DePaul University Athletics
Women's Hoops Host No. 1/1 Connecticut
2/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO -- The DePaul women's basketball team welcomes No. 1/1 Connecticut to town on Wednesday for a BIG EAST Conference tilt. Tipoff at McGrath Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. and can be seen live in the Chicagoland on Lakeshore Public Television with Bob Picozzi and Meghan Culmo calling the action courtside. Dave Bernhard will be joined by Blue Demon great Barb Atsaves Pabst on www.DePaulBlueDemons.com, with the pair's pregame show beginning at 6:45 live from courtside.
The Huskies visit Lincoln Park for just the third time and hold an all-time 6-1 series advantage. UConn came to DePaul as the No. 1 team in 2008 and nearly escaped with an 77-76 victory. The 2008 meeting came down to the wire as the Huskies needed Ketia Swanier's driving lay-up with 1.6 seconds left to seal their victory. Last season, Connecticut topped the Blue Demons 77-62 in Storrs which pushed is series streak to six games. DePaul's lone series win came in 1983 when the Blue Demons topped the Huskies 70-64 at the Dial Classic in Minneapolis, Minn.
Sam Quigley leads the Blue Demons (16-8, 5-5 BIG EAST) with 14.2 points per game while the junior guard is putting up 17.3 points in league games. The junior from Joliet, Illinois leads the BIG EAST by playing 38.0 minutes per game and has played 10 complete games this season. Quigley ranks second in the BIG EAST with 5.0 assists per game, while she leads DePaul with a .817 free throw percentage. Freshman Katherine Harry and Felicia Chester have been putting up big rebounding numbers. Harry averages 8.4 boards per game while Chester follows with 7.0 per game.
The Huskies (23-0, 10-0 BIG EAST) have won 62 consecutive games entering Wednesday's meeting with DePaul - the second-longest winning streak in NCAA history. Connecticut holds onto the No. 1 spot with 70 consecutive wins from 2001-03. This season the Huskies are averaging 83.7 points while holding opponents to 44.3 points per game. Three Connecticut players average double figures with Maya Moore leading the trio with 18.5 while Tina Charles follows with 17.5 and Kalana Greene registers 12.5 a game.
Following Wednesday's game, the Blue Demons travel to South Bend for a Valentine's Day game with No. 4/3 Notre Dame. The battle between the Irish and DePaul can be seen live on ESPN2 at 2 p.m. (CST).
Noting the Blue Demons: DePaul is 649-381 (.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 (215 games), the Blue Demons have held 65.1 percent of their opponents to less than 70 points (140-of-215)... in that span, DePaul is 119-21 (.850) 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 five-plus seasons (179 games), the Blue Demons are 124-55 (.692)... in the last 58 home games against conference opponents, DePaul has posted 48 victories... over the last nine-plus seasons (307 games), DePaul has scored at least 80 points in 106 games... the Blue Demons hold a 101-5 (.953) record in those games... in the same span, DePaul is 42-1, including 40 straight wins, when scoring at least 90 points.
Coaching on the same side, coaching separately: DePaul head coach Doug Bruno and Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma's will coach on opposite sides for this conference tilt however, Bruno is Auriemma's assistant for Team USA. Auriemma, who was named the head coach for the 2010 Women's Basketball World Championship, brought Bruno on as his assistant in September of 2009.
It could happen: The game is No. 1031 in DePaul women's basketball history... Quigley could start her 61st consecutive game, the longest active streak on the team... with one assist, Quigley has dished out an assist in her last 54 games... Keisha Hampton needs three rebounds to reach the 300 career mark... Chester needs one block to tie for 11th in DePaul's single-season block record... four players had 36 blocks in a single season.
