DePaul University Athletics
Women's Hoops Hosts Villanova on Sunday
1/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Jan. 18, 2014
Game Notes: DePaul 
| Villanova
TV: Fox Sports 1 - Chris Shearn & Sarah Kustok
BlueTube: Audio | GameTracker | @DePaulWBBSID
Buy Tickets
CHICAGO - The DePaul women's basketball returns to McGrath-Phillips Arena on Sunday for a 2 p.m. BIG EAST Conference contest with Villanova. The game will be televised on Fox Sports 1 with Chris Shearn and former Blue Demons great and assistant coach Sarah Kustok calling the action courtside.
Dave Bernhard and Trish Babcock-McGraw will have the call on DePaul's BlueTube and GameTracker is also available. In-game scoring and notes can be followed at twitter.com/DePaulWBBSID.
For the first time in BIG EAST play this season, both head coaches - DePaul's Doug Bruno and Villanova's Harry Perretta - will wear microphones for a half. Bruno will be wired for sound in the first 20 minutes, while Perretta will take over the lavaliere in the second half. Fans tuning into the Fox Sports 1 broadcast will have the unique opportunity to hear the interactions between the coaches, officials and student-athletes.
For those in attendance on Sunday, Blue Demon freshman Madeline Crowell will take the Army Oath of Enlistment prior to the National Anthem. Crowell, who is a studying Health Sciences, hopes to enter the Army's medical program and will be a commissioned officer following her graduation from DePaul in 2017.
DePaul (12-5, 3-2 BIG EAST) is coming off a 75-68 victory at Seton Hall on Tuesday. The Blue Demons were led by Jasmine Penny's second career double-double which came on 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Penny, who leads DePaul in scoring, is averaging 17.5 points and has reached the 20-point mark in the Blue Demons' last six games. The senior from Logansport, Ind., leads the league with 24.0 points in conference games. She also paces the league in field goal percentage and is converting on a 63.4 percent of her shots which ranks fourth among all Division I players.
The Blue Demons have used a balanced scoring attack and are averaging a conference-best 83.9 points per game. DePaul is the only team in the league to have four players ranked in the top 20 in scoring -- Penny leads the quartet while Megan Rogowski (14.4 - t11th), Chanise Jenkins (11.5 - 18th) and Brittany Hrynko (11.5 - 19th) round out DePaul's double-figures scorers.
DePaul also paces the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (.450), assists (20.8), steals (11.8), turnover margin (+5.4) and 3-pointers per game (8.5).
Villanova (13-3, 3-2 BIG EAST), is also ranked in four BIG EAST categories. The Wildcats are the conference's best defense by allowing just 56.6 points per game. Villanova is also leading the league in scoring margin (+10.3), free throw percentage (.731) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9).
The Wildcats have won four of their last five games, while their only loss during that stretch came against Seton Hall on Jan. 11.
Villanova is led offensively by Devon Kane (11.4) and Caroline Coyer (10.9). Kane leads the team in assists with 4.6 per game. Coyer leads the Wildcats and the BIG EAST with her 3.7 assist-to-turnover ratio and her .886 (39-of-44) free throw percentage.
Sunday marks the 10th all-time series meeting between the two programs. DePaul holds a 7-2 series advantage and is 5-0 in games played in Lincoln Park. Last season, the Wildcats defeated DePaul 65-45 on their home court. For the Blue Demons, Hrynko paced the team with 17 points, six rebounds and three assists.
DePaul hits the road next week for games at Georgetown (Jan. 22) and Butler (Jan. 25). Both contests will be featured on DePaul's BlueTube.
The Blue Demons return to Lincoln Park on Jan. 29 for a 7 p.m. contest with rival Marquette.
Tickets for all DePaul athletic events can be purchased on DePaulBlueDemons.com, by calling the ticket office at (773) 325-SLAM or visiting the ticket office which is located at 2323 N. Sheffield Avenue in Chicago.
Autism Awareness Day vs. Villanova: For the third consecutive season, the Blue Demons have teamed up with the DePaul chapter of Alpha XI Delta to create awareness and raise funds for those affected by Autism.
Since 2009, Alpha Xi Delta has raised over million dollars for Autism Speaks. During Sunday's game members of the Alpha Xi Delta will shaking the can during the game with all donations going to Autism Speaks.
Sunday's game is the second Autism Awareness Day that DePaul has participated in this season. When the Blue Demons traveled to Evanston to take on Northwestern on Dec. 1, the Wildcats also hosted an Awareness Day. Bruno along side Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown whose son, Joey, has autism have team-up off the court and participated in rallies at the annual Walk Now for Autism Speaks, a 5K event held at Soldier Field while both coaches continue to donate their time and money for a cause that affects 1 in every 110 children.
Autographs: The Blue Demon women will sign autographs at the conclusion of Sunday's game on the court.
