Women's Basketball Hosts UIC on Field Trip Day
12/4/2009 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO -- The No. 21/23 DePaul women's basketball returns to McGrath Arena for a matinee against cross-town rival UIC on Friday. Friday's game is scheduled for a Noon start at McGrath Arena as the contest has been designated "Field Trip Day" for Chicagoland elementary students. The game can be seen live on LPTV at noon and it will be replayed again at 5 p.m. Dave Bernhard and Barb Atsaves-Pabst will call the action courtside while fans outside of the Chicago market can hear the pairs account on www.DePaulBlueDemons.com.
Friday's game is the 41st meeting between the two programs with the Blue Demons holding a 35-5 series advantage. DePaul has won the last 33 contests while UIC's last win came on the Southside, 28 years ago.
DePaul (5-2) is playing its second of three Horizon League teams on Friday. The Blue Demons look to rebound from their 79-68 loss at Green Bay on Wednesday. Despite Anna Martin's career-high 19 points, the Blue Demons were unable to overcome the Phoenix's quick start and double-digit leads. The Blue Demons explosive offense averages 76.7 points per game while all five starters are averaging double-figures. Sophomore Keisha Hampton leads the group with 12.6 points per game.
UIC (1-5) are looking for its first road victory of the season, having dropped all three contests away from the UIC Pavilion. Jessie Milled leads the Flames with 12.2 points per game.
Friday's game will be a homecoming of sorts for UIC head coach Lisa Ryckbosch and assistant coach Jenni Dant. Ryckbosch, who is in her eighth season with the Flames, was an assistant under DePaul head coach Doug Bruno from 1995-01, while Dant wore the DePaul uniform from 2001-05.
Following Friday's game the Blue Demons host Loyola-Chicago on Sunday. DePaul and the Ramblers tip at 5 p.m. in Lincoln Park.
Noting the Blue Demons: DePaul is 638-375 (.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 (198 games), the Blue Demons have held 64.1 percent of their opponents to less than 70 points (127-of-198)... in that span, DePaul is 109-18 (.858) when holding opponents to less than 70 points... DePaul has held five of its six opponents to less than 70 points this season... in the last four-plus seasons, the Blue Demons are 94-44 (.681)... in the last 54 home games against conference opponents, DePaul has posted 44 victories... over the last eight-plus seasons (289 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.
It could happen: The game is No. 1014 in DePaul women's basketball history... Felicia Chester needs six steals to reach the 100 career steals... Sam Quigley could start her 43rd consecutive game, the longest active streak on the team... Keisha Hampton needs six and Quigley needs eight rebounds to reach the 200 career mark.
Green Bay Recap: Anna Martin scored a season-high 19 points but it was not enough as Green Bay topped DePaul 79-68 on Wednesday at the Kress Events Center... the win was Green Bay's 24th consecutive regular season victory... Felicia Chester had a career-high five blocks... the Blue Demons swatted a season-high six shots... DePaul is 1-2 on the road this season... Sam Quigley led the team in assists... the junior tied a career-high with seven assists... it is the third time Quigley has recorded seven assists in her career and the second time this season...Julie Wojta lead three Green Bay players in double-figures with 25 points... DePaul now leads the all-time series 11-6... Green Bay's win, snaps a four-game DePaul series winning streak... DePaul is 120-31 all-time against school's from the Horizon League... Green Bay's win snaps DePaul's 47-game winning streak against teams from the Horizon League.
Looking Ahead: Following Friday's game, the Blue Demons host Loyola-Chicago on Sunday at McGrath Arena. It will be the third Horizon League team the Blue Demons have played this week. Sunday's game is the final home game for the Blue Demons before opening BIG EAST Conference play on Jan. 5 against Louisville. The Blue Demons close out 2009 on the road -- playing at Stanford (Dec. 13) before participating at the Duel in the Desert Dec. 19-21 in Las Vegas and close out the year at Illinois State on Dec. 28.
Charity Stripe Success: DePaul leads the country with a .823 free throw percentage... The Blue Demons are 107-of-130 from the free throw line this season while Sam Quigley and Anna Martin lead the squad with .889 percentage... DePaul started the season with a 17-for-18 (.944) effort against Central Michigan... shot under .800 in just two games this season... eight Blue Demons have recorded a 1.000 free throw percentage (min. 2 attempts)... Felicia Chester leads the Blue Demons with four perfect games while Keisha Hampton and Sam Quigley each have three... Hampton leads the team with a 7-for-7 effort against Central Michigan.
Nice Pass: Sam Quigley entered this week ranked No. 10 in the country in assist to turnover ratio... the junior leads the Blue Demons with 37 assists while she has turned over the ball just 15 times for a 2.5 assist to turnover ration... Quigley has led the Blue Demons in assists four times and has a career- best seven assists twice this season.
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.
Martin Moments: Since getting her first collegiate start at Northern Illinois on Nov. 28, Anna Martin has made huge impact... the freshman has averaged 16.5 points and seven rebounds the last two games... against Northern Illinois Martin led DePaul with eight rebounds, while she had a career-high 19 points against Green Bay.
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 58 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 at Northwestern, 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 program was 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's win over San Diego. LPTV will also telecast the UIC game live on Dec. 4 and then replay the game in primetime. The Blue Demons games with BIG EAST Conference foes, Connecticut and West Virginia will also be carried on LPTV. DePaul is 1-0 when playing on LPTV.
AP No. 21: The DePaul women's basketball team ranks No. 21 in this week's Associated Press Poll... the Blue Demons have been ranked in each of the four polls this season... DePaul ranked as high as No. 15 (Nov. 22)... DePaul is 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. 19.
USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll No. 23: DePaul enters this week at No. 23 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll... the Blue Demons have been ranked in the top 25 or have been receiving votes in each of four polls this season... DePaul is one of five BIG EAST teams in the poll... Connecticut is unanimous at No. 1 while Notre Dame came in at No. 6 and Pittsburgh is No. 20 and Louisville is No. 25.
BIG EAST Predictions: DePaul 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 (138 games), the club has knocked down 959 trifectas compared to just 680 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... more recently, the Blue Demons 0-14 showing at Northern Illinois ended a 144 game streak with a 3-pointer... including the Houston and Northern Illinois games, the Blue Demons have tallied a three-pointer in 404 of the last 406 games.
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:
- 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
Maggie Dixon Recap: DePaul won the inaugural Maggie Dixon Classic in the Midwest with wins over Cornell and San Diego. Formally known as the DePaul Invitational, the Maggie Dixon Classic honors former Blue Demon assistant coach Maggie Dixon, who died on April 6, 2006 of an arrhythmia. Dixon's tragic death came three weeks after her first season as the head coach at Army which saw the Black Knights win the Patriot League Championship and make the program's first trip to the NCAA Championship. The Classic is the third tournament to be named after the former Blue Demon assistant and Army head coach. Jamie Dixon, the head coach at Pittsburgh hosts a tournament at Madison Square Garden, while San Diego, Dixon's alma mater also hosts a tournament in Dixon's name.
The Blue Demons defeated Cornell, 89-50 while the biggest story of the night was freshman Katherine Harry's 18 rebounds. Harry's 18 boards were the most by a Blue Demon player since Erin Carney grabbed 19 at Oklahoma. Deirdre Naughton scored 24 as the Blue Demons claimed the Championship with an 84-64 win over San Diego. Naughton earned MVP honors while Felicia Chester and Keisha Hampton were named to the All-Tournament team.
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.