DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
#6/6 Duke
Blue Demons Comeback Falls Short
3/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
March 27, 2011
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Bluetube - Highlights
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - DePaul's second comeback in as many games fell short as the No. 10/6 Blue Demons fell to No. 6/6 Duke 73-60 in the Regional Semifinal. The loss ended DePaul's magical season that saw DePaul tally a school record for wins, best BIG EAST Conference finish and highest NCAA Seed.
The win propelled Duke into the Regional final against Connecticut on Monday.
DePaul's Deirdre Naughton hit two 3-pointers in less than a minute that cut the lead to three each time, but Chelsea Gray made four free throws in the final 22 seconds to set up Duke's date with UConn.
Naughton scored 17 points for DePaul (29-7), which has never played in a regional final.
The Blue Demons had no answer for Kamira Christmas on either end of the court. She attacked the lane for easy buckets and got to the free throw line 14 times.
"We had no answer for Christmas," DePaul coach Doug Bruno said. "We couldn't guard her. Nothing we tried to do could manage her."
Duke coasted until late in the second half, when the Blue Demons were on the brink of pulling off their latest big comeback. Naughton's second 3-pointer of the game in front of a jubilant Blue Demons bench made it 63-60 with 50.4 seconds left. She again delivered a clutch 3, this one with 24.7 seconds remaining to make it 66-63.
It was just too late.
"I think that Duke turned up their defensive intensity and that had a lot to do with it," guard Sam Quigley said. "We needed to be patient.
The Blue Devils survived a 1-for-10 effort from the 3-point line and sealed the win with a 21-for-29 performance on free throws.
The Blue Demons were back in Pennsylvania after winning two games in State College, Pa., to advance to the round of 16 for only the second time in school history.
DePaul, which trailed by 14 last week against Penn State before storming back to win by two, did its best to extend its stay in the Keystone State. Keisha Hampton, Anna Martin and Quigley each hit 3s that trimmed a 15-point hole to 49-42.
 Keisha Hampton drives to the hoop against Duke  | |
Naughton's two free throws made it 57-53 with 2:54 left -- a preview of her late-game baskets that nearly gave DePaul a victory.
Bruno led the third-seeded Blue Demons to their highest single-season win total in team history. He lost to a former pupil -- McCallie was a summer basketball camp counselor for Bruno during her playing days at Northwestern.
Duke made a habit of slow starts this year, and it nearly cost the Blue Devils in a second-round game against Marist. They needed an 11-0 run in the final minutes to knock off the 10th-seeded Red Foxes.
Not this time. Not with so much on the line.
They used a 20-7 spurt over the final 10 minutes of the first half to take control.
UConn's Geno Auriemma stopped Bruno for a small chat outside a locker room before tipoff. Auriemma told him his team was "unbelievable" and he was surprised to learn Keisha Hampton was a junior.
"You're definitely the favorites next year," Auriemma told his BIG EAST Conference rival, smiling.
Notes: DePaul is now 0-2 in Regional Semifinal games... is 9-16 in NCAA Tournament games and was 2-1 this year... with 15 assists the 2010-11 team set the school record for assists in a season with 635... DePaul scored 2,650 points this season which is a school record... DePaul went 6-4 against Top 25 teams this season... DePaul's 29 wins is a school record... Quigley had five assists and finished her career with 142 assists which ties for ninth in a single-season.... Katherine Harry had three blocks and finished the season with 61 blocks which ranks as the sixth most in school history... Deirdre Naughton finished her career with 1,617 points and 383 assists... Felicia Chester finished her career with 1,129 points and 751 rebounds... China Threatt tallied 258 assists and had 119 career steals.
