DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Host Seton Hall on Wednesday
2/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO -- The No. 25/25 DePaul women’s basketball team welcomes Seton Hall for a BIG EAST Conference game on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at McGrath Arena. The tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. The voice of Blue Demons women’s basketball Dave Bernhard will call the action live from courtside for www.depaulbluedemons.com with his pregame show beginning at 6:40 p.m.
The Blue Demons (18-6, 6-4 BIG EAST) are looking to bounce back from their 62-59 loss at Notre Dame on Sunday. Prior to the loss the Blue Demons had won five straight including a win over #21/24 Rutgers at McGrath Arena. This season, DePaul is 11-1 on its home court and is scoring an impressive 71.2 points per game. Deirdre Naughton, Natasha Williams and Keisha Hampton all average double-digits scoring on the season with Naughton leading the trio with 15.7
The Blue Demons and Pirates (15-8, 3-7 BIG EAST) meet for just the fifth time and fourth as BIG EAST foes. DePaul has won all three conference meetings by an average of 18 points per contest. Last season the Blue Demons downed the Pirates, 97-74 in South Orange. The series is tied at one game apiece in Chicago, with Seton Hall picking up a 76-69 OT win in DePaul’s old home Alumni Hall.
Following Wednesday’s game the Blue Demons travel for Villanova for a 1 p.m. game at The Pavilion, the contest can be heard live on www.depaulbluedemons.com
Noting the Blue Demons: DePaul is 628-369 (.630) 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 (183 games), the Blue Demons have held 63.9 percent of their opponents to less than 70 points (117-of-183)... in that span, DePaul is 102-15 (.872) when holding opponents to less than 70 points... DePaul has held 18 of its 24 opponents to less than 70 points this season... in the last three-plus seasons, the Blue Demons are 83-37 (.697)... in the last 50 home games against conference opponents, DePaul has posted 41 victories... over the last eight-plus seasons (275 games), DePaul has scored at least 80 points in 100 games... the Blue Demons hold a 95-5 (.950) 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.
Capturing the Pirates: Seton Hall enters Wednesday’s game with a 15-8, 3-7 BIG EAST record... lost three of its last five games and six of its last 10... Noteisha Womak leads the BIG EAST and Seton Hall with 11.7 rpg... Womack averages a double-double per game with 13.2 points... Ebonie Williams, leads a trio of Pirates with 13.8...two of Seton Hall’s BIG EAST wins are on the road, at Syracuse and West Virginia... head coach Phyllis Mangina is in her 24th season at Seton Hall and is 341-341 all-time.
Series Information: The Blue Demons have won the last three games... all three were BIG EAST games... only Seton Hall win came at DePaul’s Alumni Hall on Nov. 26, 1999... the Pirates won that meeting 76-69 in overtime... in the last three meetings, the Blue Demons have won by an average 18 points... DePaul won the 2008 meeting 97-74 with three players scoring in double-digits... Allie Quigley led the team with 23 points, Deirdre Naughton followed with 22 and Taylor Pikes chipped in 15.
Pink Zone: DePaul head coach Doug Bruno reached into his own pockets when DePaul played West Virginia (Jan. 31) in its second annual “Pink Zone” game on Jan. 31, 2009. Prior to the game Coach Bruno pledged to donate $1 for every pink shirt in the crowd up to $1,000. With 2,998 fans in at stands and an over whelming amount sporting pink, Coach decided to up his personal donation to $2000 for breast cancer research . The Blue Demons defeated West Virginia 74-56 in that game.
The Last Five Ws: The Blue Demons a season-best five conference games from Jan. 17-Feb. 4... during that span DePaul held its opponents to 57.4 points per game while scoring 67.4 (10+ scoring margin)... averaging .315 (29-for-92) from behind the arc... China Threatt and Sam Quigley have combined to hit 19 of the team’s 29 threes... in the five game span Threatt is 11-for-22 from behind the arc (she is 19-for-57 through 22 games this season)... used two different starting line-ups... Threat got the start at St. John’s and vs. West Virginia... Natasha Williams (injury) did not play at St. John’s while Deirdre Naughton (ill) did not play vs. West Virginia.
Looking at the last Eight: The Blue Demons have won six of their last eight games, with their only loss coming at No. 1/1 Connecticut, 77-62 and at 19/16 Notre Dame 62-59... the 15 point loss to the Huskies is closest any BIG EAST team has come to Connecticut... the Huskies are beating league opponents by an average of 30.3... prior to the Connecticut game the Blue Demons knocked off No. 19/20 Pittsburgh 69-62 at the Petersen Events Center... in the last eight games, DePaul is shooting .429 (190-for-443) from the field while holding opponents to .372 (176-for-473)... Natasha Williams (50-for-76) and Felicia Chester (22-for-38) are averaging a combined .631 from the field... in the same span Sam Quigley (17-for-21), Chester (17-for-20) have combined for .829 (34-for-41) from the free throw line... Quigley and Chester have also combined for 33 of DePaul’s 52 steals (54%).
One of the Program’s best BIG EAST starts: Through 10 conference games the Blue Demons are 6-4...DePaul also had one of the toughest slates as it faced all five (including two games with Notre Dame) of the league’s ranked teams... not including today’s game, the Blue Demons still play five more league games... DePaul hosts, USF (Feb. 24) and Marquette (Feb. 28) and play at Villanova (Feb. 14), Syracuse (Feb. 17) and Cincinnati (March 2)
Newest Blue Demon/Bruno Baby: Coach Bruno’s oldest son Bryan and his wife former Blue Demon Stacy Bruno ne Krumrie (1995-2000) welcomed their third child on Friday, February 6, 2009: Owen James Bruno weighed in at 7lbs, 11 oz. Coach Bruno and his wife Patty have three other grandchildren, Jackson, Morgan and Brendan.
