Blue Demons Face Dangerous IUPUI on Wednesday
12/19/2017 12:00:00 AM | DePaul Ball
IUPUI at RV/RV DePaul
Wednesday, Dec. 20 | 7:00 p.m. (CT)
McGrath-Phillips Arena | Chicago, Ill.
Online Stream: Blue Tube
Live Stats:
Game Notes: DePaul |IUPUI
CHICAGO - The best yuletide gift coach Doug Bruno and his Blue Demons can give to one another is a victory on Wednesday night to finish off the nonconference portion of their schedule.
Just in time for Christmas.
That would certainly make the holidays more enjoyable and send DePaul into its Christmas break on an upbeat note heading into the BIG EAST Conference opener on Dec. 28.
Priority No. 1 for Bruno & Co. is to get back on the winning track against dangerous IUPUI on Wednesday night after raising their game last Sunday and battling No. 2/2 Notre Dame virtually even for three quarters before falling 91-82 at Notre Dame.
It was 19-19 after the first 10 minutes and DePaul (7-4) led 25-21 early in the second quarter and 30-29 midway through the period. Notre Dame (10-1) took a 41-40 lead at halftime and 60-58 after three quarters.
A 14-2 run at the outset of the fourth quarter tipped the balance of a close game towards the Fighting Irish. Ashton Millender led DePaul with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting while Amarah Coleman contributed 17 points.
Emerging sophomore Chante Stonewall had her most complete game of the season with 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals while going 4-for-4 from three-point range.
That performance earned the steadily improving, 6-foot, 1-inch sophomore a spot on the BIG EAST Honor Roll with one of the conference's top six performances of last week.
The Blue Demons countered Notre Dame's dominance inside with a 13-4 margin in three-pointers. Millender, Stonewall and Deja Cage combined to go 10-for-15 (.667) from deep.
DePaul leads the nation in three-pointers per game and is second in three-point baskets and attempts. Bruno's team is fourth in scoring offense and assist-turnover ratio, seventh in assists per game and turnover margin, eighth in total assists and No. 13 in the country in steals.
Kelly Campbell is No. 6 in NCAA Division I in assist-turnover ratio while Millender is No. 18 in three-pointers, No. 20 in three-point attempts and No. 27 in three-pointers per game.
The Blue Demons lead the BIG EAST in scoring offense, assists, three-pointers, three-point attempts and three-pointers per game, assist-turnover ratio, turnover margin and assists per game.
Campbell is tops in assist-turnover ratio and second in assists, steals and assists per game. Stonewall leads the league in three-point percentage and is second in field goal percentage while Millender is third in three-pointers, three-point attempts and threes per game.
IUPUI (8-2) is coming off a 72-52 win Monday night at Georgia Southern in which 6-foot, 2-inch freshman center Macee Williams finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. Guard Danielle Lawrence leads the Jaguars at 17.5 points a game.
IUPUI is outscoring opponents 72.8-59.0 and outrebounding them 37.6-32.3. The Jaguars beat Memphis 80-57, the same team DePaul defeated 81-67 at the Play4Kay Showcase in Las Vegas.
