DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Best Road Team in Program History
4/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO ââ'¬" There was no such thing as "home-court advantage" this season whenever these Blue Demons donned their visiting uniforms and unleashed their brand of "DePaulBall" in a hostile environment.
None of the obstacles that make it so difficult to win college basketball games on the road seemed to deter coach Doug Bruno's team.
In fact, the 2015-16 Blue Demons won more games on the road against Top 25 opponents than any other team in program history.
It began during a daunting stretch that saw DePaul face six nationally ranked teams in five-plus weeks. The Blue Demons took down No. 15 Texas A&M 80-66 with Podkowa scoring 20 points and grabbing a career-high 18 rebounds while January passed out a career-high 13 assists.
Next came an 88-75 triumph over previously undefeated and No. 12-ranked Northwestern 88-75 behind Megan Podkowa's career-high 27 points along with 14 rebounds---after which she was honored as the National Player of the Week.
Jessica January notched the first triple-double (13 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) since Diana Vines accomplished the feat in 1989 during an 80-66 win over No. 20 Seton Hall.
The biggest road win of the season came in the NCAA Tournament Second Round as DePaul qualified for the Sweet 16 with a 73-72 victory over No. 8 Louisville on the Cardinals' home court behind January's 18 points and Jacqui Grant's 15 points and nine rebounds.
"We always play a tough nonconference schedule, but this year was even more challenging with a stretch of really difficult road games against nationally ranked opponents and quality basketball teams," Bruno said. "Winning on the road in college basketball is a very formidable task.
"This was the season of Top 25 road wins. The legacy of this team is finishing with more Top 25 road wins than ever before. That is what propelled us into the NCAA tournament and into the Sweet 16."
And that led to the postseason success of reaching the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in program history. These Blue Demons finished with a 12-3 record on the road including 9-0 in the BIG EAST.
"I attribute the ability to win tough road games to the leadership of Chanise, Megan and Jess," Bruno said. "Brooke Schulte, Jacqui Grant, Ashton Millender, Mart'e Grays, Ashton Millender and Lauren Prochaska were impactful players who made big contributions as well. That player rotation could compete against anyone in the country.
"The turning point of our season was at Notre Dame. After being down by 26 points at halftime, we came back and outscored the Fighting Irish by 21 in the second half."
This was the season when the Blue Demons found a way to raise their game at just the right moments. Texas A&M and Northwestern were a combined 17-2 when Bruno & Co. handily won both road games.
The NCAA tournament victory over the third-seeded Cardinals was DePaul's 11th consecutive road win, setting a program record. It also sent the Blue Demons to their third Sweet 16 appearance since 2011.
"The reason we played so well on the road is that Chanise, Megan and Jess are really talented college basketball players who are exceptionally competitive," Bruno said. "They set the tone in our tough road games and the rest of the team followed their lead.
"It also came from their experience on the road. They have been through a lot of road battles in their lives. Chanise's first road game was against Kentucky at Rupp Arena in front of almost 19,000 hostile fans and she led our team as a freshman with 10 rebounds and seven assists.
"All three of them withstood the partisan crowd at Cameron Indoor Arena when we upset No. 2 seed Duke in the 2014 NCAA tournament. In their careers, they have faced a lot of great programs on the road."
Speaking of great programs, DePaul's four losses to Top 25 teams were No. 1 and national champion Connecticut, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Baylor and No. 6 Oregon State. The Blue Demons finished 27-9 which tied for the third-most wins in program history. They went 16-2 for their third BIG EAST regular-season title and averaged nearly 81 points and 21 assists per game overall in their ninth consecutive season of 20-plus wins.
In keeping with the road-warrior theme, Jenkins' best game came at Georgetown. The multi-talented point guard from Young set a school record with 10 three-pointers (10-of-13) and scored a career-high 30 points in an 80-66 triumph over Georgetown---a BIG EAST game that also saw her hand out seven assists. Jenkins would go to be named the BIG EAST Player of the Year and an Associated Press and Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) honorable mention All-American.
Podkowa and January were honored as CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, and Podkowa was the BIG EAST Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Both were selected to the All-BIG EAST Second Team as Podkowa led the league converting 48 percent of her three-point shots while January finished first in the BIG EAST and 10th in the nation in assists.
January was honored as the Athletic Directors Association I-AAA Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was also chosen for the Dallas Regional All-Tournament Team.
Bruno was the BIG EAST Coach of the Year and a finalist for the WBCA Coach of the Year. He recorded his 600th collegiate victory after his team topped Butler 61-54 in January. His team was ranked No. 17 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 18 by the Associated Press.
Co-captains Jenkins and Podkowa leave behind a legacy as the most successful senior class in DePaul history. The pair led DePaul to three-straight BIG EAST regular-season titles, two BIG EAST Tournament championships, four-straight NCAAs which included two Sweet Sixteen berths.
"Chanise Jenkins and Megan Podkowaare special, special players in the history of DePaul basketball," Bruno said. "They're really unique and talented college basketball players who have a great understanding of how to play the game. I'm thrilled Chanise was named BIG EAST Player of the Year because people that share the ball aren't usually the ones getting those kinds of awards.
"They've been part of the Sweet 16 team that had one of the biggest upsets in NCAA women's basketball history when they beat No. 2 Duke at Duke, and Duke had not lost at home for 19 consecutive years. They've really just done an awful lot for this program, both in the classroom and on the basketball court.
"They're both home-grown players from the Chicago area who saw what they could accomplish by staying home. We're really just proud watching them mature from girls in fourth and fifth grade in our basketball camps and then coming out and competing in high school. They went head-to-head against each other to get Downstate in the Illinois High School Association state tournament, and then watching them team up together here---it's been a real joy."
