Wednesday, February 24
Wintrust Arena
4:00 P.M. CT
DePaul University
13-6,10-4Big East
85
vs
71
Marquette
17-4,14-3Big East
1
2
3
4
F
Marquette
18
15
30
22
85
DePaul
15
18
23
15
71
No. 24/23 DePaul Falls to Marquette 85-71 on Wednesday
2/24/2021 6:46:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Marquette's strength inside is the difference in BIG EAST showdown in South Loop
CHICAGO – No. 24/23 DePaul ran into a Marquette team that dominated inside Wednesday leading to an 85-71 loss at Wintrust Arena.
It was the Blue Demons' second setback in a row and dropped their record to 13-6, 10-4 in the BIG EAST. Marquette, which is receiving votes in both national polls, is now 17-4, 14-3.
Lexi Held led DePaul with 23 points, four assists and three steals while Sonya Morris added 18 points and five rebounds.
Deja Church scored 10 points, Jorie Allen nine points and six rebounds and Dee Bekelja added eight points. Selena Lott scored a game-high 25 points for Marquette and Camryn Taylor finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Trailing by seven, the Blue Demons would need a strong finish in the final 10 minutes to overtake a Marquette team that was at the top of its game.
Consecutive baskets from Morris and Bekelja brought DePaul within 67-62, but the Golden Eagles answered back with six-straight. The Blue Demons thrive on sustained runs, but Marquette's consistent scoring, particularly inside, was neutralizing a normally explosive offense.
The home team was down by 11 when Held scored five in a row with a three-pointer and short jumper off a steal in the middle of the fourth quarter. Once again, Marquette responded with six in a row for a 79-67 lead, and the Blue Demons would get no closer than 10 down the stretch.
DePaul coach Doug Bruno was as fiery as ever from the sideline with this pivotal BIG EAST game tied 33-33 at halftime. This one had the feel of a nail-biter finish.
Two Held free throws in the middle of the third quarter gave her team a 41-40 lead. But the taller, more physical Golden Eagles continued exploiting the home team in the paint and moved in front 46-42 at the media timeout. At that point, Marquette had a commanding 38-21 advantage on the backboards. The Golden Eagles would go on to outrebound DePaul 50-27.
In the best stretch of the game to that point for the visitors, the Golden Eagles mounted a 12-5 run in building a 58-47 advantage with 1:52 left in the third quarter. Their strength inside and on the offensive boards was generating multiple second chances. They wound up with 18 offensive rebounds and 20 second-chance points.
A Morris three-pointer followed by an Allen three-point play cut into the deficit, leaving DePaul down 63-56 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Marquette began attacking the rim from the opening tip, penetrating the Blue Demon defense for layups and good looks inside. It was 8-2 three minutes into the game when Bruno called timeout.
His team proceeded to outscore the visitors 13-7 as Held scored nine of DePaul's first 15 points.
Bruno was more intense than ever screaming out instructions to his players and substituting four from his bench in an effort to jump-start the offense and counteract Marquette's preponderance for attacking down low.
Bekelja connected on a pair of free throws as her team trailed 18-15 after the first quarter.
After the Golden Eagles went up by five early in the second quarter, Allen scored inside and Church scored back-to-back for a 21-20 DePaul lead---it's first of the game. Kiara Dallmann had a blocked shot and an assist on Church's second basket.
Marquette answered with a 6-2 spurt in taking a 26-23 lead at the media timeout. The Blue Demons were down five when Morris sparked a 10-3 surge for a 33-31 lead. Morris, who hasn't been her usual accurate self of late, connected on consecutive jumpers along with a pair of free throws.
It was deadlocked at 33-33 after the first 20 minutes. Held led all scorers at the break with 11 points while Church added eight and Morris six points and five rebounds. Neither team found the range from deep in the first half with DePaul 1-for-10 and Marquette 0-for-5.
The Blue Demons are back in action Saturday with a noon tipoff at Providence that will be shown on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
Postgame Notes
It was the Blue Demons' second setback in a row and dropped their record to 13-6, 10-4 in the BIG EAST. Marquette, which is receiving votes in both national polls, is now 17-4, 14-3.
