DePaul University Athletics
USF Tops DePaul
2/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO Shantia Grace scored 27 points as USF topped DePaul 76-69 in BIG EAST Conference basketball at McGrath Arena on Tuesday.
Grace led three Bulls in double-figures. Jazmine Grace added 15 and Jessica Lawson had 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Led by Sam Quigley and Keisha Hampton’s 14 points, four of DePaul’s five starters finished in double digits; Felicia Chester followed with 13 and Deirdre Naughton had 10.
DePaul (20-8, 8-6) pulled out to an early 14-4 lead behind 3-pointers from Hampton, Quigley and Naughton. Down 10, USF answered with a 13-2 run and took a 17-16 advantage on Janae Stoke’s 3-pointer, with 10:46 left in the first half.
The two teams continued to trade points as USF took a 27-25 advantage on a pair of free throws by Jessica Lawson. 19 seconds later the Blue Demons regained the lead, 28-27 on Hampton’s jumper with 5:04 in the half.
DePaul held onto its advantage and went to the locker room with a 39-34 advantage behind 14 first half points from Hampton.
USF (19-9, 6-8) opened the second half with four unanswered points and tied the game at 39. The Blue Demons never went up by more than four as the Bulls were able to take a 56-54 lead on another Stokes’ 3-pointer. Stokes finished the game 6-of-9 from behind the arc.
Down two, Quigley responded and as the shot clock expired she drained a three for a 57-56 Blue Demons lead with 9:54 left in the contest.
The barrage of threes continued as Stokes hit another as the Bulls went ahead for good 59-57 with 8:50 left. The Bulls made two more from behind the arc in the final seven plus minutes as the team shot .417 from long range in the game.
In the final 5:37, USF made 11-of-14 from the free throw line to seal the victory.
Quigley led DePaul with four assists and grabbed six rebounds. Natasha Williams had a team-high six rebounds.
The Blue Demons close out the home portion of the regular season with Senior Day and Marquette on Sat., Feb. 29. The Blue Demons and Golden Eagles are set to tip at 7 p.m. Senior Day will be celebrated following the game and DePaul will take a moment to recognize Erin Cattell, Holly Medley and Williams.
Notes: The Blue Demons suffered their first home loss to an unranked opponent this season... Keisha Hampton and Sam Quigley led the Blue Demons with 14 points... each... it is the third time Hampton has led the squad and the fifth for Quigley this season... Tonight is the second time this season Felicia Chester was perfect from the line with at least six attempts... her 7-for-7 performance on the night is one greater than her previous career-best of 6-for-6 against West Virginia on Jan. 31, 2009... Quigley has finished her last three games in double-digits... her 14 points follow a 13 point performance at Villanova and a career-best 23 point performance at Syracuse on Feb. 17, 2009... Hampton scored all 14 points in the first half.. she was five points shy of her career-high... DePaul now leads the series 10-6... USF has won the last two.
