Blue Demons Tangle with Northern Illinois on Saturday
11/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO -- The No. 15/21 DePaul women's basketball team plays at Northern Illinois on Saturday. The Blue Demons (4-1) and Huskies tangle at 3 p.m. at the Convocation Center. Fans can hear Bryan Dolgin's account of the action courtside on www.depaulbluedemons.com.
The Blue Demons look to rebound from their 59-55 loss at Northwestern on Nov. 24. The loss snapped a 36-game winning streak against schools from the state of Illinois. With the loss, the Blue Demons have won 57 of their last 60 games against programs from Illinois.
DePaul and Northern Illinois (3-2) meet for the 38th time on Saturday, while the Blue Demons have won the last 15 contests. During DePaul's 15-game winning streak, the Blue Demons have averaged a 19.6 margin of victory.
Following Saturday's game, the Blue Demons complete their three-game road trip at Green Bay on Dec. 2. DePaul returns home to McGrath Arena for a pair of games against Chicago rivals, UIC and Loyola-Chicago. The Blue Demons and Flames tangle on Dec. 4, while the Ramblers come to Lincoln Park on Dec. 6.
Noting the Blue Demons: DePaul is 637-374 (.630) all-time... the 2009-10 campaign is the 36th season of women's basketball at DePaul University... DePaul has made at least 200 3-pointers in a season the last 10 seasons... since the start of the 2003-04 season (196 games), the Blue Demons have held 64.3 percent of their opponents to less than 70 points (126-of-196)... in that span, DePaul is 108-18 (.857) when holding opponents to less than 70 points... DePaul held four of its five opponents to less than 70 points this season... in the last four-plus seasons, the Blue Demons are 93-43 (.684)... in the last 54 home games against conference opponents, DePaul has posted 44 victories... over the last eight-plus seasons (287 games), DePaul has scored at least 80 points in 105 games... the Blue Demons hold a 100-5 (.952) record in those games... in the same span, DePaul is 42-1, including 40 straight wins, when scoring at least 90 points.
Scouting Northern Illinois: Won two of its last three games... lost at Milwaukee 73-65 on Nov. 25... Mauvolyene Adams leads NIU with 16.0 points per game... Ebony Ellis averages 11.6 rebounds per game while Adams follows with 9.8 boards... NIU averages 44.0 rebounds per game... Carol Owens is in her fifth season at NIU... Owens is 59-64 all-time with the Huskies... Owens was previously an assistant coach at Notre Dame (1995-05).
The DePaul/NIU series: DePaul leads the overall series 30-7 and has won the last 15 meetings between the two teams... the Blue Demons have won the last 15 games between the two programs... during the streak, the Blue Demons have an average margin of victory of 19.6.
DePaul against the Mid-American Conference: DePaul is 51-12 against schools from the Mid American Conference and has won its last eight games against the MAC... in 2002-03 the Blue Demon played MAC schools back-to-back and dropped a 61-51 game at Toledo, but bounced back to defeat Northern Illinois 79-65 three days later on Dec. 18... earlier this season, DePaul defeated Central Michigan 86-76 on Nov. 13 at McGrath Arena.
It could happen: The game is No. 1012 in DePaul women's basketball history... a 3-pointer would run DePaul's streak to 145 games with a trifecta... Jennifer Juergens could score double-digits in her sixth straight game in a Blue Demon uniform.
Northwestern Recap: No. 15/21 DePaul wiped away an 11-point Northwestern lead in the second half, but the Wildcats scored the game's last 10 points to defeat the Blue Demons, 59-55 on Tuesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. With six minutes to play, the Blue Demons erased Northwestern's 10-point lead in just under three minutes. Anna Martin came through with a huge 3-pointer as the freshman's shot swished through the net and pulled DePaul within one, 49-48. Felicia Chester's putback, gave the Blue Demons their first advantage since leading 12-9 in the first half. Up 50-49, Jennifer Juergens completed the three-point-play and Martin's break away layup gave DePaul a 55-49 lead. With 2:33 left to play, Northwestern hit a three, and used a putback of its own to pull within one, 55-54. The Wildcats closed out the game by making five of their last six free throws to seal the victory.
Looking Ahead: Following Saturday's game, the Blue Demons complete their three-game road trip at Green Bay on Dec. 2. DePaul returns home to McGrath Arena for a pair of games against Chicago rivals, UIC and Loyola-Chicago. The Blue Demons and Flames tangle on Dec. 4, while the Ramblers come to Lincoln Park on Dec. 6.
