DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Close 2008 with Green Bay on Monday
12/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO - The DePaul women’s basketball team closes out 2008 and its non-conference schedule with a 7 p.m. game against Green Bay on Monday at McGrath Arena. The game can be heard live at www.depaulbluedemons.com with Dave Bernhard calling the action. The game is the 16th meeting between the two programs with the Blue Demons holding a 10-5 series advantage.
DePaul has called McGrath Arena formally the DePaul Athletic Center its home for the past eight plus season and enter Monday’s game with a 99-17 all-time record at McGrath. Since opening the arena in 2000, the Blue Demons are 50-5 against their non-conference opponents and are 94-7 against non-ranked opponents. This season, DePaul (11-2) is 6-0 at home.
Following Monday’s game, DePaul gears-up for its rigorous BIG EAST Conference schedule which begins on Saturday, Jan. 3 in Louisville. The Blue Demons and No. 10/13 Cardinals tangle at 1 p.m. in Freedom Hall.
Noting the Blue Demons: DePaul is 620-366 (.629) 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 260 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 (172 games), the Blue Demons have held 63.3 percent of their opponents to less than 70 points (109-of-172)... in that span, DePaul is 95-14 (.872) when holding opponents to less than 70 points... DePaul has held 10 of its 13 opponents to less than 70 this season... in the last three-plus seasons, the Blue Demons are 76-34 (.690)... in the last 45 home games against conference opponents, DePaul has posted 37 victories... over the last eight-plus seasons (265 games), DePaul has scored at least 80 points in 99 games... the Blue Demons hold a 94-5 (.949) record in those games... in the same span, DePaul is 42-1, including 40 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.
Opponent 14, Green Bay: After starting 8-0, the Phoenix has lost two of its last three games... defeated Marquette 68-56 on the road on Dec. 20...defeated common opponent Missouri State 80-56 (Dec. 3), lost to Illinois State 60-49 (Dec. 13)... Green Bay is 4-0 on the road this season... team ranks seventh in the country (.228) in 3-point field goal defense... Lavesa Glover and Rachel Porath lead Green Bay with 10.8 points per game... Erin Templin has a team-best 5.9 rebounds per game... head coach Matt Bollant is in his second season at Green Bay.
The DePaul/Green Bay Series: DePaul leads 10-5...Monday’s game is the 16th all-time meeting between the two teams... DePaul has won the last three in the series... Green Bay’s last series win was in 1996, a 68-64 victory in Wisconsin... only the teams second meeting at McGrath Arena, DePaul won the first 86-62 (Dec. 10, 2005)... in 2006, Caprice Smith’s basket with 0.4 seconds sealed the Blue Demons’ 71-70 victory in Green Bay on Nov. 29... both were members of the North Star Conference 1983-91.
Career Statistics vs. Green Bay
| Player | G-GS | FG-A | Pct. | 3P-A | Pct. | FT-A | Pct. | Reb. | Avg. | A | TO | Blk | Stl | Pts. | Avg. |
| Cattell | 2-1 | 2-8 | .250 | 0-0 | .000 | 0-0 | .000 | 16 | 8.0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2.0 |
| Medley | 2-0 | 0-3 | .000 | 0-3 | .000 | 0-0 | .000 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Quigley | 1-0 | 0-3 | .000 | 0-0 | .000 | 0-2 | .000 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Threatt | 1-0 | 0-1 | .000 | 0-1 | .000 | 0-0 | .000 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Against the State: DePaul has seen recent success against opponents from the state of Illinois. Over the last 50 games against Chicago State, Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, Illinois State, Loyola-Chicago, Northern Illinois, Northwestern and Southern Illinois, the Blue Demons have posted 50 victories. The 2007-08 schedule saw DePaul knock Illinois State, Southern Illinois, Loyola-Chicago, Northwestern, Northern Illinois and UIC.
DePaul has won 57 of the last 59 games against state opponents and currently holds a 36-game winning streak against Illinois schools. The last loss to a state program was on Dec. 4, 2002, as Illinois defeated the Blue Demons in Champaign by a 71-67 score. During the 56-game stretch, both defeats have occurred at Illinois with the last home loss to an Illinois program on Nov. 20, 1998, against Northwestern. The Wildcats defeated the Blue Demons at Alumni Hall by a score of 62-61.
It Could Happen: A win would be number 100 at McGrath Arena...the game is No. 987 in DePaul women’s basketball history... a win would give the Blue Demons their first seven-game win streak of the season... a 3-pointer would run DePaul’s streak to 119 game with a trifecta... Felicia Chester’s 50th game... one point will give Chester 250 career points.