Lexi Held led DePaul with 23 points, four assists and three steals while Sonya Morris added 18 points and five rebounds.
Deja Church scored 10 points, Jorie Allen nine points and six rebounds and Dee Bekelja added eight points. Selena Lott scored a game-high 25 points for Marquette and Camryn Taylor finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Trailing by seven, the Blue Demons would need a strong finish in the final 10 minutes to overtake a Marquette team that was at the top of its game.
Consecutive baskets from Morris and Bekelja brought DePaul within 67-62, but the Golden Eagles answered back with six-straight. The Blue Demons thrive on sustained runs, but Marquette's consistent scoring, particularly inside, was neutralizing a normally explosive offense.
The home team was down by 11 when Held scored five in a row with a three-pointer and short jumper off a steal in the middle of the fourth quarter. Once again, Marquette responded with six in a row for a 79-67 lead, and the Blue Demons would get no closer than 10 down the stretch.
DePaul coach Doug Bruno was as fiery as ever from the sideline with this pivotal BIG EAST game tied 33-33 at halftime. This one had the feel of a nail-biter finish.
Two Held free throws in the middle of the third quarter gave her team a 41-40 lead. But the taller, more physical Golden Eagles continued exploiting the home team in the paint and moved in front 46-42 at the media timeout. At that point, Marquette had a commanding 38-21 advantage on the backboards. The Golden Eagles would go on to outrebound DePaul 50-27.
In the best stretch of the game to that point for the visitors, the Golden Eagles mounted a 12-5 run in building a 58-47 advantage with 1:52 left in the third quarter. Their strength inside and on the offensive boards was generating multiple second chances. They wound up with 18 offensive rebounds and 20 second-chance points.
A Morris three-pointer followed by an Allen three-point play cut into the deficit, leaving DePaul down 63-56 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Marquette began attacking the rim from the opening tip, penetrating the Blue Demon defense for layups and good looks inside. It was 8-2 three minutes into the game when Bruno called timeout.
His team proceeded to outscore the visitors 13-7 as Held scored nine of DePaul's first 15 points.
Bruno was more intense than ever screaming out instructions to his players and substituting four from his bench in an effort to jump-start the offense and counteract Marquette's preponderance for attacking down low.
Bekelja connected on a pair of free throws as her team trailed 18-15 after the first quarter.
After the Golden Eagles went up by five early in the second quarter, Allen scored inside and Church scored back-to-back for a 21-20 DePaul lead---it's first of the game. Kiara Dallmann had a blocked shot and an assist on Church's second basket.
Marquette answered with a 6-2 spurt in taking a 26-23 lead at the media timeout. The Blue Demons were down five when Morris sparked a 10-3 surge for a 33-31 lead. Morris, who hasn't been her usual accurate self of late, connected on consecutive jumpers along with a pair of free throws.
It was deadlocked at 33-33 after the first 20 minutes. Held led all scorers at the break with 11 points while Church added eight and Morris six points and five rebounds. Neither team found the range from deep in the first half with DePaul 1-for-10 and Marquette 0-for-5.
The Blue Demons are back in action Saturday with a noon tipoff at Providence that will be shown on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
Postgame Notes
- DePaul's series record against Marquette is now 47-29.
- This was the last of four home games in a row.
- Sonya Morris is tied with Villanova's Maddy Siegrist for the BIG EAST lead having scored 20-or-more points 11 times in 19 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 and has 82 points in her last four games.
- Morris has 121 points in her last six games.
- Held has 28 steals in her last six games.
- The Blue Demons were outrebounded 50-27 on Wednesday.
- DePaul checked in at No. 24 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 and No. 23 in 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 six 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. Marquette had 18 on Wednesday. The Blue Demons are No. 6 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 Feb. 15 against Seton Hall. Sonya Morris became DePaul's third 1,000-point scorer of the season on Feb. 17 against Xavier.
Team Stats
Marq
DePaul
FG%
.507
.389
3FG%
.167
.214
FT%
.700
.857
RB
50
27
TO
18
13
STL
10
13
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
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