DePaul University Athletics
Friday, January 14
Chicago, Ill.
5:30 P.M. CT
DePaul University
vs
Villanova
DePaul Ready for Bounce-Back Vault Over Villanova on FS2
1/13/2022 5:49:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Proof of vaccination required for all Wintrust Arena guests at Friday's game
CHICAGO – A big-time bounce-back is the first order of the day for coach Doug Bruno and his Blue Demons.
Prior to the pandemic when NCAA basketball operated on a more normal landscape, it was rare for DePaul to lose consecutive games.
The program had a long and illustrious history of being a quick study evaluating a setback and making every effort to rectify mistakes and shortcomings.
That pedigree will serve the Blue Demons well when talented Villanova rolls into town riding a five-game winning streak that features BIG EAST wins over Seton Hall and St. John's.
This will be the first women's game at Wintrust Arena that all guests age five and older will need to provide physical or digital proof of COVID-19 vaccination upon entry to the arena for the rest of the season.
In accordance with the City of Chicago's new mitigation requirements announced on Dec. 21, fans age five and older must provide physical or digital proof of COVID-19 vaccination at the entrance to Wintrust Arena. The new city requirements went into effect on Jan. 3, 2022.
Patrons age five and older must show proof of full vaccination (as defined by the CDC) while those 16 and over will also need to provide identification that matches their vaccination record.
Proof of vaccination is defined by the City of Chicago as a CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card, an official immunization record from the jurisdiction, state, or country where the vaccine was administered or a digital or physical photo of such a card or record reflecting the person's name, vaccine brand and date administered.
Friday's game that tips at 5:30 p.m. at Wintrust Arena will be televised nationally on FS2 with New York Mets radio voice Wayne Randazzo handling play-by-play and Meghan McKeown as analyst.
Please don't be fooled by the Wildcats' seemingly innocuous 8-5 overall record, 2-2 in conference. All-BIG EAST standout Maddy Siegrist missed six games with an injury. Since her return, Villanova is 5-0 as the 6-foot, 1-inch junior forward leads her team with 22.9 points and 9.4 rebounds a game.
Keeping Siegrist in check would seem to fall to DePaul's own 6-1 dynamic forward, freshman Aneesah Morrow. Her numbers stack up favorably with Siegrist averaging 18.8 points and 12.2 rebounds.
Morrow's impact on the NCAA women's basketball scene is quite palpable. She leads the nation in rebounds and double-doubles, is second in offensive rebounds per game, third in field goals, fifth in rebounds per game, No. 11 in points and blocks and No. 12 in steals.
Along with the leadership trio of seniors Sonya Morris (16.8 points a game), Lexi Held (14.5 points) and graduate student Deja Church (14.3 points), DePaul leads the nation in scoring at 91.7 points a game and is second in assists and assists per game.
Rounding out the starting five is sophomore Darrione Rogers (11.1 points a game) to give Bruno a starting lineup averaging 75.5 points a game. As a comparison, Villanova's entire team is scoring 62 points a game.
All that fearsome firepower was of little use to the Blue Demon program in the first half of Wednesday night's overtime loss at Marquette. When Bruno's shoot-it-or-share-it protocol is out of sync and shots aren't falling, you have a team shooting just 11-of-38 (28.9 percent) that also went 0-for-8 from three-point range.
To their credit, DePaul's players collectively had one another's backs and came storming back with 60 points in the second half and overtime including 7-of-14 from deep.
Watch for the home team to come out strong from the opening tip, wholly determined to avoid the first-half mistakes that bogged everything down in Milwaukee.
After the halftime horn sounds on Friday evening, stay glued to your seats for one of the most entertaining performing acts in Chicago---the ever-popular Jesse White Tumblers.
Their signature high-flying acrobatics and crowd-pleasing routines will be magnified as DePaul freshman and Athletics Department student worker Jamari Grant will be fired up to put on a show.
Grant is attending DePaul courtesy of a generous scholarship sponsored by former Blue Demon soccer player Marc Jacobson who collaborated with DePaul Athletics Director DeWayne Peevy to create a $240,000 scholarship for a Jesse White Tumbler to attend DePaul and work in the athletics department as a student assistant in the area of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
Grant began training with the Jesse White Tumblers when he was 11 years old and was asked about one day performing in front of fellow students and the university community.
"That would be so cool," Grant said with a big smile. "I'd love to perform at a DePaul game."
For those unfamiliar with the Jesse White Tumblers show, the soaring vaulters climax with the grand finale known as "The Chain." One by one, the tumblers vault over teammates and then take their place on the chain for the next jumper. Grant is currently in the middle of the chain.
