Thursday Night Showdown: No. 18/20 DePaul at No. 7/6 Oregon State

Thursday, November 14

Corvallis, Ore.

9:00 P.M. CT

DePaul University

Oregon State

Thursday Night Showdown: No. 18/20 DePaul at No. 7/6 Oregon State

11/13/2019 5:53:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

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Nationally ranked powers collide at 9 p.m. in Preseason WNIT semifinals

CORVALLIS, Ore. – One of the biggest challenges---in a literal and figurative sense---of the entire season looms on Thursday night when No. 18/20 DePaul confronts No. 7/6 Oregon State in the semifinals of the Preseason WNIT.

The Beavers are 2-0 and feature three players 6-foot, 4-inches or taller in their nine-player rotation. That's in addition to one of the top backcourts in the country in Mikayla Pivec, Destiny Slocum and Aleah Goodman.

But games like these are precisely why talented players sign up with coach Doug Bruno and buy into his "DePaulBall" attitude and mindset. Standouts such as Blue Demon forward Chante Stonewall and point guard Kelly Campbell---who are among the nation's best at their respective positions---remain undaunted in the face of the biggest tests.

Trust in Bruno and his brilliant coaching staff to devise a strategy and game plan that will maximize their players' strengths while looking to contain Oregon State's assets.

Then it comes down to how well DePaul's players execute that game plan.

The only other time these two formidable programs tangled was on March 26, 2016 at the NCAA Regional Semifinal in Dallas. That is when Jessica January scored 20 points while current video coordinator Jacqui Grant had 15 points, Martè Grays 14 and Chanise Jenkins 10 in an 83-71 loss.

What could carry the day for DePaul in the rematch is a deeper lineup with the potential of significant contributions from multiple players.

Stonewall will once again be at her multi-tasking best spearheading the attack while also focusing heavily on rebounding, the action in the paint and also being utilized as the team's defensive stopper.

Campbell's nitty-gritty game that has the 5-10 senior scoring, rebounding, assisting and often disrupting the opposing offense with help defense and timely steals will look to ascend another level on Thursday night. Campbell will walk onto the Gill Coliseum court as the leading three-point shooter going 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.

The sophomore quartet of Lexi Held, Sonya Morris, Jolene Daninger and Maya Stovall have made some big-time contributions already in just two games and stand ready to produce even more when needed.

Junior guard Deja Church who is among the most talented players on the team has been hampered by foul trouble in the early season. If the 5-10 transfer from Michigan is on the court for most of Thursday night, watch out for a breakout performance.

Fellow junior Dee Bekelja could be DePaul's X factor against the Beavers with the kind of explosive offensive potential to score in a flurry at a critical juncture of the game.

Bruno's team has scored 179 points in its first two games and isn't shy about engaging in a back-and-forth, up-and-down-the-court shootout. If the shots are falling, it can be a difficult team to defend with a balanced attack and wide array of shooters.

The 5-10 Pivec leads Oregon State averaging 21.5 points and 14.5 rebounds. Goodman is scoring at 14.5 a game while Slocum is averaging 14 points. The guard trio has combined for 35 of the team's 45 assists. Down low, the Beavers start 6-6 Kennedy Brown and 6-4 Taylor Jones with 6-7 Patricia Morris coming off the bench.