 25, Connecticut is No. 4 followed by Rutgers at No. 9. The Blue Demons are 11th in the Coaches’ poll followed by Notre Dame at No. 21.
Conference History: The BIG EAST Conference is the fourth conference for DePaul’s women’s basketball program. The Blue Demons were members of the North Star Conference from 1983-91, the Great Midwest Conference from 1991-95 and Conference USA from 1995-2005.
Taking Advantage From Beyond the Arc: Since the start of the 2002-03 season, the club has knocked down 803 trifectas compared to just 454 for the opposition. Over the last six years, the team has totaled at least 200 three-pointers in each season. With a 0-for-8 showing against Houston on Feb. 11, 2005, DePaul’s streak of games with a three-pointer ended at 259 games. At the time, it was the nation’s seventh-longest active streak.
In 21 games this season, the Blue Demons have outscored their opponents by 111 points from three-point range (5.3 ppg). DePaul is 130-428 (.304) from behind the arc while opponents are a combined 93-305 (.305). The squad averages 6.2 three’s per game while the opposition makes 4.4 treys per contest.
At the Rainbow Wahine Classic, the Blue Demons used the experimental three-point distance of 20’6”. The team posted a combined .306 percentage from behind the extended arc on 15-of-49 shooting in the three games.
Giving to Charity: Over the last five seasons, DePaul finished either first or second in the league rankings in free throw percentage. A year ago in the final season in Conference USA, the Blue Demons were first with a .735 percentage from the line preceded by a second-place finish in 2003-04 with a .724 team mark. The squad finished the 2002-03 campaign ranked second with a .718 season percentage and claimed the top spot in 2001-02 with a .738 percentage.
Over the first eight games, the Blue Demons were off to a slow start at the line with a team percentage of .641 (84-131). In the last 13 games, the team has combined to go 183-for-245 (.747) from the line. In three straight games against UW-Green Bay, Northern Illinois and Saint Francis, the team combined to go 47-of-53 (.887) from the line. Overall, the Blue Demons are 267-of-376 (.710) from the line to place fourth among the BIG EAST’s 16 programs.
March Madness in Chicago: DePaul University and the Allstate Arena are one of eight hosts for the First and Second Rounds of the 2006 NCAA Women’s Championship. The Chicago site is schedule for first round games on Saturday, March 18 followed by a pair of second round games on Monday, March 20.
The Allstate Arena was the site of the Men’s Chicago Regional last season that saw Illinois advance to the Final Four with wins over UW-Milwaukee and Arizona. The facility also served host to the 1996 Women’s Sweet Sixteen.
DePaul holds a 20-4 all-time record at the Allstate Arena and have won their last eight games there including a 102-57 win over Southern Illinois in December 2003. The DePaul men’s program plays their entire home schedule at the arena located in Rosemont, Ill.
TV Time: As always, the DePaul women’s basketball program will be featured multiple times on national television. The Blue Demons are scheduled to make a minimum of six appearances this season. DePaul plays twice on the ESPN network in BIG EAST games against Louisville on Jan. 25 and Notre Dame on Feb. 12. The Blue Demons are also scheduled for a pair of games televised by CSTV against Pittsburgh on Jan. 3 and at Notre Dame on Jan. 17.
The BIG EAST TV Network comes to the DePaul Athletic Center on Jan. 14 for the Villanova game. The BIG EAST Tournament features the quarterfinals on CSTV, semifinals on ESPNU and the championship game on ESPN2.
DePaul is no stranger to the cameras as 25 games in the last three seasons have been televised.
BIG EAST Preseason Picks: The league’s 16 coaches slated the Blue Demons at No. 4 in the BIG EAST preseason poll. Rutgers was selected as the favorite with 11 first-place votes followed by Connecticut and Notre Dame. Senior forward Khara Smith was one of 12 players named to the league’s All-BIG EAST preseason team. Rutgers’ Cappie Pondexter was named the Preseason Player of the Year.
National Preseason Picks: The DePaul women’s basketball team is picked among the nation’s top 25 and senior forward Khara Smith has been named a preseason All-American in various preseason publications. Smith was named a first team All-American by the cbssportsline.com College Basketball Preview and a second-teamer by Lindy’s. She also picked up High Honorable Mention honors in Street and Smith’s. She is joined on the cbssportsline.com first team by Seimone Augustus of LSU, Cappie Pondexter of Rutgers, Sophia Young of Baylor and Ohio State’s Jessica Davenport. The Blue Demons are ranked 11th in the preseason top 25 by cbssportsline.com and 20th in Street and Smith’s.
ESPN.com Notice: In the women’s basketball preview on ESPN.com, the DePaul program was cited on a number of occasions. Khara Smith was slotted as the nation’s top rebounder by three of the four ESPN.com women’s basketball experts and the DePaul-Connecticut game was selected as one of the top 10 games to watch this season. The Blue Demons and Huskies tangle at the DePaul Athletic Center on Jan. 28. Smith was also named one of the top five forwards in the country joining Baylor’s Sophia Young, Candice Dupree of Temple, Tiffany Jackson of Texas and Michigan State’s Liz Shimek.
Busy, Busy: DePaul’s six victories in the month of November is a program-best surpassing the five-win month a year ago. The six total games also sets a monthly high matching the six games played by the 2001-02 squad. In that season, the Blue Demons posted a 4-2 record in November.
