DePaul University
Purdue
DePaul Gets Stuck in Loss at Purdue
11/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Nov. 21, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - DePaul was proceeding along nicely on Sunday when the Blue Demons got stuck on the number 44.
A scoreless stretch of more than four minutes in the second half was the leading cause of a 67-58 loss to Purdue in the championship game of the Preseason Women's NIT Tournament.
DePaul (3-1) was looking to build on its 40-34 lead with 13 minutes, 55 seconds left in the second half and the Mackey Arena crowd looking for any excuse to rev up the home team.
Brittany Rayburn's three-point shot launched the Boilermakers on a 25-8 run that was fueled by 10 points from 6-foot, 2-inch junior Drey Mingo.
In that span of 10:53, the Blue Demons saw their six-point lead turn into a 59-48 Purdue advantage with 3:02 showing on the clock.
"Most coaches will come in here (post-game press conference) and go into all the things their team did wrong," said DePaul coach Doug Bruno. "Well, there's a reason we got stuck on the number 44---Jerry West's old number.
"We missed shots because Purdue made us miss. Purdue played a much-tougher defense in the second half, and we struggled to score for an extended stretch."
Bruno wanted his team to be equally stingy, but the Blue Demons were a little too aggressive trying to shut down the Boilermakers.
"You can't march them to the free-throw line 37 times in their own gym and have a good chance to win," Bruno said as Purdue made 32-of-37 free throws while DePaul was 12-for12.
Mingo, who finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds, was 10-for-12 from the line while Rayburn (21 points) was 9-of-10 and Courtney Moses converted all seven of her attempts. Purdue (4-0) was 26-of-29 from the line in the second half after trailing 30-28 at the break.
The Blue Demons came within 63-58 on a Sam Quigley three-pointer with :57 left in the game. But that was the closest DePaul would come.
Keisha Hampton, who was named to the all-tournament team, led the Blue Demons with 15 points, three assists and three steals. Quigley contributed 13 points and Anna Martin scored 12.
"I'm really excited about the season, and this is a good group to coach," Bruno said. "I'm proud they got us in a position to win the WNIT.
"But, we came here to win this tournament."
After getting hurt by Rayburn's scoring in the first half, the Blue Demons went after the Purdue guard in the second half.
That created opportunities for Mingo.
"The three-pointers by Mingo (three-for-three) were huge," Bruno said. "She found the openings out there on the floor.
"Our defense was so focused on stopping Rayburn that we brain-cramped on the other people who can shoot the ball."
The Blue Demons get right back to action Tuesday night with a matchup against cross-town rival Illinois-Chicago. Tip-off is 7 p.m. at UIC.
Notes: DePaul led by as many as six points, 38-32 (15:09) in the second half... shot a season-low .306 (19-for-62) while they hit just eight baskets in the second half... DePaul held Purdue to a season-low .319 (15-for-47) from the field while the Boilermakers were 5-of-20 in the second half... Purdue came into the game averaging .509... Hampton led DePaul with 15 points and was 6-for-6 from the free throw... Hampton fouled out with 0:42 left in the game and Sam Quigley picked up her fifth foul with 0:19... it was both their first disqualifications of the season... DePaul had 26 team fouls compared to Purdue's 11.DePaul played its 100th regular season tournament games... finished the Preseason WNIT in second place and is now 73-27 all-time in regular season tournaments... DePaul has finished nine regular season tournaments in second place, while it has won 24 of the 45 it has played in... Felicia Chester played in her 103rd and Sam Quigley played in her 102nd career game... Quigley started her 73rd and Hampton has now started her last 70 games... with two assists, Quigley has now dished out an assist in her last 67 games... Katherine Harry led DePaul with nine rebounds.
