DePaul University Athletics
Women's Hoops Host Top-Ranked Connecticut
2/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
DePaul vs. #1/1 Connecticut
Saturday, Mar. 1 | 7 p.m.
McGrath Arena | Chicago, Ill.
TV: CPTV (game on CLTV in Chicago)
CHICAGO - The DePaul women’s basketball team closes the home schedule and opens the month of March with the nation’s top-ranked team at McGrath Arena. DePaul hosts #1/1 Connecticut in a 7 p.m. game in Lincoln Park. The Huskies are the second team in four days for the Blue Demons that is ranked in the top four nationally. DePaul dropped a 60-46 decision at #4/4 Rutgers that saw a 41-41 tie with seven minutes left on Wednesday night. DePaul closes the regular-season schedule at Seton Hall on Monday evening before the league’s top 12 teams travel to Hartford, Conn., for the 2008 BIG EAST Championship at the XL Center.
DePaul is in the midst of finishing the regular season with four road games in the last six contests. The Blue Demons are 2-2 in the six-game run with victories at #11/11 West Virginia and Georgetown before a 66-64 loss to #14/14 Notre Dame and the defeat at Rutgers on Wednesday. Connecticut is 27-1 overall and 13-1 in BIG EAST play while DePaul enters the game with an 18-9 overall record and 7-7 mark in league action.
Ranked Teams at McGrath Arena: In the 109 games played at McGrath Arena, the Blue Demons hold a 5-9 all-time record against ranked teams. DePaul has dropped three of four two home top 25 games this season. The Blue Demons knocked off #18/19 Florida State before dropping games to #3/3 Tennessee, #22/22 Syracuse and #14/14 Notre Dame.
A year ago, the Blue Demons knocked off #19/21 Rutgers before falling to #18/20 Marquette. On two occasions, Tennessee came to Chicago as the nation’s second-ranked team. Most recently, DePaul dropped a 96-89 overtime decision to the #2 Lady Vols on Dec. 17, 2003. Other top 10 opponents include a pair of 2001 match-ups in a span of three days against #7 Purdue and #2 Tennessee. DePaul fell, 63-61, to Purdue on Dec. 17 and, 80-66, to the Lady Vols on Dec. 19. DePaul’s lone top 10 victory at home was a 75-59 decision over #8 Notre Dame on Dec. 11, 2002.
Connecticut serves as the first #1 team to visit McGrath Arena. DePaul’s highest-ranked win was a 70-67 victory over #3/3 Louisiana Tech on Dec. 14, 1996 at Alumni Hall.
Noting the Blue Demons: The Blue Demons are 4-3 in games decided by five points or less this season... in the last 16 games, the Blue Demons are 205-for-280 (.732) from the free throw line... DePaul started the season with a team .604 (113-187) free throw percentage in the first 11 games... a quick look in DePaul history shows that the Rutgers game is the only game since the start of the 1996-97 campaign that the Blue Demons didn’t not attempt a free throw... the 9-5 home record this season ties the 2001-02 squad for the most losses at McGrath Arena... on the road, DePaul’s 8-3 record this season ties the best road mark in that same span (since start of 2000-01 season)... DePaul’s 10-game winning streak to start the season was the seventh winning streak of at least 10 games in program history... the Blue Demons have also put together at least one 10-game winning streak in four of the last five campaigns... with 207 three-pointers this season, DePaul has made at least 200 three’s in a season in nine straight years... the 2006-07 squad holds the season record with 250 three’s... since the start of the 2003-04 season (154 games), the Blue Demons have held 63.6 percent of their opponents to less than 70 points (98-of-154)... in that span, DePaul is 85-13 (.867) when holding opponents to less than 70 points... in 2007-08, the Blue Demons are 6-5 when allowing more than 70 points and 12-4 when holding the opposition to less than 70... in the last three-plus seasons, the Blue Demons are 90-34 (.726)... in the last 44 home games against conference opponents, DePaul has posted 37 victories... over the last seven-plus seasons (247 games), DePaul has scored at least 80 points in 91 games... the Blue Demons hold an 86-5 (.945) record in those games... in 34 seasons of play at DePaul, the women’s basketball program is 607-361 (.627)... with two games in each of its two BIG EAST Tournaments, DePaul is just one of four teams to play in multiple conference tourney games... Connecticut, Rutgers and Pittsburgh have also played at least two games in each of the last two BIG EAST Championships.