Naughton Out: Deirdre Naughton will miss the remainder of the 2009-10 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee. Naughton, who entered the Northwestern game averaging 17.5 points per game this season, injured her knee in the first half of No. 15/21 DePaul's 59-55 loss to the Wildcats on Nov. 24. "Deirdre Naughton has been the heart and soul of this basketball team," Blue Demons head coach Doug Bruno said. "To lose her for the season is a devastating blow to this team. Every team in the nation at one time or another has been forced to deal with the adversity of injuries. Losing Deirdre Naughton will test the metal of this year's ballclub and we do expect every member of our team to step up in her absence." Naughton, was named to the preseason Wade Watch and was a Naismith Trophy and John R. Wooden candidate prior to the 2009-10 season. A second team All-BIG EAST Conference selection and Associated Press All-American honorable mention as a junior, Naughton has scored 1,470 points in her career. She played her freshman season at Wake Forest in 2005-06 before transferring to DePaul.
Against the State: DePaul has seen recent success against in-state opponents. Over the last 60 games against Chicago State, Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, Illinois State, Loyola-Chicago, Northern Illinois, Northwestern and Southern Illinois, the Blue Demons have posted 57 victories. DePaul's 36-game winning streak against programs from the state of Illinois came to an end when Northwestern defeated the Blue Demons 59-55 in Evanston on Nov. 24. Prior to the loss on Tuesday, the last loss to a state program was on Dec. 4, 2002, when Illinois defeated the Blue Demons in Champaign by a 71-67 score. During the 60-game stretch, two losses were at Illinois with the last home loss to an in-state Illinois program on Nov. 20, 1998, against Northwestern. The Wildcats defeated the Blue Demons at Alumni Hall by a score of 62-61 and then most recently at Welsh-Ryan Arena in 2009.
Coach Doug Bruno Court: Beginning in the 2010-11 season, the Blue Demons will play their home games at McGrath Arena on Coach Doug Bruno Court. DePaul's Director of Athletics, Jean Lenti Ponsetto made the announcement on Nov. 16. The 2010-11 season will also mark Coach Bruno's 25th season at DePaul while he is also on track to record his 500th career win that season.
LPTV: DePaul has partnered with LPTV and will play four games on that station. LPTV is one of Chicago's Public television stations and broadcasted DePaul win over San Diego and will also telecast the UIC game on Dec. 4. The Blue Demons games with BIG EAST foes Connecticut and West Virginia will also be carried on LPTV. DePaul is 1-0 when playing on LPTV.
AP No. 15: DePaul women's basketball team ranks No. 15 in this week's Associated Press Poll... The Blue Demons are one of four BIG EAST teams in the top 25. Connecticut was unanimous at No. 1 while Notre Dame came in at No. 5 and Pittsburgh is No. 24.
BIG EAST Predictions: The DePaul women's basketball team was picked to finish the BIG EAST Conference regular season in third while Deirdre Naughton and Keisha Hampton were selected to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team in a vote of the league's 16 head coaches. DePaul and Louisville gathered the same number of points to finish in a tie for third behind preseason favorite Connecticut and Notre Dame.
Taking Advantage from Beyond the Arc: Since the start of the 2005-06 season, the club has knocked down 953 trifectas compared to just 671 for the opposition... with three 3-pointers against San Diego State at the NCAA Championship in San Diego, the team clinched the 10th straight year with at least 200 three-pointers. A 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 403 of the last 404 games. DePaul enters the Northern Illinois game with a streak of 144 consecutive games with a three-pointer.
Home Cookin': Through nine-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 110-19 (.853) record in the arena's 129 games. DePaul's .848 winning percentage entering the 2009-10 season ranks ninth among all active arenas and 11th all-time.
Beginning its 36th season of women's basketball at DePaul University, the Blue Demons have an all-time home court record of 374-103 (.783). 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, 2008 with the 102-68 loss to #3/3 Tennessee.
Over the last seven-plus years at McGrath Arena, the team is 89-12 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 before the 77-76 loss to #1/1 Connecticut on Mar. 1, 2008. Maybe more impressive is that the Blue Demons' average margin of victory during that span that 20.5 points per game.
The Blue Demons have also posted 87 victories in the last 90 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 in 2007-08. 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 the 2009-10 season:
- 144 consecutive games with a three-pointer
- 54 straight victories over unranked non-conference opponents at home
- 10 seasons in-a-row with at least 200 three-pointers
- Seven consecutive NCAA Championship appearances
What's Back: The Blue Demons aim for their eighth straight NCAA Championship appearance in 2009-10. DePaul finished last season with a 23-10 record for the program's 17th 20-win season and the sixth in the last seven campaigns. DePaul is just one of 14 programs to play in each of the last seven NCAA Tournaments while the run is a program record, passing the four-year NCAA streak from 1990-93.
