DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Open DePaul Invitational Against Southern
11/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO - DePaul takes the court at McGrath Arena for the first time this season against the Southern Jaguars. The game is the second half of the first day of action at the DePaul Invitational. Hartford and Duke start the action at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
The Blue Demons went 2-1 in the season-opening Basketball Travelers Tip-Off Classic hosted by New Mexico. DePaul knocked off Idaho State and Alcorn State in the first two days before dropping a 68-66 decision in the final seconds against the host Lobos. Keisha Hampton and Deirdre Naughton were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Following this weekend’s action, DePaul plays the third of three straight home games with a Friday night match against Illinois State. Two days later, on Nov. 30, the Blue Demons play at Tennessee before hosting Southern Illinois on Dec. 5.
Noting the Blue Demons: DePaul is 611-365 (.626) all-time... the 2008-09 campaign is the 35th season of women’s basketball at DePaul University... the Blue Demons have put together at least one 10-game winning streak in four of the last five campaigns... with a record-setting 252 three-pointers in 2007-08, DePaul has made at least 200 three’s in a season in nine straight years... since the start of the 2003-04 season (162 games), the Blue Demons have held 63.0 percent of their opponents to less than 70 points (102-of-162)... in that span, DePaul is 88-14 (.863) when holding opponents to less than 70 points... in the last three-plus seasons, the Blue Demons are 68-33 (.673)... in the last 45 home games against conference opponents, DePaul has posted 37 victories... over the last eight-plus seasons (255 games), DePaul has scored at least 80 points in 93 games... the Blue Demons hold an 88-5 (.946) record in those games... in the same span, DePaul is 41-1, including 39 straight wins, when scoring at least 90 points... with two games in each of its three BIG EAST Tournaments, DePaul is just one of three teams to play in multiple conference tourney games... Connecticut and Pittsburgh have also played at least two games in each of the last three BIG EAST Championships... the Blue Demons are one of 17 programs nationally with six straight NCAA Championship appearances.
DePaul Invitational Information: The DePaul Invitational sees the Blue Demons welcome Duke, Hartford and Southern to McGrath Arena, Nov. 21-22. The Blue Devils and Hawks square off at 5:30 p.m. Friday followed by the Blue Demons and Jaguars. Friday’s winners play for the championship on Saturday following the consolation game at 5:30 p.m.
A year ago, DePaul claimed the tournament title with wins over Florida International and Florida State. The three-team round-robin format saw DePaul go 2-0, Florida State finish at 1-1 and Florida International went 0-2.
It Could Happen: A win would make give the Blue Demons at least three wins in their first four games for the seventh straight season... Deirdre Naughton needs two three-pointers for 75 in a Blue Demon uniform... a three-pointer will mark the 110th straight game with a three-pointer for DePaul... a win would increase the streak in home openers to nine.
Demon Doings: Notes following the 68-66 loss at New Mexico on Nov. 17:
- Deirdre Naughton passed 500 career points at DePaul... Naughton’s six three-pointers are tied for seventh on the game chart (15th time).
- DePaul is 2-1 to start the season for the second time in three years.
- The loss was just the 14th in 162 games since the start of the 2003-04 season that the Blue Demons lost when holding an opponent to less than 70 points.
- The meeting was the first between DePaul and New Mexico... DePaul is now 6-9 all-time against Mountain West programs.
Blue Demons Block Braves Buckets: The Blue Demons broke the program’s game record for blocked shots with 14 rejections against Alcorn State on Nov. 16. Seven different players recorded a block led by Felicia Chester’s four. Natasha Williams added three, Keisha Hampton and Deirdre Naughton added two blocks apiece and Rachel Pierson, Holly Medley and Danielle Havel record one rejection each. The previous mark of 13 was set against Southwest Texas State on Nov. 29, 1991.
Naughton Named Honorable Mention Preseason All-BIG EAST: DePaul junior guard Deirdre Naughton was named a preseason honorable mention All-BIG EAST honoree while the Blue Demons were picked by the league’s coaches to finish eighth.
