No. 16/16 DePaul Nearing the End of a Difficult Stretch

CHICAGO – The end is in sight for No. 16/16 DePaul in the midst of its most challenging stretch of the season---five games in seven days.

After a successful run at the Cancun Challenge where the Blue Demons defeated Princeton and Kansas State before getting edged on a last-second shot in overtime by No. 14/15 Syracuse, game No. 4 is Monday night against Savannah State at McGrath-Phillips Arena.

What coach Doug Bruno may have discovered over the Thanksgiving break in the Yucatan Peninsula is that his team has the fortitude and the will to overcome adversity.

After trailing for nearly three quarters, the Blue Demons came roaring back in the fourth quarter outscoring Princeton 24-9 in the final 10 minutes for an 82-67 victory.

The slowest start of the Mayan Tournament came against Syracuse when DePaul (3-2) misfired on 17 shots in the first quarter including all 15 attempts from beyond the arc.

But the Blue Demons more than compensated for the early slump by going on a 21-0 run in the third and fourth quarters while holding the Orange scoreless for eight minutes.

Only a buzzer-beating basket in overtime by tournament MVP Tiana Mangakahia prevented a DePaul sweep, resulting in an 83-81 setback.

Two players at the top of their game were all-tournament selections Chante Stonewall and Kelly Campbell.

Stonewall scored 50 points in three games (nearly 17 points a game) while adding 28 rebounds, 10 steals, seven assists and going 8-for-10 from the free throw line. The 6-foot-1-inch junior forward scored a career-high 25 points and contributed a team-high 10 rebounds against Syracuse.

Fellow classmate Campbell finished with 30 points, 23 rebounds, 17 assists, seven steals and four blocks in the three-game tournament while knocking down 15 consecutive free throws at the Hard Rock Riviera Maya court. She came close to a triple-double against the Orange with 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Stonewall is now the team's leading scorer at 15 points a game and its top rebounder at 8.2. Point guard Campbell leads the Blue Demons in free throw shooting (1.000), assists, steals and blocks. She is also 11 rebounds shy of the 500 mark for her career.

Led by Campbell's streak of 15 consecutive free throws, DePaul has gone 57-of-65 from the line in the last four games---a nearly 88 percent clip.

Savannah State arrives for its first visit to Lincoln Park with a 2-2 record including a 155-26 victory over Wesleyan College and 101-49 over Carver College. The Tigers lost to Georgia Southern 82-71 and Jacksonville 68-58

Myasia Jones leads the team at 25.3 points a game and Moton Heniaya averages 12 a game. Savannah State has outscored the opposition by an average of 96.2-56.2 and outrebounded opponents by an average of 52.5-37.8. The Tigers are averaging nearly 24 steals a game and forcing an average of 33 per game.

For tickets to Monday's game and all Blue Demon women's basketball home games, call the DePaul Ticket Office at 773-325-7526 or go to depaulbluedemons.com/tickets.

No. 16/16 DePaul Nearing the End of a Difficult Stretch

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Players Mentioned

Kelly Campbell

Chante Stonewall

DePaul University Athletics