Three times in program history a team has started the season with seven straight wins. The previous two 7-0 squads improved to 8-0 in their eighth games of the season. The 1985-86 squad started at 9-0 before their first loss while the 2003-04 team started the season at 8-0.
Family Time: Siblings and teammates Erin and Rachael Carney are just one of 16 sets of sisters playing on the same NCAA Division I team this season. The only other BIG EAST sister duo is in Cincinnati where Anne and Jill Stephens play for the Bearcats. Among the 16 sets of sisters playing on the same team, there are five sets of twins. Fairleigh Dickinson and Liberty go one step further as each features a set of triplets.
Against the State: DePaul has seen recent success against opponents from the state of Illinois. Over the last 31 games against Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, Loyola-Chicago, Northern Illinois, Northwestern and Southern Illinois, the Blue Demons have posted 30 victories. In 2004-05 against Northwestern, Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois, the club was a perfect 5-0. This season, the Blue Demons topped Northern Illinois, Loyola-Chicago and Northwestern.
DePaul has won 34 of the last 36 games against state opponents and currently hold a 15-game winning streak against Illinois schools.
Wisconsin State Champs?: In four games this season against programs from Wisconsin, the Blue Demons went a perfect 4-0. They topped Wisconsin to win the Rainbow Wahine Classic over Thanksgiving before knocking off UW-Milwaukee on Nov. 30. DePaul topped UW-Green Bay on Dec. 10 and defeated Marquette on Jan. 7 in Milwaukee.
Rainbow Recap: DePaul topped Eastern Michigan, Texas A&M and Wisconsin en route to the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic. Khara Smith picked up MVP honors with three double-doubles and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Allie Quigley and Jenna Rubino.
DePaul knocked off Eastern Michigan, 64-49, behind 21 points from Quigley and a 12-point, 11-rebound game from Smith. The Blue Demons used a 17-5 run in the second half to pull away after leading, 24-19, at halftime.
The Blue Demons advanced to the championship game with an 84-71 decision against Texas A&M. Four players reached double-figures led by Rubino’s 18 points. DePaul led by as many as 19 points in the second half with Smith pulling down 14 rebounds to go with 16 points.
In the championship game, the Blue Demons opened the second half with a 15-1 run to increase a 35-32 halftime lead to a 76-57 victory. Smith turned in her third double-double in as many days with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Rubino added 17 and Quigley scored 14 points.
DePaul Invitational Review: The Blue Demons started the season with two wins and the first-place DePaul Invitational plaque. DePaul knocked off Harvard and UNLV while Jenna Rubino was named the tourney’s MVP. She was joined on the All-Tournament team by Allie Quigley and Khara Smith.
The Blue Demons started quickly against Harvard and never looked back in a 97-52 victory. Rubino led the way with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field as the Blue Demons scored the first 16 points of the game and opened the contest with a 25-2 run. When the dust settled, the Blue Demons won by a score of 97-52 with no player seeing more than 19 minutes of action.
DePaul won the title with an 88-72 decision against UNLV. Smith tallied her first double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds while Quigley dropped in a team-high 21 points against the Lady Rebels. Rubino added 17 points, five rebounds as the Blue Demons outscored UNLV, 54-37, in the second half after trailing by a score of 35-34 at halftime.
Season-Opening Notes: In the 32nd season of women’s basketball at DePaul University, the Blue Demons are 24-8 all-time in the first game. This season, they cruised by Harvard, 97-52, in the first game of the DePaul Invitational at the DePaul Athletic Center. The 45-point margin of victory was the second-highest season-opening advantage in school history. In DePaul’s first game in 1974, the Blue Demons posted a 62-17 win over Mundelein. Head coach Doug Bruno is 15-5 in the season-opener at DePaul. The Blue Demons have won five straight first games after dropping three in-a-row from 1998-00.
Looking Forward: DePaul signed four players to a National Letter of Intent in November. Felicia Chester, China Threatt, Kayla Guidry and Samantha Quigley join the program next fall as freshmen and hail from Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan and Missouri.
Chester, nationally ranked among the top players at her position, averaged 12.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 3.0 blocks per game as a junior. She picked up second team All-State honors after leading Incarnate Word Academy to the state finals. The Red Knights finished third in the state with a 28-3 record. The 6’2” forward enters her senior season as the school’s all-time shot blocker and picked up second team All-Metro honors from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as a junior. The All Star Girls Report ranks the forward at No. 107 in the country and the 25th-ranked player at her position.
Guidry averaged 15 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game as a junior for the Peabody Warhorses. The 5’8” guard earned first team All-District honors and was named the Rapides Parrish Most Valuable Player. She also was named the KLAX Athlete of the Week and played on Junior Olympic state and national teams.
The second Quigley in three years to sign a National Letter of Intent at DePaul, Samantha joins her sister, Allie, next season in Lincoln Park. A three-sport standout in volleyball, basketball and softball, she averaged 16.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.0 steals as a junior at Joliet Catholic Academy. Quigley earned third team All-State honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and first team All-Area honors from the Joliet Herald-News. Entering her senior season, she holds career averages of 15.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
Threatt (pronounced Threett) finished third in the voting for Michigan Miss Basketball. She is the third Michigan product to join the program in the last three seasons with the Carney sisters, Rachael and Erin, playing currently at DePaul. Prior to an injury this season, the versatile 5’8” guard was averaging 15.0 points per game. Ranked as the state’s No. 6 player by the Detroit Free Press, she led Auburn Hills Avondale to the No. 1 ranking in the state.