2009 BIG EAST Championship: The BIG EAST unveils a new tournament format for its women’s basketball championship in 2009, with all 16 teams invited to battle for the conference’s automatic NCAA tournament bid. The women’s tournament begins Friday, March 6 and continues through the championship game, which will be played Tuesday, March 10. All games will be played at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. While this year’s BIG EAST Championship includes all 16 teams, the regular season remains a crucial part of the conference schedule. The top four teams in the final regular-season standings will receive byes through two rounds of tournament play. The No. 5-8 seeds will earn first-round byes.
Hampton Named BIG EAST Conference Freshman of the Week: Keisha Hampton became the first DePaul player to earn Freshman of the Week honors on Jan. 26. The freshman forward played a key role in DePaul’s 60-58 victory over No. 21/24 Rutgers on Jan. 24. Hampton played a career-high 37 minutes, while scoring 18 points, marking the 13th time this season she has scored in double figures. Hampton also added five rebounds and four assists. She was 5-of-15 from the field and tied her career-high for free throws made and attempted, going 7-of-8 from the charity stripe.
Joining the Ranks: In its third week in the Associated Press poll, DePaul stays in the No. 25 position. The Blue Demons, who had been receiving votes all season, entered the Jan. 26 poll in the number No. 25 position. DePaul also entered the ESPN.com/USA Today in the No. 25 slot on Jan. 27 and stayed remained in the same place since starting. DePaul had been receiving votes in ESPN.com/USA Today poll in all weeks but one.
Hampton ranks with other Freshmen: Keisha Hampton is having a special freshman season, entering the Seton Hall game (Feb. 11) Hampton’s 240 points ranked 25th among other freshmen in the country. Long Island’s Ashley Palmer leads all freshmen with 411 points.
Naughton Added to Wooden Watch List: On Jan. 21 Deirdre Naughton was added to the State Farm Wade Trophy Watch list. Naughton is one of 30 athletes selected based on the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability. Naughton a preseason All-BIG EAST Conference honorable mention selection is currently averaging 16.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists a game and already has over 1,000 career points. The junior guard has registered double figures in 69 career games and has led DePaul in scoring nine times this season. A two-time member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team, Naughton been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll this season.
BIG EAST Beast: With just about all of the BIG EAST schools having finished its nonconference portion of the schedule, the league holds a record of 170-40 for an .810 winning percentage. DePaul finished it non-conference schedule 12-2. Both losses were on the road, at New Mexico and at Tennessee.
It Could Happen: The game is No. 998 in DePaul women’s basketball history... a 3-pointer would run DePaul’s streak to 131 games with a trifecta... Natasha Williams needs 13 more points to reach the 300 mark in BIG EAST play... China Threatt needs nine more points to reach 500 career points.
Demon Doings: Notes following DePaul’s 62-59 loss at Notre Dame on Feb. 8
- First DePaul’s five-game conference winning streak was halted.
- With 10 rebounds, Natasha Williams eclipsed the 500 career rebound mark... she now has 509
- Williams added a floor-high 20 points for her 11th career double-double.
- Both Felicia Chester and Sam Quigley were perfect from the free throw line... Quigley was 2-for-2, while Chester was 4-for-4
- The Blue Demons have made a 3-pointer in their last 130 games... 4-for-14 in the first half but were 0-for-6 in the second half.
- China Threat finished with 11 points... she was 2-for-6 from behind the arc... she has made at least two, threes in her last six games.
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 104-18 (.852) record in the arena’s 122 games. DePaul’s .849 winning percentage to enter the 2008-09 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 368-102 (.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 with the 102-68 loss to #3/3 Tennessee.
Over the last six-plus years at McGrath Arena, the team is 84-11 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 20.6 points per game.
The Blue Demons have also posted 81 victories in the last 83 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.
BIG under the Basket with the BLOCKS: DePaul has been big under the net this season and has registered at least four blocked shots in 17 games this season. A year ago, the Blue Demons totaled 125 blocks in 32 games while through just 24 games this season there have been 114 rejections.
Natasha Williams leads the squad with 32 while Felicia Chester follows with 28 and Keisha Hampton rounds out the trio with 26. Williams has 125 career blocks while Chester follows with 59. Williams has 79 blocks as a Blue Demon (she played freshman and sophomore season at Minnesota) which ranks seventh in the career annals. She needs 11 more blocks this season to tie Stella Woodley (1988-92) with 90 career blocks.
Season Rejections: DePaul’s current average of 4.8 blocks (114 blocks in 24 games) is the fourth-highest season average. The 1993-94 team holds the season record with 178 blocked shots in 30 games (5.9 bpg) while 1996-97 squad (159 blocks in 29 games) averaged 5.4 blocks and the 1991-92 team (151 in 31 games) averaged 4.9 blocks.
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’s 14 blocks vs. Alcorn State also set the standard in the BIG EAST this season.
Taking Advantage from Beyond the Arc: Since the start of the 2005-06 season, the club has knocked down 857 trifectas compared to just 590 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. 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 388 of the last 389 games. DePaul enters Wednesday’s game against Seton Hall with a streak of 130 consecutive games with a three-pointer.
Through 24 games in the 2008-09 campaign, the Blue Demons have totaled 133 three’s while the opposition has combined for 110 three-pointers. DePaul’s average of 5.5 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.
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 against Rutgers:
- 130 consecutive games with a three-pointer
- 50 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
Lights, Camera, Action: 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).
ESPNU is set 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.
Against the State: DePaul has seen recent success against opponents from the state of Illinois. Over the last 51 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.
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.
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 Preseason Favorites: 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. DePaul was slated to finish eighth.
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.