With four of the its five starters returning, DePaul returns 73.0 percent of its offense including BIG EAST second-team performer senior Deirdre Naughton (15.0), all-freshman team member Keisha Hampton (10.4) and junior guard Sam Quigley (9.9). Despite losing Natasha Williams to graduation, DePaul returns 80.55 percent of its rebounding presence. Junior Felicia Chester grabbed 5.8, while Naughton captured 5.0 and Hampton snatched 4.6 rebounds per game.
Other returning players include seniors Rachel Pierson and BIG EAST Sixth Man of the Year China Threatt. Pierson played 10 games before suffering a season-ending injury at Missouri State. Threatt, who battled back from a knee injury, played in 32 games while she started five. Threatt averaged 5.2 points per game and was third on the squad with 41 steals. Hampton leads a sophomore class that includes Courtney Webb, Deanna Ortiz and Maureen Mulchrone. Taylor Pikes joins the sophomore class as she was granted a medical redshirt after a season-ending injury in the fifth game of the season.
What's New: The Blue Demons welcome a three-member class of newcomers this season consisting of two freshmen and one transfer. Junior Jennifer Juergens sat out the 2008-09 season after transferring from Loyola-Chicago. During her two seasons, Juergens played in 32 games while she averaged 5.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest. The freshman class includes Katherine Harry from Columbia, Missouri and Anna Martin from Nicholasville, Kentucky. DePaul added sophomore transfer Shy Johnson in September 2009, she will sit out the 2009-10 season under NCAA guidelines. The Cincinnati, Ohio native spent her freshman season at NAIA powerhouse Shawnee State.
Who, When and Where: The Blue Demons open the 2009 season with four consecutive home games. The 2009-10 season began with an 86-76 victory over Central Michigan, followed by a 77-65 win over North Dakota State and a 89-50 victory over Cornell. The Maggie Dixon Classic brings Cornell, Tennessee State and Dixon's alma mater San Diego to Lincoln Park for the two-day tournament Nov. 20-21. The Blue Demons stay close with games at Northwestern, Northern Illinois and Green Bay before welcoming city of Chicago rivals UIC and Loyola-Chicago to McGrath Arena the beginning of December.
The Blue Demons become road warriors as they play at nationally-ranked Stanford before traveling to Las Vegas for the Duel in the Desert Dec. 19-21. DePaul closes out its nonconference schedule with a game at Illinois State on Dec. 28. The Blue Demons open their BIG EAST Season at NCAA Sweet Sixteen-participant Rutgers on Jan. 2 before welcoming National Runner-Up Louisville to McGrath Arena for a Jan. 5 showdown. With 14 BIG EAST schools receiving a postseason bid, every game against league opponent will be daunting. Besides the Cardinals, DePaul hosts National Champion Connecticut and NCAA tournament participants Pittsburgh and Villanova while WNIT qualifiers Marquette, St. John's and Syracuse visit Lincoln Park. Cincinnati also plays at McGrath Arena in January. After starting conference play at Rutgers, DePaul's other BIG EAST road games include Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Providence, Seton Hall, USF and West Virginia.
Marching Along: DePaul made its seventh consecutive and the program's 14th NCAA Championship appearance in 2009... Blue Demons were one of seven BIG EAST programs in the field of 64... the conference led all leagues along with the Big 12 with teams earning bids... the program is 7-14 (.333) all-time in NCAA Championship play... DePaul is one of 14 teams to appear in each of the last seven tournaments... joining the Blue Demons on the list of 14 teams with seven straight NCAA's are Connecticut, Duke, Georgia, LSU, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Purdue, Rutgers, Stanford, Tennessee and Vanderbilt... the seven straight appearances are a program record for consecutive NCAA's... DePaul earned four consecutive NCAA berths from 1990-93 followed by a three-year run from 1995-97... the program is 4-8 entering in its last seven tournament appearances, including a 2006 NCAA Regional Semifinal appearance in San Antonio, Texas.
Hitting the Century Mark: Senior Deirdre Naughton scored her 1,000th career point against North Dakota State on Nov. 15... became DePaul's 23rd 1,000 point scorer and first since Caprice Smith (2004-08) reached the century mark in 2008... she played her freshman season at Wake Forest and has 1,470 career points (1,051 at DePaul and 419 at Wake Forest).
Naughton Names: Prior to suffering a season-ending injury at Northwestern, senior guard Deirdre Naughton picked up a handful of preseason honors. The senior from Winnetka, Illinois has been named a preseason John R. Wooden candidate, to the Wade Watch List and to the Naismith Trophy preseason watch list. Naughton was also named a preseason Sporting News third team All-American and was recently named a preseason Associated Press honorable mention All-American.
Naughton has CLASS: Deirdre Naughton was named to a list of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award on Nov. 4. The award honors the women's basketball student-athlete who is not only successful on the court, but in the classroom and community. The candidate list will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names are then placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of classroom, character, community and competition.