No. 16/16 DePaul Confronts No. 2/2 Connecticut

CHICAGO – One of the big reasons why basketball players sign up with DePaul and coach Doug Bruno will be waiting for the No. 16/16 Blue Demons Monday night at Wintrust Arena.

No doubt the South Loop will be buzzing when No. 2/2 Connecticut (8-0) comes to town for the biggest game of DePaul's nonconference season. The tip is set for 7 p.m. and is being televised by FS1.

And that's precisely why standouts such as Chante Stonewall and Kelly Campbell came to Lincoln Park. Talented guard Deja Church transferred here from Michigan, and Monday night will be part of the equation for making the change.

Church said she has never played Connecticut and is looking forward to facing the best program in the history of women's college basketball.

Bruno perennially puts together one of the toughest nonconference schedules in America in preparing for BIG EAST Conference play while also setting the standard quite high for his basketball program.

DePaul (9-1) will hope to counter UConn's size advantage and elite talent with a deeper-than-usual lineup of versatile guards.

Point guard Campbell (7.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists per game) is the glue of this team and its chief facilitator whose poise under pressure keep the "DePaulball" attack quite literally running at a steady pace. She is also the ultimate true-grit player and finds a way to consistently rebound like a power forward in spite of her 5-foot, 10-inch frame.

Small forward/wing player Stonewall (17.1 points a game) has backcourt skills combined with a smooth frontcourt game and a warrior-like ferocity. She has expanded her game in her senior season to impact the action all over the court.

Sophomores Sonya Morris (16.6 points a game) and Lexi Held (13.3 points) have developed faster than anticipated and evolved into two of the top scoring threats on the team. Both are among the most dangerous from three-point range. At times, Morris has duplicated Stonewall's skill for scoring points in bunches.

Church (10.1 points a game) has shown flashes of the versatility and talent that made her a starter with the Wolverines after being a highly rated recruit out of high school. An injury temporarily slowed her progress as she continues to adapt to new teammates and a new system.

Dee Bekelja (9.4 points per game) is blossoming right before our eyes. The multi-talented guard with a high offensive upside scored a career-high 20 points at Notre Dame and followed up with a 12-point performance against Alabama State. She has made six of her last eight from behind the arc.

Jolene Daninger and freshman Keke Rimmer have made timely contributions off the bench and deepened the lineup.

It's a lineup that leads the nation in scoring and assists and is second in the country in three-pointers and three-point attempts. The signature pressure defense has DePaul fifth in the nation in steals and No. 11 in forcing turnovers.

Campbell leads the country in assist-turnover ratio and is fourth in assists while Stonewall is third in the nation in steals and No. 10 in field goals.

UConn is once again a formidable force going undefeated with an average victory margin of more than 22 points. Leading the Huskies is Megan Walker averaging 22.1 points and 8.9 rebounds. Christyn Williams is scoring 16.4 a game and Crystal Dangerfield is averaging 12.8.

The 6-4 Olivia Nelson-Ododa contributes 11.6 points and a team-leading 9.4 rebounds per game along with a team-high 33 blocks which is top-four in the nation.

No. 16/16 DePaul Confronts No. 2/2 Connecticut

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dee Bekelja

Kelly Campbell

Deja Church

Jolene Daninger

Lexi Held

Sonya Morris

Keke Rimmer

Chante Stonewall