Opponent 28 - Connecticut Huskies: Connecticut enters Saturday’s game at 27-1 overall and 13-1 in BIG EAST play... the lone BIG EAST blemish was a 73-71 loss at Rutgers on Feb. 5... the Huskies finish the league schedule with Rutgers at home on Monday... Connecticut is ranked No. 1 in both of this week’s polls... Maya Moore leads the team with 18.4 points per game... she is followed by Tina Charles at 14.8 points and a team-high 9.5 rebounding average... Renee Montgomery has a team-best 116 assists while scoring 13.2 points per contest... head coach Geno Auriemma is in his 23rd season at Connecticut.
The Series - Connecticut leads 3-1: The two programs meet for just the fifth time on Saturday... Connecticut has claimed all three BIG EAST meetings after DePaul won the series opener, 70-64, on Dec. 28, 1983 in Minneapolis, Minn.... a year ago, the Huskies posted an 88-76 victory over the Blue Demons at Gampel Pavilion... Kalana Greene tallied a 25-point, 12-rebound double-double to lead four in double-figures for Connecticut... Charde Houston scored 19 while Tina Charles and Brittany Hunter added 11 each... DePaul was led by Caprice Smith’s 19 while Allie Quigley and China Threatt added 15 points apiece.
It Could Happen: Allie Quigley enters Saturday with 104 career games in double-figures... Caprice Smith needs six rebounds for 700 in her career and to move into seventh all-time... Quigley and Smith will be playing in their 125th career games to tie for fifth all-time... Quigley needs six field goals to move into fourth all-time and 31 points for 2,000 in her career... Khara Smith holds the school record with 131 career games... with nine field goals, Quigley moves into fourth all-time... Natasha Williams needs four blocked shots to move into seventh on the season chart... a win would be DePaul’s first over a #1-ranked team.
Demon Doings: Notes following the 60-46 loss at #4/4 Rutgers on Feb. 27:
- With three three’s to open the game, DePaul registered 200 three’s in a season for the ninth straight year... DePaul has made at least 10 three’s in seven games this season.
- Allie Quigley made her 115th consecutive start... with eight points her streak of consecutive games in double-figures ended at 36.
- China Threatt made her first start of the season... it is also her first start since six starts as a freshman (last, vs. USF Feb. 6, 2007).
- Missy Mitidiero’s seven three’s set a new career-high and tied for third (sixth time) on DePaul’s single-game chart.
- The 46 points were a season-low for DePaul and the lowest total since a 62-44 loss at Cincinnati on Jan. 14, 2007.
- Rutgers now leads the series, 3-1.
Allie Quigley Named Academic All-American: DePaul senior Allie Quigley continued to rake in the honors this season as she was named third team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America. Quigley is the second player in program history to earn the national honor and the 15th in BIG EAST history. Most recently, Megan Duffy of Notre Dame and Connecticut’s Ann Strother represented the BIG EAST on the Academic All-America list on the 2005-06 team.
Prior to picking up Academic All-America honors, she was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V first team for the second straight year. It’s also her third overall appearance on the district list as she was a second team honoree as a sophomore. As a member of the five-player first team for District V, she became eligible for the Academic All-America recognition. District V consists of schools from the states of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, and Ontario and Manitoba in Canada. The senior guard holds a 3.72 grade-point average and is a Physical Education major at DePaul.
Transferability: DePaul’s 2007-08 roster features four transfers in Missy Mitidiero, Deirdre Naughton, Rachel Pierson and Natasha Williams. Pierson, who played last season at Iowa State, is sitting out this year under NCAA transfer guidelines. The trio that is eligible to play this season is accountable for just under 42 percent of the scoring this season. Naughton, a Wake Forest transfer, is second on the team with a scoring average of 15.1 points and leads the team with 30.9 minutes per game and 56 three-pointers. Williams, who played her first two seasons at Minnesota, leads the team with 7.3 rebounds per game and 43 blocked shots while scoring at 10.7 points per contest. Her 43 blocks are the most by a DePaul player since the 2002-03 season. Mitidiero, in her third season at DePaul after a year at Illinois, is second on the team with 49 three’s and averages 6.9 points with games this season of knocking down six three’s against Florida State and seven trifectas at Rutgers.