Connecticut picked up 14 first-place votes to get the nod as preseason favorite. The Huskies were followed by Rutgers, Louisville, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh for the top five. Maya Moore of Connecticut was selected as the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year and Rutgers’ April Sykes was named the Preseason Freshman of the Year.
Marching Along: DePaul has tallied six straight NCAA Championship appearances and 13 appearances overall. The current six-year streak is the longest in program history ahead of DePaul earning four straight berths from 1990-93. That four-year run was followed by three straight appearances from 1995-97. The program is 7-13 all-time in NCAA action and 4-6 since 2003, including the 2006 NCAA Regional Semifinal in San Antonio, Texas. The program is one of 14 schools to play in the postseason in at least 17 of the last 20 years and is just one of 17 programs to play in each of the last six tournaments.
Home Cookin’: Through eight seasons, 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 a 93-17 (.846) record in the arena’s 110 games. The .846 winning percentage is ranked ninth among all active arenas and 11th all-time.
Now entering the 35th season of women’s basketball at DePaul University, the Blue Demons have an all-time home court record of 357-101 (.779). 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.
There have been 15 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 #5/4 Connecticut. The Blue Demons’ 11-game winning streak dating back to the 2006-07 season ended on Jan. 2 with the 102-68 loss to #3/3 Tennessee.
Over the last six years, the team is 72-10 at home with four losses to teams ranked in the top five. DePaul lost in overtime to #2/2 Tennessee on Dec. 17, 2003, before the Connecticut loss in Jan. 2006. Tennessee, ranked third in both polls, served DePaul its fifth defeat last season on Jan. 2 before the 77-76 loss to #1/1 Connecticut on Mar. 1. Maybe more impressive is that the Blue Demons’ average margin of victory during that span is 23.1 points per game.
The Blue Demons have also posted 71 victories in the last 74 games over unranked opponents. West Virginia ended DePaul’s 58-game streak over unranked opponents with a 74-63 decision on Jan. 9, 2007 before Pittsburgh and Louisville handed the Blue Demons defeats last season. During the 58-game streak, there were 54 victories at McGrath Arena and four wins at the Allstate Arena.
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 at New Mexico:
- 109 consecutive games with a three-pointer
- 30 straight wins against opponents from Illinois, 43 of the last 44, and 51 wins in the last 53
- six straight NCAA Championship appearances
- nine seasons in-a-row with at least 200 three-pointers
Taking Advantage from Beyond the Arc: Since the start of the 2005-06 season, the club has knocked down 740 trifectas compared to just 496 for the opposition. With 10 three-pointers at Rutgers on Feb. 27 last season, the team clinched the ninth straight year with at least 200 three-pointers. An 0-for-8 showing against Houston on Feb. 11, 2005, ended DePaul’s streak with a three-pointer 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 368 of the last 369 games. DePaul enters Friday’s game against Southern with a streak of 109 consecutive games with a three-pointer.
TV Time: The BIG EAST Conference continues to have one of the top television schedules in women’s college basketball on the national, regional and local levels as 98 appearances featuring all 16 BIG EAST schools are on the 2008-09 slate. For the third straight year, every conference team is included in the regular-season broadcasts. The league’s overall exposure continues to grow and this season’s national television package includes: two games on CBS and 14 appearances on ESPN/ESPN2, 31 on ESPNU and 25 on CBSC (CBS College Sports Network).
DePaul is scheduled to make at least seven regular-season television appearances starting on Nov. 17 at New Mexico on The Mtn. On Dec. 7, the Blue Demons will be on in the Chicagoland area on Lakeshore Public TV in game at Loyola-Chicago. The BIG EAST television schedule features DePaul on CBSC on Jan. 6 against Notre Dame and two appearances on the BIG EAST TV Network. DePaul’s Jan. 19 game at Pittsburgh and the Feb. 17 contest at Syracuse will be on BETV. ESPNU is set to carry the Feb. 8 game at Notre Dame while the network is scheduled to carry the quarterfinals and semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship. The finals of the BIG EAST Championship are scheduled for Tuesday, Mar. 10 on ESPN.