DePaul University
Chicago State
Women's Hoops Cruises Past Chicago State
12/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Box Score: DePaul 87, Chicago State 34 
CHICAGO - Megan Podkowa scored 22 points to lead the No. 25/24 DePaul women's basketball team to an 87-34 win over Chicago State on Sunday at the Jones Convocation Center. DePaul has won its last two games and improves to 6-2 on the season and the Cougars fall to 0-7.
Podkowa paced DePaul's balanced attack in which every available Blue Demon player saw action while all by three players scored in the victory. Mart'e Grays came off the bench and recorded a season-best 16 points while Brittany Hrynko (13) and Megan Rogowski (11) also finished in double figures.
Brooke Schulte led the Blue Demons on the glass with a career-high eight rebounds. Brandi Harvey-Carr tied a career-high with seven boards and Ashton Millender grabbed a season-best six.
DePaul's frantic pace forced Chicago State to commit 43 turnovers and shoot just 29 percent for the game. Layne Murphy led the Cougars with nine points and nine rebounds.
With the Blue Demons' suffocating defense, DePaul tallied a season-best 25 steals. The guard quartet of Jessica January (6), Chanise Jenkins (5), Rogowski (4) and Hrynko (3) combined for 18 steals and nine of DePaul's 19 assists.
DePaul opened the game with 15 unanswered points. The trio of Podkowa, Rogowski and Hrynko got the Blue Demons on the board early and DePaul never looked back.
The Blue Demons played at their signature ferocious pace and forced the Cougars into 21 turnovers while they recorded 13 steals in the opening 20 minutes of action.
The Blue Demons took their first 20-point lead on a Schulte jumper with 10:30 to play in the half.
Podkowa, who scored 12 points in the first half, put an exclamation point on the opening stanza as the junior hit a pair of free throws to send DePaul to the locker room up 44-19.
DePaul started the second half on a 19-1 run and took 62-20 advantage on another jumper from Schulte. Schulte would finish the game with six points to go along with her team-high eight rebounds.
The Blue Demon lead ballooned to 50 points with 8:21 to play in game.
DePaul returns to Lincoln Park and hosts Notre Dame on Wed., Dec. 10. The Blue Demons and Fighting Irish tip at 8 p.m. on Fox Sports 2 with Eric Collins and LaChina Robinson calling the action.
Notes: DePaul's 25 steals were a season-high… DePaul's 53-point victory ties for the program's ninth largest margin of victory… DePaul also defeated Providence by 53 points on Nov. 27, 1998… it is the program's largest margin of victory since it defeated Northwestern 118-49 on Nov. 27, 2004… DePaul has scored 80 or more points in six of its seven games and in its last six contests… DePaul is now 1-0 in road games this season… DePaul now leads the all-time series with Chicago State 10-3 and has won the last 10 contests.
