Saturday, March 6
Uncasville, Conn.
2:00 P.M. CT
DePaul University
vs
Villanova
No. 25 DePaul Clashes With Villanova on Saturday
3/5/2021 3:13:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
BIG EAST quarterfinal at Mohegan Sun Arena tips at 2 p.m. on FS2
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Welcome to the season of "survive and advance."
Fancy won-loss records, style points, aesthetics and optics---throw them all out the window. The postseason is a time when one-and-done means something else besides a talented men's basketball freshman foregoing his collegiate career to enter the NBA Draft.
Three-peat champion and No. 25 DePaul begins the quest on Saturday to defend its crown against fifth-seeded Villanova in the BIG EAST tournament quarterfinals. The nationally televised showdown on FS2 tips at 2 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The only other time these two have met in the conference postseason was March 9, 2015 with the Blue Demons securing a 58-55 semifinal win. They went on to beat Seton Hall 78-68 in the title game.
There is very little margin for error when teams are fighting for their playoff lives. Batten down the hatches, account for every conceivable possibility in your detailed game plan and yet, there's no way to prepare for a hot shooter or that random 40-foot buzzer-beater.
Coach Doug Bruno and his fourth-seeded Blue Demons will dance with what brought them here---a high-speed attack averaging 82 points a game (ninth in the nation), a disruptive full-court press that speeds up the pace while forcing 22 turnovers a game (No. 8 in the country) and two of the best in the league in All-BIG EAST First Team selections Sonya Morris and Lexi Held.
Morris concluded the regular season averaging 18.5 points a game which was the fourth-highest in the conference. She leads the league in free throw percentage at 88.7 percent and is second in the BIG EAST in scoring 20 or more points in a game (11 times in 20 games).
The 5-foot, 10-inch junior guard scored a team-best 26 points twice this season---against Loyola and Georgetown. Morris had a team-high nine assists against St. John's in January and scored her 1,000th career point on Feb. 17 against Xavier.
Held enters the postseason averaging 16.9 points per game to rank eighth in the BIG EAST. She is No. 4 in the nation in steals heading up the Blue Demons' full-court pressure.
She also leads DePaul (14-7, 11-5 BIG EAST) in assists and three-pointers while reaching the 1,000-point career milestone on Feb. 15 against Seton Hall. Held won the league's most prestigious postseason award---the BIG EAST Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
When defenses focus too much on Morris and Held, All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention Dee Bekelja (13.3 points, five rebounds a game) will find openings as will the multi-talented Deja Church who is averaging 13.1 points with 5.5 rebounds a game---tied for the team lead with BIG EAST All-Freshman Team selection Darrione Rogers (9.4 points a game).
Providing this guard-oriented attack with a frontcourt presence and providing the Blue Demons with an element of physical toughness is 6-foot, 1-inch forward Jorie Allen (9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds) who has done an admirable job in the blocks while evolving into a dependable post-up scorer.
The Blue Demons defeated Villanova 94-82 on Jan. 4 at Wintrust Arena when Morris's 22 points and 21 from Rogers paced five scorers in double figures. Bruno & Co. knocked down 13 from behind the arc and outscored the Wildcats 58-43 in the second and third quarters.Â
This will be the first time DePaul is the No. 4 seed in the BIG EAST tournament. The program is 26-10 all-time in the BIG EAST postseason and has won 18 of its last 20 in the tournament. The Blue Demons are 2-0 against the No. 5 seed and 9-6 in quarterfinal action.
Villanova won its first seven games of the season en route to a successful 14-5 regular-season record. The Wildcats are led by unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team forward Maddy Siegrist who leads the league in scoring (23.3 points per game) and rebounding (10.3). She also tops the BIG EAST with 12 games scoring 20 or more points. Brianna Herlihy is averaging 14.1 points and 7.7 rebounds while Sarah Mortensen contributes 11.2 points and six boards a game.
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Fancy won-loss records, style points, aesthetics and optics---throw them all out the window. The postseason is a time when one-and-done means something else besides a talented men's basketball freshman foregoing his collegiate career to enter the NBA Draft.
Three-peat champion and No. 25 DePaul begins the quest on Saturday to defend its crown against fifth-seeded Villanova in the BIG EAST tournament quarterfinals. The nationally televised showdown on FS2 tips at 2 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The only other time these two have met in the conference postseason was March 9, 2015 with the Blue Demons securing a 58-55 semifinal win. They went on to beat Seton Hall 78-68 in the title game.
There is very little margin for error when teams are fighting for their playoff lives. Batten down the hatches, account for every conceivable possibility in your detailed game plan and yet, there's no way to prepare for a hot shooter or that random 40-foot buzzer-beater.
Coach Doug Bruno and his fourth-seeded Blue Demons will dance with what brought them here---a high-speed attack averaging 82 points a game (ninth in the nation), a disruptive full-court press that speeds up the pace while forcing 22 turnovers a game (No. 8 in the country) and two of the best in the league in All-BIG EAST First Team selections Sonya Morris and Lexi Held.
Morris concluded the regular season averaging 18.5 points a game which was the fourth-highest in the conference. She leads the league in free throw percentage at 88.7 percent and is second in the BIG EAST in scoring 20 or more points in a game (11 times in 20 games).
The 5-foot, 10-inch junior guard scored a team-best 26 points twice this season---against Loyola and Georgetown. Morris had a team-high nine assists against St. John's in January and scored her 1,000th career point on Feb. 17 against Xavier.
Held enters the postseason averaging 16.9 points per game to rank eighth in the BIG EAST. She is No. 4 in the nation in steals heading up the Blue Demons' full-court pressure.
She also leads DePaul (14-7, 11-5 BIG EAST) in assists and three-pointers while reaching the 1,000-point career milestone on Feb. 15 against Seton Hall. Held won the league's most prestigious postseason award---the BIG EAST Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
When defenses focus too much on Morris and Held, All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention Dee Bekelja (13.3 points, five rebounds a game) will find openings as will the multi-talented Deja Church who is averaging 13.1 points with 5.5 rebounds a game---tied for the team lead with BIG EAST All-Freshman Team selection Darrione Rogers (9.4 points a game).
Providing this guard-oriented attack with a frontcourt presence and providing the Blue Demons with an element of physical toughness is 6-foot, 1-inch forward Jorie Allen (9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds) who has done an admirable job in the blocks while evolving into a dependable post-up scorer.
The Blue Demons defeated Villanova 94-82 on Jan. 4 at Wintrust Arena when Morris's 22 points and 21 from Rogers paced five scorers in double figures. Bruno & Co. knocked down 13 from behind the arc and outscored the Wildcats 58-43 in the second and third quarters.Â
This will be the first time DePaul is the No. 4 seed in the BIG EAST tournament. The program is 26-10 all-time in the BIG EAST postseason and has won 18 of its last 20 in the tournament. The Blue Demons are 2-0 against the No. 5 seed and 9-6 in quarterfinal action.
Villanova won its first seven games of the season en route to a successful 14-5 regular-season record. The Wildcats are led by unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team forward Maddy Siegrist who leads the league in scoring (23.3 points per game) and rebounding (10.3). She also tops the BIG EAST with 12 games scoring 20 or more points. Brianna Herlihy is averaging 14.1 points and 7.7 rebounds while Sarah Mortensen contributes 11.2 points and six boards a game.
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Players Mentioned
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