Despite Valiant Rally, No. 25 DePaul Falls 78-72 in Overtime

Saturday, March 6

Uncasville, Conn.

2:00 P.M. CT

DePaul University

14-8,11-5Big East

Villanova

15-5,9-5Big East

OT 1

Villanova

DePaul

Despite Valiant Rally, No. 25 DePaul Falls 78-72 in Overtime

3/6/2021 5:20:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Blue Demons topped by Villanova in Saturday's BIG EAST quarterfinals

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Faced with perhaps the biggest challenge of the season, No. 25 DePaul let the NCAA women's basketball world know what it means to be a Blue Demon Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Coach Doug Bruno's team overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game in regulation and take the lead at the outset of overtime only to see Villanova come back in handing the Blue Demons a heartbreaking 78-72 setback in overtime of their BIG EAST tournament quarterfinal game.

Putting the team on her back, Deja Church scored one big basket after another taking it to the rim and converting from different angles off the backboard. She had the chance to win it in regulation as Bruno called for a clear-out on the left side of the court. Church drove to the basket but her shot off the backboard caught more iron than net in the waning seconds.

Church led DePaul with 19 points including two huge free throws with 20.3 seconds left that mandated the extra period. Sonya Morris finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.

Jorie Allen scored 11 points, Lexi Held had 10 and Darrione Rogers contributed eight points and 10 rebounds.

The fourth-seeded Blue Demons (14-8) had pretty steep hill to climb at the outset of the fourth quarter, trailing 55-45. Allen and Church started a potential comeback bringing their team within 55-50. Fifth-seeded Villanova (15-5) went back up by nine until Morris scored to make it 61-54 at the media timeout.

A Morris basket and back-to-back Church drives to the hoop left DePaul down by three with 3:10 left. A clutch Held shot made it 61-60. Raven James hit a three and DePaul was down four with a minute to go.

With the tension at a game high, Church knocked down a pair of free throws with 20.3 seconds left to tie it at 64-64. Dee Bekelja tied up the Villanova offense down low forcing a jump ball with the all-important possession arrow pointing all the way back to Lincoln Park.

The ball came to Church for the potential game-winner, and as the senior had done all game, she drove to the basket but her attempt was short, mandating overtime.

Getting outscored 25-14 in the second quarter left the Blue Demons down by one at halftime. Allen and Church scored early in the third quarter for a 40-39 lead. An 8-3 Villanova burst put the Wildcats in front 47-43 at the media timeout. Villanova was having success driving to the rim and scoring inside along with knocking down shots from deep.

Maddy Siegrist's lean-in bank shot left DePaul trailing by six with 4:27 left in the third quarter. Siegrist, the BIG EAST's leading scorer, had scored 18 at that point and finished with a game-high 30. The Wildcats closed out the quarter on an 8-2 run and led 55-45 going into the final 10 minutes.

DePaul certainly seemed ready for the challenge from the opening tip. Allen, Morris and Church scored within the first 90 seconds and forced Villanova coach Denise Dillon to burn an early timeout.

Opposing coaches are familiar with the Blue Demon penchant for taking off on decisive runs. Villanova came within eight when Held, Morris and Bekelja helped to establish a 20-9 lead. It was 22-12 after one quarter as Bekelja and Rogers combined for eight critical rebounds.

The Wildcats opened the second quarter with a 7-1 run and cut the DePaul lead to 23-19 as coach Doug Bruno called timeout. Morris responded with a three-pointer when play resumed but Villanova scored the next seven and trailed by one.

It was tight the rest of the quarter. Morris hit a short jumper to give her team a 36-34 lead until Brianna Herlihy's buzzer-beating three lifted Villanova to a 37-36 lead at halftime.

Morris had 11 points at the break, and led by Rogers' eight rebounds, DePaul was winning the battle of the board at that point 25-15 and finishng with a 42-40 edge.

Postgame Notes

The Blue Demons had won 10 consecutive BIG EAST tournament games and 19 of their last 21 until Saturday.
Bruno's program is 26-11 all-time in the BIG EAST postseason and 9-7 in quarterfinal action.
DePaul's series record against Villanova is now 17-7 and 1-1 in BIG EAST tournament play.
Sonya Morris is second in the BIG EAST in scoring 20-or-more points with 11 times in 20 games. Villanova's Maddy Siegrist leads with 12. Morris' 26 points on Jan. 16 at Georgetown tied her season and the team high---also scoring 26 Dec. 13 against Loyola.
This was the earliest DePaul has ever exited the BIG EAST tournament.
Lexi Held is a double-figure scorer in every game except one and has 133 points in her last seven games.
Morris has 147 points in her last eight games.
Held has 41 steals in her last nine games and is No. 4 in the nation in steals.
DePaul checked in at No. 25 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 and was second in receiving votes in the USA Today/Coaches poll---placing the Blue Demons at No. 27.
Bruno's full-court pressure tactics and his players' ball-hawking aggression have forced 20 or more turnovers in 14 of 22 games this season including 27 against then-No. 10/10 Texas A&M and 23 against both then-No. 2/2 Louisville and No. 9/9 Kentucky. Georgetown's 33 miscues on Jan. 16 were a season high. Villanova had 16 on Saturday. The Blue Demons are No. 8 in the nation in forcing turnovers averaging 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.