Wednesday, February 17
Wintrust Arena
4:00 P.M. CT
DePaul University
13-4,10-2Big East
83
vs
75
Xavier
4-6,1-5Big East
1
2
3
4
F
Xavier
17
10
30
18
75
DePaul
19
17
29
18
83
No. 19/19 DePaul Wins Fourth in a Row
2/17/2021 6:59:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Blue Demons knock off Xavier 83-75 Wednesday night at Wintrust Arena
CHICAGO – Wintrust Wednesday was a special occasion kind of day for Chicago sports fans.
Pitchers and catchers reported to spring training, Michael Jordan celebrated his 58th birthday and No. 19/19 DePaul defeated Xavier 83-75 in the South Loop.
The Blue Demons have built a sparkling 13-4 record on the season with two setbacks against No. 1/1 Connecticut and one each versus No. 3/2 Louisville and No. 5/5 Texas A&M by a measly two points.
At the forefront of their fourth consecutive win and ninth in the last 10 games were Lexi Held with 25 points, five steals and four rebounds, Sonya Morris with 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds plus Dee Bekelja's 20 points and six rebounds.
Also making timely contributions were Darrione Rogers with six points, seven rebounds and five assists and Jorie Allen's five points and six rebounds.
Coach Doug Bruno's program had hoped to take advantage of a Xavier team playing its first game since Jan. 23 after pausing team activities due to COVID-19-related issues within its program.
Facing an opponent that speeds up tempo with fast breaks and full-court pressure probably wasn't ideal for the Musketeers who haven't experienced game intensity for 25 days. But Xavier (4-6, 1-5) shook off the rust and extended the Blue Demons for 40 minutes.
Leading by eight going into the fourth quarter, DePaul saw Xavier score the first five points and suddenly with was a 65-62 game. Bruno called timeout for a game reset.
His players responded with a 7-0 run out of the respite. It was 74-69 when Held and Morris ignited a 7-0 burst for an 81-69 lead.
Xavier wouldn't quit, and it was an eight-point game with two minutes to go. The Musketeers closed to 81-75 when Bekelja converted a free throw with 22 seconds left and Rogers later added one of her own.
The Blue Demons got off to a slow start and watched a 10-3 Xavier spurt provide a 10-5 lead that was 10-7 at the first quarter media timeout.
The Musketeers appeared to be releasing all that pent-up energy and frustration from their forced layoff and looked energized to be back on the court.
Back-to-back Held scores followed by a Morris three put the home team in front 12-10. A Bekelja corner three and a Rogers dribble fake and jumper gave the Blue Demons a 19-17 lead after one quarter. They forced 10 Xavier turnovers in the first 10 minutes.
It was a Dee spree to start the second quarter as three-straight Bekelja baskets led to a 25-19 lead. The senior guard even threw in a blocked shot in that sequence for good measure.
The Musketeers had crept back within 25-23 when Morris nailed a three for a five-point lead at the second quarter media timeout.
Morris and Held combined for nine points enabling their team to close the second quarter on an 11-4 run producing a 36-27 halftime lead. That was somewhat significant as DePaul overcame a cold streak from behind the arc making just 3-of-19 in the first 20 minutes. The home team went 5-for-11 in the second half to finish 8-of-30 (26.7 percent).
Missing from long distance in the first half was offset by a Blue Demon pressure defense that forced 19 turnovers in 20 minutes. DePaul was within striking distance of surpassing the season-high 33 turnovers they forced against Georgetown on Jan. 16. They came up a little short as Xavier finished with 29 turnovers. Held had 11 points and Bekelja 10 at the break.
Seven quick Morris points at the outset of the third quarter gave her team a 45-35 lead at the media timeout. Allen's third foul sent DePaul's best inside player to the bench.
A Dee three plus her corner jumper gave DePaul its largest lead of the game at 53-38. Xavier responded with a 6-0 burst prompting Bruno to signal a timeout.
Morris' free throw at the 3:59 mark gave the junior guard 998 career points. A layup early in the fourth quarter made it an even 1,000.
After Hannah Purcell hit a three-pointer, Xavier closed out the third quarter on a 7-0 run to come within 65-57.
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The Blue Demons continue their home stand on Saturday with a BIG EAST matchup against Creighton at Wintrust Arena that will be televised nationally on FS1.
Postgame Notes
Pitchers and catchers reported to spring training, Michael Jordan celebrated his 58th birthday and No. 19/19 DePaul defeated Xavier 83-75 in the South Loop.
The Blue Demons have built a sparkling 13-4 record on the season with two setbacks against No. 1/1 Connecticut and one each versus No. 3/2 Louisville and No. 5/5 Texas A&M by a measly two points.
At the forefront of their fourth consecutive win and ninth in the last 10 games were Lexi Held with 25 points, five steals and four rebounds, Sonya Morris with 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds plus Dee Bekelja's 20 points and six rebounds.
