DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Host Notre Dame on Senior Night
2/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
DePaul (17-11, 7-8) vs. Notre Dame (19-9, 10-5)
Feb. 26, 2007 | 8 p.m.
McGrath Arena | Chicago, Ill.
Game Notes: DePaul | Opponent Information: Notre Dame
Internet Audio: DePaul | Live Stats: Demons Live
TV: CSTV and www.bigeast.tv
CHICAGO - Senior Night at McGrath Arena sees Notre Dame visit Chicago on Monday. Following the game, DePaul seniors Rachael Carney and Jenna Rubino will be honored along with senior manager Tom Levar. The Blue Demons and Irish meet for the second time in just over two weeks with Notre Dame taking the first game, 78-70, at the Joyce Center on Feb. 11.
DePaul stands at 17-11 overall record and 7-8 in BIG EAST play while Notre Dame is 19-9 overall and 10-5 in league action. Neither team is currently ranked in either top 25. The Irish sit in fourth place in the BIG EAST standings and a win over DePaul would secure a first-round bye for Notre Dame in the conference tourney. DePaul sits all alone in 10th place and will either finish as the No. 9 or No. 10 seed in the BIG EAST Championship. Tournament opponents won’t be determined until after Monday’s action pending tiebreaker procedures by the BIG EAST Conference.
Monday’s action can be seen live on CSTV from McGrath Arena starting at 8 p.m. The broadcast is also available online at www.bigeast.tv.
Noting the Blue Demons: Doug Bruno has used nine different starting lineups this season... only Jenna Rubino, Allie Quigley and Caprice Smith have started every game... with 221 three-pointers, DePaul has made at least 200 three’s in a season in eight straight years... in the 13 of the 17 wins, opponents have scored less than 70 points... since the start of the 2003-04 season (123 games), the Blue Demons have held 65.0 percent of their opponents to less than 70 points (80-of-123)... in that span, DePaul is 73-7 (.913) when holding opponents to less than 70 points... in 2006-07, the Blue Demons are 4-10 when allowing more than 70 points and 13-1 when holding the opposition to less than 70... at least four players have scored in double-figures in 13 games this season... in two games, at least three players have grabbed at least 10 rebounds (at UW-Green Bay and at Illinois-Chicago)... Allie Quigley (23 pts./10 reb.), Jenna Rubino (11 pts./15 reb.) and Caprice Smith (16 pts./11 reb.) each recorded a double-double on Dec. 17 at Illinois-Chicago... DePaul has knocked down at least 10 three-pointers in a game on six occasions... the 2005-06 squad combined for at least 10 three’s in three games... in the last two-plus seasons, the Blue Demons are 70-23 (.753)... in the last 36 home games against conference opponents, DePaul has posted 33 victories (.917 winning pct.)... DePaul is one of 19 programs that have reached postseason play in at least 15 of the last 18 seasons... they are also one of 14 teams to reach at least the second round in each of the last three NCAA Championships... joining the Blue Demons on the list of 14 second-round regulars are Baylor, Boston College, Connecticut, Duke, Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Stanford, Tennessee and Vanderbilt... the 2005-06 season was the first year that DePaul didn’t score 100 points in a game since the 1999-00 season... over the last six-plus seasons (216 games), DePaul has scored at least 80 points in 76 games... the Blue Demons hold a 72-4 (.947) record in those games... Pittsburgh handed DePaul its first loss this season when scoring at least 80... the Panthers topped the Blue Demons, 87-80, on Feb. 24 at the Petersen Events Center... in the 33rd season of play at DePaul, the women’s basketball program is 588-349.
Opponent 29 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Notre Dame enters Monday’s game with a 19-9 overall record and 10-5 mark in BIG EAST play. A 76-60 loss to Rutgers on Saturday ended a six-game winning streak for the Irish. Charel Allen leads the team with 17.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. She is followed by Ashley Barlow with 10.5 points and Tulyah Gaines with 9.6 points per contest. Head coach Muffett McGraw is in her 20th season as head coach at Notre Dame and holds a 447-176 record with the Irish.
The Series - DePaul leads 15-11: Monday’s game is the 27th all-time meeting between the two programs. The Blue Demons hold a 15-11 advantage with each team winning the last eight meetings on its home floor. Earlier this season, the Irish posted a 78-70 victory over DePaul at the Joyce Center. Charel Allen led Notre Dame with 25 points and 13 rebounds while Allie Quigley scored 20 points for DePaul. In addition to playing in the BIG EAST Conference since the start of last season, the two programs were also members of the North Start Conference from 1983-88 when the two schools combined for four North Star championships.