Demon Doings: Notes following the 90-67 win at UIC on Dec. 22:
- The Blue Demons have won their last 36 games against opponents from the State of Illinois
- Natasha Williams recorded her seventh career double-double with a career-high 29 points and added 11 rebounds
- DePaul has connected on a 3-pointer in its last 119 games
- Coach Doug Bruno has won 425 games as DePaul’s head coach
- DePaul has held 10 of its 13 opponents this season to less than 70 points
- Second time this season DePaul has scored 90 or more points
- Seventh time this season DePaul has had four players in double-figures... DePaul is now 6-1 when four players reach double-digits
- Since the 2003-04 season DePaul has scored at least 80 points in 99 games, the team is 94-5 in those games
- DePaul now leads the overall series with UIC 35-5.
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.
DePaul has continued the shot-blocking theme throughout the season as they have registered at least four blocked shots in 10 games this season. A year ago, the Blue Demons totaled 125 blocks in 32 games while through just 13 games this season there have been 69 rejections. DePaul’s current average of 5.3 blocks per game is the third-highest season average. The 1996-97 squad (159 blocks in 29 games) averaged 5.4 blocks, while the 1993-94 team holds the season record with 178 blocked shots in 30 games (5.9 bpg).
BIG EAST Beast: Through games of Dec. 28, the 16 teams in the BIG EAST Conference hold an impressive .816 (151-34) winning percentage in non-conference play. This week’s ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll features five BIG EAST schools in the top 23 and the AP top 25 has five teams from league schools among the top 19. Led by No. 1/1 Connecticut, Notre Dame stands is No. 6 in the ESPN/USA Today poll and in the No. 10 position in the AP poll. Louisville sits at No. 10 in the AP rankings and at No. 13 in ESPN/USA Today, while Rutgers is No. 14 in the ESPN/USA Today poll and No. 15 in the AP poll. Pittsburgh sits at No. 19 in the AP top 25 and No. 23 in the coaches’ poll. DePaul is receiving votes in both polls while USF is getting votes in the AP poll.
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-plus 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 99-17 (.853) record in the arena’s 116 games. DePaul’s .846 winning percentage to enter the season ranked ninth among all active arenas and 11th all-time.
Now in the 35th season of women’s basketball at DePaul University, the Blue Demons have an all-time home court record of 363-101 (.782). Over 26 seasons at Alumni Hall, the women’s basketball program won over 75 percent of its 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-plus years, the team is 81-10 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 77 victories in the last 80 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 against Green Bay:
- 119 consecutive games with a three-pointer
- 49 straight victories over unranked non-conference opponents at home
- 36 straight wins against opponents from Illinois, 48 of the last 49, and 56 wins in the last 59
- nine seasons in-a-row with at least 200 three-pointers
- six straight NCAA Championship appearances
Taking Advantage from Beyond the Arc: Since the start of the 2005-06 season, the club has knocked down 793 trifectas compared to just 545 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 377 of the last 378 games. DePaul enters Monday’s game at UIC with a streak of 118 consecutive games with a three-pointer.
Through 13 games in the 2008-09 campaign, the Blue Demons have totaled 69 three’s while the opposition has combined for 61 three-pointers. DePaul’s average of 5.3 three’s per game is below the 7.9 three-point field goal average last season when the Blue Demons tallied a school-record 252 three’s in 32 games.
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.
Tournament Recaps: The Blue Demons opened the 2008-09 campaign with a pair of tournaments for five games in eight days. DePaul 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.
DePaul won the DePaul Invitational with victories over Southern and Hartford. Duke claimed third place with a consolation game win over Southern while the Blue Demons knocked off Hartford, 80-71, in the championship game. Naughton was named MVP of the tournament while Hampton and Sam Quigley picked up All-Tournament honors.
Season-Opening Notes: In the 35th season, the Blue Demons are 26-9 all-time in the first game following the 73-55 season-opening victory over Idaho State. A year ago, DePaul registered a 78-63 victory at Southern Illinois. The Idaho State game marked the third straight year the Blue Demons have started the season outside of Chicago. Prior to last season’s game at Southern Illinois, DePaul lost dropped a 105-71 decision at #/3/3 Oklahoma in the 2006 State Farm Tip-Off Classic. The program is 6-5 all-time when opening the season on the road with each of the last two season-opening road victories at Southern Illinois. The Blue Demons also started the 2002 season with a 69-60 win against the Salukis in Carbondale. Head coach Doug Bruno is 17-6 in the season’s first game at DePaul.