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 Saturday’s game at Rutgers:
- 101 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
- five straight NCAA Championship appearances
- 115 consecutive starts for Allie Quigley
Taking Advantage from Beyond the Arc: Since the start of the 2004-05 season, the club has knocked down 904 trifectas compared to just 580 for the opposition. With 10 three-pointers at Rutgers on Feb. 27, the team clinched the ninth straight season 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 360 of the last 361 games. The Notre Dame game on Feb. 24 marked the 100th straight contest with at least one three-pointer.
In 27 games this season, the Blue Demons have outscored their opponents by 168 points from three-point range (6.2 ppg). DePaul is 207-600 (.345) from behind the arc while opponents are a combined 151-452 (.334). The squad averages 7.7 three’s per game while the opposition makes 5.6 treys per contest. The trio of Missy Mitidiero, Deirdre Naughton and Allie Quigley have combined for 149 three’s this season - just two shy of 151 for all of DePaul’s opponents combined.
Setting the Standard in the Classroom and on the Court: With back-to-back appearances in the WBCA Academic Top 25 and berths in the last two NCAA Championship, the DePaul women’s basketball team is the only program in the country to claim that distinction. The Blue Demons finished 25th in the WBCA Academic Top 25 following last season after garnering the 11th spot after the 2005-06 campaign. In 2005-06, the Blue Demons also accumulated a team GPA of 3.361 and reached the NCAA Sweet 16 followed by a team GPA of 3.294 last season and NCAA First Round appearance. The No. 11 slot in 2006 was the highest in program history, surpassing a No. 13 ranking for the 2000-01 season and No. 20 spot following the 1998-99 campaign.
Bruno Leads USA Basketball to World Championship: DePaul women’s basketball coach Doug Bruno capped his summer USA Basketball coaching stint by leading the nation’s U19 team to the FIBA U19 World Championship for Women. The Americans captured the gold medal with a 99-57 win over Sweden and finished the world tournament with a perfect 9-0 record.
This summer was Bruno’s second leading a USA Basketball squad as he guided the U18 Team to gold at the 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championships for Women. The U18 Championship in Colorado Springs, Colo., qualified the United States for the 2007 U19 World Championship for Women.
In addition to Bruno claiming gold for the United States in the FIBA U19 World Championship for Women, DePaul men’s basketball coach Jerry Wainwright led the men’s U19 team to a silver medal at the FIBA U19 World Championship for Men in Novi Sad, Serbia in late July.
Among his roster during the gold-medal winning summer are 2007-08 opponents Angie Bjorklund and Vicki Baugh of Tennessee, Amy Jaeschke of Northwestern, Notre Dame’s Melissa Lechlitner and Maya Moore of Connecticut. Northern Illinois head coach Carol Owens was an assistant coach on Bruno’s USA Basketball staff.
TV Time: The BIG EAST Conference totals a league-record 101 combined appearances this season featuring each of the league’s 16 programs. For the second straight year every game of the league tournament will be televised and the CSTV “Game of the Week” package will single out the BIG EAST as the nation’s only conference with a weekly women’s basketball night on CSTV. DePaul is scheduled to make at least eight regular-season television appearances that started on Jan. 2 against defending NCAA Champion Tennessee on ESPNU. The Blue Demons were also seen on ESPNU in a game against Pittsburgh on Jan. 6 and will be featured on Feb. 24 against Notre Dame. The BIG EAST TV Network carried the Jan. 19 game at Marquette while the Jan. 22 game at Notre Dame was on CSTV. Louisville visits McGrath Arena on Feb. 10 for an ESPN2-televised game. While the final home game of the regular season against Connecticut will be seen on CLTV in Chicago with the CPTV (Connecticut Public Television) feed. West Virginia Public Broadcasting announced a nine-game television package with the DePaul-West Virginia game in Morgantown on Feb. 16 on WV PBS and the Rutgers game on Feb. 27 was broadcasted on WNBC 4.4 in New York.
The BIG EAST Championship first round will be televised by the BIG EAST TV Network while ESPNU carries the quarterfinals and semifinals. The championship game assumes its annual slot on ESPN2 in prime time during Championship Week.
Looking for Six: DePaul has tallied five straight NCAA Championship appearances and 12 NCAA visits overall. Last season’s fifth consecutive appearance set a school record for consecutive NCAA’s. DePaul earned four straight NCAA berths from 1990-93 followed by a three-year run from 1995-97. The program is 7-12 all-time in NCAA action and 4-5 during the five-year streak, including the 2006 NCAA Regional Semifinal in San Antonio, Texas.