Recapping Villanova: DePaul saw an early 10-point first half lead disappear as Villanova took a 31-29 advantage to the locker room... down by eight, the Blue Demons began to chip away at the Villanova lead ... DPU tied the score at 47 with 10:32 left on the clock ... there were two more ties before freshman guard Anna Martin's second made free throw gave the Blue Demons' the lead for good with 7:47 left to playFirst time DePaul overcame a halftime deficit and won... DePaul is now 1-6 when trailing at the half... Sam Quigley has registered at least five assists in 15 contests this season... finished with six assists tonight... has registered an assist in her last 53 games... Quigley has reached double-figures in the last five contests, finished with 12 points...Felicia Chester led DePaul with 13 rebounds... Chester has reached double-digit rebounds on four occasions this season and seven in her career... Katherine Harry scored a career-high 18 points... Quigley played 39 minutes... first time in five games that Quigley has taken a break... Quigley has been on the floor for 912 out of the possible 975 minutes this season... the Blue Demons outrebounded Villanova, 40-29... DePaul scored 23 points off of 15 Wildcat turnovers... Anna Martin has had at least one steal in every BIG EAST game this season... Anna Martin and Jennifer Juergens were both 2-for-2 from the free throw line... nine players have combined for a perfect effort (min. 2 attempts) 34 times this season... Maria Getty and Kyle Dougherty led Villanova with 14 points apiece... 14 points was a career-high for Dougherty... five different Wildcats scored from beyond the arc en route to a 9-for-29 team effort... Villanova outscored DePaul's bench, 13-12... Villanova's lone victory came last season, when the Wildcats came out on top, 50-46... the Blue Demons are now 4-0 when playing Villanova in Lincoln Park... DePaul is now leads the all-time series 5-1.
Looking Ahead: Blue Demons travel to South Bend for a Valentine's Day tilt at Notre Dame... the game is part of ESPN's February Frenzy and can be seen on ESPN2... DePaul stays on the road for a game at Marquette (BIG EAST TV) on Feb. 20... returns home to McGrath Arena on Feb. 23 and welcomes Pittsburgh (CBSC).
Ranked Teams at McGrath Arena: DePaul is 6-11 all-time against Top 25 opponents at McGrath Arena since the 2000-01 season... DePaul's last top-25 win came against Rutgers on Jan. 24, 2009... DePaul defeated the Scarlet Knights 60-58... in games that DePaul has won over a ranked opponents the Blue Demons average margin of victory was 11.3 points... prior to the 2009 victory over Rutgers DePaul had lost five straight, including a narrow 77-76 loss to No. 1 Connecticut on Mar. 1, 2008... DePaul has lost just 20 games since McGrath Arena opened in 2000-01, 11 have come to ranked teams... five of those 11 losses were decided by three or less points... DePaul's game with Tennessee in 2003 went to overtime with the Blue Demons falling 96-89.
Against Ranked Opponents this season: DePaul has faced four nationally ranked opponents this season... 1-3 against ranked opponents this season... all four of those contests have been on the road or on a neutral court... played road games at then-No. 2 Stanford (Dec. 13), then-No. 22/17 West Virginia (Jan. 9) and at then-No. 19/18 Georgetown (Jan. 23)... won against then-No. 10/6 Florida State (Dec. 20) at the Duel in the Desert Tournament in Las Vegas.Charity Stripe Success: DePaul is ranked the 18th country and leads the BIG EAST with a .753 (293-for-389) free throw percentage... Sam Quigley ranks 83rd in the nation and leads the Blue Demons with a .817 (94-for-115) free throw percentage... Quigley's free throw percentage ranks seventh in the BIG EAST... DePaul started the season with a 17-for-18 (.944) effort against Central Michigan... against Rutgers was 9-for-10 with Keisha Hampton hitting 8-of-8 for a season-best... shot under .750 in just nine games this season... nine Blue Demons have recorded a 1.000 free throw percentage (min. 2 attempts) 35 times this season... Quigley has eight perfect efforts while Felicia Chester and Hampton each have six perfect games.
Nice Pass: Sam Quigley ranks 41st in the country with 5.0 assists per game... ranks second in league behind West Virginia's Sarah Miles (6.3 apg)... Quigley ranks No. 103 in the country in assist to turnover ratio... the junior leads the Blue Demons with 119 assists while she has turned over the ball just 83 times for a 1.43 assist to turnover ratio... Quigley has led the Blue Demons in assists 18 times... has a career-best seven assists four times this season... has had at least one assist in her last 53 games.