It Could Happen: A win would be Doug Bruno’s 393rd with the Blue Demons... the game will be No. 124 for Jenna Rubino, moving her into sole possession of fifth all-time... Erin Carney needs six rebounds to reach 500 in her career... Caprice Smith needs two three’s for 75 in her career... a win would give DePaul its 22nd season with at least 18 victories... a win would also secure the sixth time in seven seasons at McGrath Arena with at least 10 victories.
All Alone: Closing in on the final chapter of her career, Jenna Rubino put her own mark on the DePaul record book against Syracuse on Feb. 20. The senior guard became the first player in DePaul history with 1,200 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 150 three-pointers. She enters the Notre Dame game with 1,263 points, 533 rebounds, 306 assists and 169 three-pointers.
Up next on the multi-category milestone list is Allie Quigley. The junior needs nine assists to become the first player in school history with 1,300 points, 300 assists and 150 three-pointers.
Unhappy New Year: The first month of 2007 wasn’t joyful for the Blue Demons as the 78-61 loss at St. John’s on Jan. 30 clinched a losing month. The 3-5 January record marked the first losing January since the 2000-01 season that also produced a 3-5 record in the month. Prior to this January, DePaul had put together 12 straight season (November-March) months with .500 record or better. The last sub-.500 month was a 1-2 record in March to conclude the 2003-04 season.
With the losses at Louisville, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh and wins over USF, Seton Hall and Syracuse in the month of February, the Blue Demons are 6-8 in 2007. DePaul’s last losing February was a 2-5 mark in the 2001-02 season.
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 Monday’s game against Notre Dame:
- 70 consecutive games with a three-pointer
- 23 straight wins against opponents from Illinois, 37 of the last 38, and 44 wins in the last 46 games
- four 20-win seasons in-a-row
- four straight NCAA Championship appearances
- 93 consecutive starts for Jenna Rubino and 84 in-a-row for Allie Quigley
Home Cookin’: Closing in on its seventh full season, McGrath Arena - formerly known as the DePaul Athletic Center - has proven itself as one of the toughest venues in the nation. The Blue Demons have posted an 83-11 record in the arena’s first 94 games. Now in the 33rd season, the Blue Demons have an all-time home court record of 347-95 (.785). 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 22-4.
In 30-plus seasons of women’s basketball at DePaul University there have been 14 streaks of at least 10 straight home victories. The longest streak was 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 four-plus years, the team is 66-4 at home with the two of the four losses to teams ranked in the top five. DePaul lost in overtime to No. 2 Tennessee on Dec. 17, 2003, before the Connecticut loss last season. Maybe more impressive is that the Blue Demons average margin of victory during that span is 22.9 points per game.
The Blue Demons have also posted 62 victories in the last 63 games over unranked opponents. West Virginia ended DePaul’s 58-game streak over unranked opponents with a 74-63 decision on Jan. 9. During the 58-game streak, there were 54 victories at McGrath Arena and four wins at the Allstate Arena. Prior to the West Virginia loss, 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.
Demon Doings: Notes following the 87-80 loss at Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon:
- The loss was just the fourth in the last six-plus seasons when scoring at least 80 points. DePaul is 72-4 when scoring at least 80 points in that span.
- Allie Quigley moved into second all-time in career three-pointers. She now has 187 career three’s. Lenae Williams (1998-02) holds the program record with 303 career three-pointers.
- Jenna Rubino moved into a tie for fifth all-time her 123rd career game.
- DePaul has made a three-pointer in 70 straight games.
- The Blue Demons are 4-10 this season when allowing 80 or more points.
- The series is tied at 2-2. The win was the first for Pittsburgh in BIG EAST play.
Taking Advantage from Beyond the Arc: Since the start of the 2003-04 season, the club has knocked down 883 trifectas compared to just 524 for the opposition. Including this season, the team has totaled at least 200 three-pointers in each of the last eight seasons. 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. Including the Houston game, the Blue Demons have tallied a three-pointer in 329 of the last 330 games.
In 28 games this season, the Blue Demons have outscored their opponents by 234 points from three-point range (8.4 ppg). DePaul is 221-650 (.340) from behind the arc while opponents are a combined 143-487 (.294). The squad averages 7.9 three’s per game while the opposition makes 5.1 treys per contest. The trio of Missy Mitidiero, Allie Quigley and Jenna Rubino have combined for 148 three’s this season - five more than the 143 for all of DePaul’s opponents combined.
At Oklahoma in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic, the Blue Demons used the experimental three-point distance of 20’6”. DePaul went 8-for-28 (.286) as a team. The Blue Demons have played in two events in the last two seasons where the experimental distance was used. At the 2005 Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, the team posted a combined .306 percentage from behind the extended arc on 15-of-49 shooting in the three games.