Also making timely contributions were Darrione Rogers with six points, seven rebounds and five assists and Jorie Allen's five points and six rebounds.
Coach Doug Bruno's program had hoped to take advantage of a Xavier team playing its first game since Jan. 23 after pausing team activities due to COVID-19-related issues within its program.
Facing an opponent that speeds up tempo with fast breaks and full-court pressure probably wasn't ideal for the Musketeers who haven't experienced game intensity for 25 days. But Xavier (4-6, 1-5) shook off the rust and extended the Blue Demons for 40 minutes.
Leading by eight going into the fourth quarter, DePaul saw Xavier score the first five points and suddenly with was a 65-62 game. Bruno called timeout for a game reset.
His players responded with a 7-0 run out of the respite. It was 74-69 when Held and Morris ignited a 7-0 burst for an 81-69 lead.
Xavier wouldn't quit, and it was an eight-point game with two minutes to go. The Musketeers closed to 81-75 when Bekelja converted a free throw with 22 seconds left and Rogers later added one of her own.
The Blue Demons got off to a slow start and watched a 10-3 Xavier spurt provide a 10-5 lead that was 10-7 at the first quarter media timeout.
The Musketeers appeared to be releasing all that pent-up energy and frustration from their forced layoff and looked energized to be back on the court.
Back-to-back Held scores followed by a Morris three put the home team in front 12-10. A Bekelja corner three and a Rogers dribble fake and jumper gave the Blue Demons a 19-17 lead after one quarter. They forced 10 Xavier turnovers in the first 10 minutes.
It was a Dee spree to start the second quarter as three-straight Bekelja baskets led to a 25-19 lead. The senior guard even threw in a blocked shot in that sequence for good measure.
The Musketeers had crept back within 25-23 when Morris nailed a three for a five-point lead at the second quarter media timeout.
Morris and Held combined for nine points enabling their team to close the second quarter on an 11-4 run producing a 36-27 halftime lead. That was somewhat significant as DePaul overcame a cold streak from behind the arc making just 3-of-19 in the first 20 minutes. The home team went 5-for-11 in the second half to finish 8-of-30 (26.7 percent).
Missing from long distance in the first half was offset by a Blue Demon pressure defense that forced 19 turnovers in 20 minutes. DePaul was within striking distance of surpassing the season-high 33 turnovers they forced against Georgetown on Jan. 16. They came up a little short as Xavier finished with 29 turnovers. Held had 11 points and Bekelja 10 at the break.
Seven quick Morris points at the outset of the third quarter gave her team a 45-35 lead at the media timeout. Allen's third foul sent DePaul's best inside player to the bench.
A Dee three plus her corner jumper gave DePaul its largest lead of the game at 53-38. Xavier responded with a 6-0 burst prompting Bruno to signal a timeout.
Morris' free throw at the 3:59 mark gave the junior guard 998 career points. A layup early in the fourth quarter made it an even 1,000.
After Hannah Purcell hit a three-pointer, Xavier closed out the third quarter on a 7-0 run to come within 65-57.
Â
The Blue Demons continue their home stand on Saturday with a BIG EAST matchup against Creighton at Wintrust Arena that will be televised nationally on FS1.
Postgame Notes
- DePaul has won four in a row and eight of its last nine games with the lone setback coming to No. 1/1 Connecticut.
- The Blue Demons have won 21 in a row against Xavier with a series record of 21-1.
- This was the second of four home games in a row with Creighton on Saturday and longtime rival Marquette on Feb. 24.
- Sonya Morris leads the team and the BIG EAST having scored 20-or-more points 11 times in 17 games. Her 26 points on Jan. 16 at Georgetown tied her season and team high---scoring 26 Dec. 13 against Loyola.
- Lexi Held is a double-figure scorer in every game except one.
- Morris has 86 points in her last four games.
- Held has 26 steals in her last six games.
- After shooting 3-of-19 from three-point range in the first half, DePaul finished 8-of-30.
- DePaul checked in at No. 19 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today/Coaches poll.
- Bruno's full-court pressure tactics and his players' ball-hawking aggression have forced 20 or more turnovers in every game except five this season including 27 against No. 10/10 Texas A&M and 23 against both No. 2/2 Louisville and No. 9/9 Kentucky. Georgetown's 33 miscues on Jan. 16 were a season high. Xavier had 29 on Wednesday. The Blue Demons are No. 7 in the nation in forcing turnovers averaging more than 22 a game.
- After Deja Church reached the 1,000-point mark in her career on Jan. 21 at Butler, Lexi Held reached the milestone on Monday night. Sonya Morris became DePaul's third 1,000-point scorer this season early in the fourth quarter Wednesday night.
Team Stats
XU
DePaul
FG%
.458
.383
3FG%
.375
.267
FT%
.833
.722
RB
46
35
TO
29
14
STL
8
13
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
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