All the Minutes: Sam Quigley leads the BIG EAST by averaging 38.0 minutes per game... Quigley has played 10 complete games this season and 13 in her career... the junior averages a league best 40.2 minutes in BIG EAST games this season... in her last 11 games, Quigley has sat just eight minutes and played all available minutes at Rutgers, West Virginia, Seton Hall, Georgetown, Cincinnati, Marquette and at Providence... played five consecutive 40 minute games before getting a minute break against Villanova... played 912 of a possible 975 minutes this season.
Martin Moments: Martin has started the last 19 games for the Blue Demons... third on the team with 10.3 points per game... second the team with 30, 3-pointers... reached double-digits in eight of her last 13 games... career-high 19 points at Green Bay... grabbed a team-best eight rebounds at Northern Illinois... entered the starting lineup against Northern Illinois after Deirdre Naughton suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Hanging on the freshman Harry: Freshman forward Katherine Harry entered the starting lineup against Arkansas on Dec. 19... named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Feb. 2... career-high with 18 boards in DePaul's wins over UNLV (Dec. 21), Cornell (Nov. 20) and Cincinnati (Jan. 27)... has nine double-figure rebound performances... eight double-digit scoring performances including a career-high 18 against Villanova... five double-doubles this season... recorded double-figure rebounds in three of her last four games... ranks sixth in the league with 8.4 rpg... ranks third in BIG EAST only games (behind Monique Reid -Louisville and Jessica Lawson - USF both average 10.0 rpg ) with 9.8 rebounds per game... second on the team with 26 blocks
Block Party: DePaul averages 4.2 blocks per game and has swatted 100 shots this season... ranks second in the BIG EAST with 5.1 blocks in league games... only team in the BIG EAST to have three players ranked in the top 15 for blocks per game... Felicia Chester leads the trio with 34 blocks (1.5 bpg), followed by Katherine Harry with 26 (1.1 bpg) and Keisha Hampton (1.0 bpg)... DePaul had a season-high eight blocks against Marquette on Jan. 31... had six or more blocks against six times this season.
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.
Injury ReportL: Naughton, Threatt & Pierson: 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.
China Threatt - last season's BIG EAST Sixth Man of the Year - and Rachel Pierson have been sidelined by injuries. Threatt suffered a career-ending knee injury while Pierson is out with a back injury.
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 and UIC. The Blue Demons games with BIG EAST Conference foes, Connecticut and West Virginia will also be carried on LPTV. DePaul is 2-1 when playing on LPTV.
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 116-20 (.853) record in the arena's 136 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 380-104 (.785). 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 94-13 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 20.3 points per game.
The Blue Demons have also posted 93 victories in the last 96 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.
Taking Advantage from Beyond the Arc: Since the start of the 2005-06 season (154 games), the club has knocked down 1036 trifectas compared to just 779 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, while they were 0-11 against Arkansas... including the Houston, Northern Illinois and Arkansas games, the Blue Demons have tallied a three-pointer in 420 of the last 423 games.
Regular Season Tournament History: DePaul is 71-26 all-time in regular season tournaments dating back to 1980-81 season... DePaul has played in 44 regular season tournaments and won 24... finished in second eight times... earlier this season won the Maggie Dixon Classic.
Duel in the Desert Recap: DePaul won its second tournament of the 2009-10 season with wins over Arkansas, No. 10/6 Florida State and host UNLV... Sam Quigley was named the tournament's MVP while Anna Martin earned all-tournament honors... the Blue Demons opened the tournament with a slim 46-45 victory over Arkansas... Maureen Mulchrone came off the bench to lead the Blue Demons with 11 points while Katherine Harry had 10 rebounds... DePaul defeated No. 10/6 Florida State 75-60 to reach the Championship game... DePaul trailed for just the 4:32 before taking the lead for good... led 37-29 at the half and led by as many at 19... overpowered UNLV 82-48 for the Championship... Harry led the floor with 18 rebounds and Martin had 18 points.
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.
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.
