DePaul University
Villanova
Coleman and Prochaska Enjoy Their Senior Moment
2/18/2018 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO - This is the way Senior Day is supposed to go.
With seniors Amarah Coleman and Lauren Prochaska playing key roles along with junior Ashton Millender, No. 24 DePaul remained in a tie for first place in the BIG EAST with a 71-66 victory over Villanova on Sunday.
The Blue Demons improved to 21-7, 13-3 in the BIG EAST while Villanova fell to 20-7, 10-6.
Millender led the way with a game-high 19 points while Coleman turned in a complete game with 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Prochaska played relentless defense on Villanova star Alex Louin while contributing eight points and four assists. Kelly Campbell finished with a game-high 13 rebounds.
Opening the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run gave the home team a 58-55 lead after Chante Stonewall's three with 6:17 to go. At that point, Mart'e Grays was on the bench with four fouls. She fouled out later in the quarter.
Tanita Allen's driving layup followed by her three-point play provided a six-point edge with 4:08 on the clock. Villanova was within four when Coleman hit a clutch jumper with 50 seconds left and Campbell later added a foul shot for a 68-62 lead with :33 to go.
In her final game on the McGrath-Phillips Arena court, Prochaska put on the finishing touch with a pair of free throws.
A five-point spurt in the third quarter put Villanova on top 49-43 when Prochaska answered with a layup just before the media timeout. The Wildcats were up by five until a Coleman three made it 53-51 heading into the fourth quarter.
This game started out like a replay of DePaul's loss at Villanova last month because of a slow start. The Wildcats jumped out to a 10-0 advantage on Sunday less than three minutes after the opening tip.
That's when the Blue Demons answered with a 10-0 run of their own sparked by six Coleman points for the senior guard on Senior Day. A Campbell three-pointer followed by a Stonewall three-point play and Millender's jumper extended the dominant surge to 18-2 as DePaul led 18-12 after one quarter.
After the Blue Demons scored the first five points of the second quarter on a Grays three and Millender's mid-range swish, Villanova scored 12 unanswered points to take a one-point lead. Following an exchange of long-distance connections, Grays scored inside for a 28-27 lead at the media timeout.
Millender hit a pair of threes and Allen converted from deep, but the Wildcats were able to match the home team's attack for a 37-37 tie at halftime. Millender had 15 points in the first half on 6-of-10 shooting including 3-of-5 from deep.
DePaul returns to action Friday for a BIG EAST showdown at St. John's that tips at 6 p.m.
Postgame Notes
--DePaul has notched double figures in three-pointers in 10 of their last 13 games.
--Campbell has 179 rebounds in the last 17 games.
--The Blue Demons lead the all-time series against Villanova 15-5.
--Prochaska made her fourth start of the season
--Coleman scored in double figures for the fifth game in a row and Millender her fourth. Grays had her seven-game streak snapped.
--Fifth-year graduate transfer Rebekah Dahlman was the third senior honored at a postgame ceremony on Sunday.