"The first time my grandmother came to watch, she got so excited and told me I had jumped over nine people," Grant said. "I don't think about how many people I clear so I won't get nervous.
"My goal is to one day be at the very end of the line---the No. 1 tumbler who hurdles over the entire team."
Prior to the pandemic when NCAA basketball operated on a more normal landscape, it was rare for DePaul to lose consecutive games.
The program had a long and illustrious history of being a quick study evaluating a setback and making every effort to rectify mistakes and shortcomings.
That pedigree will serve the Blue Demons well when talented Villanova rolls into town riding a five-game winning streak that features BIG EAST wins over Seton Hall and St. John's.
This will be the first women's game at Wintrust Arena that all guests age five and older will need to provide physical or digital proof of COVID-19 vaccination upon entry to the arena for the rest of the season.
In accordance with the City of Chicago's new mitigation requirements announced on Dec. 21, fans age five and older must provide physical or digital proof of COVID-19 vaccination at the entrance to Wintrust Arena. The new city requirements went into effect on Jan. 3, 2022.
Patrons age five and older must show proof of full vaccination (as defined by the CDC) while those 16 and over will also need to provide identification that matches their vaccination record.
Proof of vaccination is defined by the City of Chicago as a CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card, an official immunization record from the jurisdiction, state, or country where the vaccine was administered or a digital or physical photo of such a card or record reflecting the person's name, vaccine brand and date administered.
Friday's game that tips at 5:30 p.m. at Wintrust Arena will be televised nationally on FS2 with New York Mets radio voice Wayne Randazzo handling play-by-play and Meghan McKeown as analyst.
Please don't be fooled by the Wildcats' seemingly innocuous 8-5 overall record, 2-2 in conference. All-BIG EAST standout Maddy Siegrist missed six games with an injury. Since her return, Villanova is 5-0 as the 6-foot, 1-inch junior forward leads her team with 22.9 points and 9.4 rebounds a game.
Keeping Siegrist in check would seem to fall to DePaul's own 6-1 dynamic forward, freshman Aneesah Morrow. Her numbers stack up favorably with Siegrist averaging 18.8 points and 12.2 rebounds.
Morrow's impact on the NCAA women's basketball scene is quite palpable. She leads the nation in rebounds and double-doubles, is second in offensive rebounds per game, third in field goals, fifth in rebounds per game, No. 11 in points and blocks and No. 12 in steals.
Along with the leadership trio of seniors Sonya Morris (16.8 points a game), Lexi Held (14.5 points) and graduate student Deja Church (14.3 points), DePaul leads the nation in scoring at 91.7 points a game and is second in assists and assists per game.
Rounding out the starting five is sophomore Darrione Rogers (11.1 points a game) to give Bruno a starting lineup averaging 75.5 points a game. As a comparison, Villanova's entire team is scoring 62 points a game.
All that fearsome firepower was of little use to the Blue Demon program in the first half of Wednesday night's overtime loss at Marquette. When Bruno's shoot-it-or-share-it protocol is out of sync and shots aren't falling, you have a team shooting just 11-of-38 (28.9 percent) that also went 0-for-8 from three-point range.
To their credit, DePaul's players collectively had one another's backs and came storming back with 60 points in the second half and overtime including 7-of-14 from deep.
Watch for the home team to come out strong from the opening tip, wholly determined to avoid the first-half mistakes that bogged everything down in Milwaukee.
After the halftime horn sounds on Friday evening, stay glued to your seats for one of the most entertaining performing acts in Chicago---the ever-popular Jesse White Tumblers.
Their signature high-flying acrobatics and crowd-pleasing routines will be magnified as DePaul freshman and Athletics Department student worker Jamari Grant will be fired up to put on a show.
Grant is attending DePaul courtesy of a generous scholarship sponsored by former Blue Demon soccer player Marc Jacobson who collaborated with DePaul Athletics Director DeWayne Peevy to create a $240,000 scholarship for a Jesse White Tumbler to attend DePaul and work in the athletics department as a student assistant in the area of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
Grant began training with the Jesse White Tumblers when he was 11 years old and was asked about one day performing in front of fellow students and the university community.
"That would be so cool," Grant said with a big smile. "I'd love to perform at a DePaul game."
For those unfamiliar with the Jesse White Tumblers show, the soaring vaulters climax with the grand finale known as "The Chain." One by one, the tumblers vault over teammates and then take their place on the chain for the next jumper. Grant is currently in the middle of the chain.
"The first time my grandmother came to watch, she got so excited and told me I had jumped over nine people," Grant said. "I don't think about how many people I clear so I won't get nervous.
"My goal is to one day be at the very end of the line---the No. 1 tumbler who hurdles over the entire team."
Players Mentioned
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