No. 16/16 DePaul Falls in the Last Second

Saturday, November 24

Cancun, Mexico

12:30 P.M. CT

DePaul University

3-2

Syracuse

6-1

OT 1

DePaul

Syracuse

11/24/2018 4:37:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

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Blue Demons edged 83-81 in overtime by No. 14/15 Syacuse in Cancun

CANCUN – Blue Demon fans following Saturday's Cancun Challenge showdown between No. 16/16 DePaul and No. 14/15 Syracuse went through one surge of emotion after another ranging from an early shooting drought to an amazing 21-0 run later in the game.

But in the end, the Blue Demons came up ever so short in an 83-81 overtime loss in the Mayan Tournament title game.

Where to begin? For starters, there was the first quarter in which DePaul (3-2) made only three shots and went 0-for-15 from behind the arc.

That was wiped away by the eye-popping 21-0 run beginning with two minutes left in the third quarter and extending six minutes into the fourth. The Blue Demons went from trailing 58-43 to seizing a 64-58 lead while holding Syracuse (6-1) scoreless for eight minutes.

Leading the way was Chante Stonewall's magnificent performance with a career-high 25 points and team-high 10 rebounds. Kelly Campbell approached a triple-double with 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while Ashton Millender added 11 points.

Syracuse (6-1) rallied late in regulation time, and Tiana Mangakahia's scoop shot with 19 seconds left provided a 70-68 lead.

Campbell barely missed on a three-pointer with :04 to go, but there was Stonewall for the offensive rebound and put-back to mandate overtime.

In the extra period, Millender drilled a three with 3:27 to go and DePaul led 79-74. Tournament MVP Mangakahia (22 points) would score the Orange's final nine points including the game-winner at the buzzer. Campbell had hit two foul shots to make it 81-78 with :57 left. Mangakahia then hit a three-pointer followed by the winning shot.

The Blue Demons were determined to reverse a poor-shooting first half that left them trailing by six points going into the third quarter.

Millender's basket after a Stonewall steal and assist followed by a Millender three brought DePaul within three early in the quarter. Syracuse built a 15-point lead when the Blue Demons went on their 21-0 run.

Cold shooting in the first quarter left DePaul trailing 18-6. The Blue Demons made just three of 20 shots and were 0-for-15 from three-point range. Sonya Morris had two baskets and Stonewall one.

They began finding the range in the second quarter as Campbell, Jolene Daninger, Stonewall, Tanita Allen and Campbell again made five in a row from beyond the arc. Campbell's second one from distance cut the deficit to 28-23.

Lexi Held's layup and Stonewall's two free throws brought the Blue Demons within 28-25---the closest since the opening tip. Syracuse answered with a 7-2 burst in restoring a 10-point margin.

Stonewall hit a jumper and Rebekah Dahlman cashed in on a pair of free throws to make it 35-29 at halftime.

Stonewall had nine points and five rebounds in the first 20 minutes while fellow junior Campbell had six points, four rebounds and four assists. Because of the slow start, DePaul was shooting just 27.8 percent from the floor and 18.5 percent from behind the arc.

After arriving at O'Hare Airport Sunday night, the Blue Demons will have 24 hours to prepare for Monday's night's game against Savannah State scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip at McGrath-Phillips Arena.

Postgame Notes

Stonewall, Campbell, Mangakahia (MVP), Gabrielle Cooper (Syracuse), Carlie Littlefield (Princeton) and Peyton Williams (Kansas State) were named to the all-tournament team.
Stonewall set career highs for points (25), field goal attempts (24), free throw attempts (10) and minutes (39). She tied career highs for field goals (nine) and free throws (five).
Stonewall has 71 points and 38 rebounds in her last four games.
Kelly Campbell has made 15 free throws in a row. Grays is 10-for-11, Dahlman and Stonewall 10-for-12 in the last four games.
The Blue Demons have gone 57-of-65 from the line in the last four games---nearly 88 percent.
With 214 career three-pointers, Millender is fifth all-time and closing on Chanise Jenkins (225).
Millender (562) is seventh all-time in career three-point attempts with Kris Booker No. 6 (571).
Grays (932) needs 68 points to reach the 1,000 level.
Dahlman (899) is 101 points shy of the 1,000 mark.
Campbell needs 11 rebounds to reach 500 for her career.
The 47 three-point attempts are second-highest in program history.