DePaul University Athletics
Sunday, December 5
Chicago, Ill.
5:00 P.M. CT
DePaul University
vs
Xavier
Shooting for BIG EAST Weekend Sweep on Sunday
12/4/2021 3:58:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
DePaul tips off against Xavier at 5 p.m. at Wintrust Arena
CHICAGO – The hometown team that is receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 rankings steps onto the Wintrust Arena court Sunday with an opportunity to sweep the opening weekend of its BIG EAST season.
Following up Friday's 101-64 triumph over Butler won't be easy against a Xavier team that has won three of its last four games.
But if coach Doug Bruno's winning strategy of attacking with a deep and talented guard backcourt pressing 94 feet, sharing the rock, setting up back-door layups and swishing three-pointers is percolating, there could be good tidings in the South Loop.
What makes DePaul (6-2, 1-0) more difficult this season for opposing coaches such as the Musketeers' Melanie Moore is that All-BIG EAST guards Sonya Morris (16.4 points per game) and Lexi Held (13 points) plus Deja Church (13.9 points) have a 6-foot, 1-inch power forward named Aneesah Morrow cleaning up on the offensive boards and exerting her athleticism all over the court.
Morrow comes into Sunday averaging 17.8 points, 10.4 rebounds three steals and three blocks per game. Among freshman, the former Simeon All-Stater leads the nation in rebounds and is second in points.
There's even more for Moore to consider. The Blue Demon depth features a guard trio of Darrione Rogers, Kierra Collier and Dee Bekelja that is contributing nearly 23 points a game. Rogers is the second-leading rebounder at 6.6 per game and Collier leads the team with an eye-popping 57.1 percent shooting from three-point range.
No wonder this up-tempo offense is averaging 86.4 points a game, has scored more than 100 points twice along with a 91-point game.
Bruno will unleash this firepower on a 3-4 Xavier team (0-1 in the BIG EAST) that had its share of problems in Friday night's 76-48 loss at Marquette.
The Musketeers trailed 25-13 after the first quarter and 44-24 at halftime. Any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Marquette built a 62-34 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Xavier's best player and leading scorer Nia Clark (14.3 points a game) had an off-night with just four points on 2-of-10 shooting. That set the tone for the rest of the team which shot 36.8 percent from the field and was 1-of-5 from deep.
Musketeer forward 6-2 Ayanna Townsend led her team with 16 points on 8-of-14 shooting while adding five rebounds and three blocks. Marquette finished with a 45-25 advantage on the boards.
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Following up Friday's 101-64 triumph over Butler won't be easy against a Xavier team that has won three of its last four games.
But if coach Doug Bruno's winning strategy of attacking with a deep and talented guard backcourt pressing 94 feet, sharing the rock, setting up back-door layups and swishing three-pointers is percolating, there could be good tidings in the South Loop.
What makes DePaul (6-2, 1-0) more difficult this season for opposing coaches such as the Musketeers' Melanie Moore is that All-BIG EAST guards Sonya Morris (16.4 points per game) and Lexi Held (13 points) plus Deja Church (13.9 points) have a 6-foot, 1-inch power forward named Aneesah Morrow cleaning up on the offensive boards and exerting her athleticism all over the court.
Morrow comes into Sunday averaging 17.8 points, 10.4 rebounds three steals and three blocks per game. Among freshman, the former Simeon All-Stater leads the nation in rebounds and is second in points.
There's even more for Moore to consider. The Blue Demon depth features a guard trio of Darrione Rogers, Kierra Collier and Dee Bekelja that is contributing nearly 23 points a game. Rogers is the second-leading rebounder at 6.6 per game and Collier leads the team with an eye-popping 57.1 percent shooting from three-point range.
No wonder this up-tempo offense is averaging 86.4 points a game, has scored more than 100 points twice along with a 91-point game.
Bruno will unleash this firepower on a 3-4 Xavier team (0-1 in the BIG EAST) that had its share of problems in Friday night's 76-48 loss at Marquette.
The Musketeers trailed 25-13 after the first quarter and 44-24 at halftime. Any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Marquette built a 62-34 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Xavier's best player and leading scorer Nia Clark (14.3 points a game) had an off-night with just four points on 2-of-10 shooting. That set the tone for the rest of the team which shot 36.8 percent from the field and was 1-of-5 from deep.
Musketeer forward 6-2 Ayanna Townsend led her team with 16 points on 8-of-14 shooting while adding five rebounds and three blocks. Marquette finished with a 45-25 advantage on the boards.
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Players Mentioned
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