Thursday, December 16
Chicago, Ill.
7:00 P.M. CT
DePaul University
vs
Northern Illinois
Nation's Scoring Leader DePaul Renews Rivalry with Northern Illinois
12/15/2021 12:36:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Also No. 1 in assists, Blue Demons tip off at 7 p.m. Thursday at Wintrust Arena
CHICAGO – Ready for a break from Christmas shopping and all the commotion that accompanies our favorite holiday season?
Why not stop by Wintrust Arena Thursday night and let the DePaul Blue Demons whisk you away for a couple of hours to a place where the game of basketball is free and easy and so much fun to watch.
Chicago's hometown team will be taking on local rival Northern Illinois shooting for its sixth win in a row while looking to extend its series winning streak to 20 in a row.
Now that's some serious winning.
You can delight in a starting five that all averages in double figures led by Aneesah Morrow (18 points, 11.6 rebounds) and Sonya Morris (16.4 points).
And you can bet there will be plenty of entertainment from a team that leads the nation in scoring (89.8 points a game) and assists.
Coach Doug Bruno has dedicated the better part of his life to growing the game of women's basketball with a high-stakes, up-tempo style of offense and a pressure defense designed to speed up the pace.
Sit back and let the ingenious Lexi Held (13.1 points) tickle your fancy with the kind of spontaneous and creative passes that would've done Piston Pete Maravich proud back in the day.
Just try to keep up with the array of shake-and-bake moves from Morris that sometimes features a double-crossover dribble accompanied by a soft step-back jumper. No wonder she's rated among the top shooting guards in the country.
You can smile and shake your head each time Darrione Rogers (10.2 points) connects on a three-pointer from somewhere beyond the Twilight Zone. And she's shooting nearly 45 percent from deep.
Admire the all-around game of Deja Church (14.2 points) who is off to the best start of her DePaul career with an assortment of skills that seem to perfectly complement the other four starters.
Marvel at the strength and pure athleticism of the 6-foot, 1-inch power forward Morrow whose young career has simply skyrocketed in her first 11 games and was honored Tuesday as the National Freshman of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
And last but not least, subtly appreciate the not-so-subtle yet brilliant coaching style of the unabashed Bruno as he masterfully blends these talented personalities into a unified, cohesive NCAA national power.
If you like your action fast and furious, the South Loop beckons. In the last four games, DePaul has scored 101, 103, 94 and 100 points for a total of 398---an average of 99.5 points a game.
Those are NBA numbers.
Best of all, those lofty figures are not based on one or two players having career nights. Each of the last four games has ended with five Blue Demons in double figures.
They share the ball as well as they shoot it, leading the nation in assists (229) and assists per game (20.8).
They will match firepower with an NIU team that's 3-4 and averaging nearly 70 points a game. The last time these rivals met was in December of 2012.Â
The Huskies are led by a ball of fire named Chelby Koker, a 5-6 guard from Racine, Wis. who leads the team in scoring at 18.6 points a game and in assists at 4.3.
Backing her up are former Marian Catholic standout Janae Poisson (13.4 points a game) and 6-1 A'Jah Davis (12.4 points, 10 rebounds).
The Huskies opened their nonconference season winning three of four but have dropped their last three to Western Illinois, Eastern Illinois and Drake.
Â
Why not stop by Wintrust Arena Thursday night and let the DePaul Blue Demons whisk you away for a couple of hours to a place where the game of basketball is free and easy and so much fun to watch.
Chicago's hometown team will be taking on local rival Northern Illinois shooting for its sixth win in a row while looking to extend its series winning streak to 20 in a row.
Now that's some serious winning.
You can delight in a starting five that all averages in double figures led by Aneesah Morrow (18 points, 11.6 rebounds) and Sonya Morris (16.4 points).
And you can bet there will be plenty of entertainment from a team that leads the nation in scoring (89.8 points a game) and assists.
Coach Doug Bruno has dedicated the better part of his life to growing the game of women's basketball with a high-stakes, up-tempo style of offense and a pressure defense designed to speed up the pace.
Sit back and let the ingenious Lexi Held (13.1 points) tickle your fancy with the kind of spontaneous and creative passes that would've done Piston Pete Maravich proud back in the day.
Just try to keep up with the array of shake-and-bake moves from Morris that sometimes features a double-crossover dribble accompanied by a soft step-back jumper. No wonder she's rated among the top shooting guards in the country.
You can smile and shake your head each time Darrione Rogers (10.2 points) connects on a three-pointer from somewhere beyond the Twilight Zone. And she's shooting nearly 45 percent from deep.
Admire the all-around game of Deja Church (14.2 points) who is off to the best start of her DePaul career with an assortment of skills that seem to perfectly complement the other four starters.
Marvel at the strength and pure athleticism of the 6-foot, 1-inch power forward Morrow whose young career has simply skyrocketed in her first 11 games and was honored Tuesday as the National Freshman of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
And last but not least, subtly appreciate the not-so-subtle yet brilliant coaching style of the unabashed Bruno as he masterfully blends these talented personalities into a unified, cohesive NCAA national power.
If you like your action fast and furious, the South Loop beckons. In the last four games, DePaul has scored 101, 103, 94 and 100 points for a total of 398---an average of 99.5 points a game.
Those are NBA numbers.
Best of all, those lofty figures are not based on one or two players having career nights. Each of the last four games has ended with five Blue Demons in double figures.
They share the ball as well as they shoot it, leading the nation in assists (229) and assists per game (20.8).
They will match firepower with an NIU team that's 3-4 and averaging nearly 70 points a game. The last time these rivals met was in December of 2012.Â
The Huskies are led by a ball of fire named Chelby Koker, a 5-6 guard from Racine, Wis. who leads the team in scoring at 18.6 points a game and in assists at 4.3.
Backing her up are former Marian Catholic standout Janae Poisson (13.4 points a game) and 6-1 A'Jah Davis (12.4 points, 10 rebounds).
The Huskies opened their nonconference season winning three of four but have dropped their last three to Western Illinois, Eastern Illinois and Drake.
Â
Players Mentioned
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