DePaul University Athletics
Sunday, January 30
South Orange, NJ
3:30 P.M. CT
DePaul University
at
Seton Hall
DePaul Visits Seton Hall Sunday for Third Game in Five Days
1/29/2022 4:57:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Confronts BIG EAST adversary in front of FS1 national TV audience
CHICAGO – For the second time in three weeks, DePaul is playing three games in five days.
That is quite a grind even for the best-conditioned athletes.
Gauntlet No. 2 comes to an end Sunday in South Orange, N.J. when the 17-5 Blue Demons extend themselves one more time against a Seton Hall team that is far more dangerous than its 8-9 record would indicate.
The 3:30 p.m. tip is being televised nationally on FS1---DePaul's second consecutive opportunity for nationwide exposure.
Coach Doug Bruno is doing his best to provide his players with whatever rest and recovery is available. The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame finalist appreciates how his seven-player rotation is going beyond the call of duty.
You have to admire the toughness and deep reservoir of resilience of Sonya Morris, Lexi Held, Deja Church, Darrione Rogers, Aneesah Morrow, Kierra Collier and Kendall Holmes.
They are giving Bruno everything they've got in their Magnificent Seven mode.
Morrow leads the nation in double-doubles with 17 and is second in points, rebounds and field goals. Morris is third in field goals and fifth in shot attempts. Held is No. 7 in the country in assists and Church ranks No. 12 in free throw percentage at 91.4 percent.
Gauntlet No. 2 began with a full 40 minutes of NCAA tournament-like pressure in an 80-78 setback to No. 10/9 Connecticut. It was a showdown on Wednesday night that truly could have gone either way.
Two days later, DePaul (9-2 in the BIG EAST) is again stretched to the limit (remember that word resiliency) when St. John's fast-paced, attack-mode offense misfired only at the end of a 94-88 Blue Demon win.
Perhaps Morris, Held & Co. filed away in their top-notch GPA minds how to navigate such duress after Gauntlet No. 1 when they played Marquette, Villanova and Georgetown Jan. 12-16 and went 2-1.
It certainly helps to have the invaluable experience of Morris, Held and Church who collectively can pool together 13 years of NCAA experience at the highest level.
It certainly helps to have the freshness of young legs in junior Collier and sophomores Rogers and Holmes.
It certainly helps to have the seemingly indefatigable high motor and bouncy, forceful presence of freshman Morrow who relentlessly attacks the boards, exchanges body blows in the blocks and carries herself with the ferocious attitude of a linebacker that was her father Ed Morrow playing for 1994 national champion Nebraska.
These Blue Demons will summon up all of the above along with a force of will when they encounter a Seton Hall team led by the BIG EAST's best point guard not named Paige Bueckers in Lauren Park-Lane.
The 5-foot, 6-inch junior impacts the game from every angle and can burn you in every which way. She leads the Pirates at 16.9 points a game while also raising her teammates' play averaging a BIG EAST-leading 6.6 assists.
Park-Lane is second in the conference in assist-turnover ratio and leads the Pirates in three-point percentage (.368) and steals.
Feeding off her superb leadership are backcourt mate Andra Espinoza-Hunter (15.8 points a game) and 6-4 Sidney Cooks (12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds).
Seton Hall coach Tony Bozzella might just be the BIG EAST's best at spacing the floor to maximize his players' strengths.
That is quite a grind even for the best-conditioned athletes.
Gauntlet No. 2 comes to an end Sunday in South Orange, N.J. when the 17-5 Blue Demons extend themselves one more time against a Seton Hall team that is far more dangerous than its 8-9 record would indicate.
The 3:30 p.m. tip is being televised nationally on FS1---DePaul's second consecutive opportunity for nationwide exposure.
Coach Doug Bruno is doing his best to provide his players with whatever rest and recovery is available. The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame finalist appreciates how his seven-player rotation is going beyond the call of duty.
You have to admire the toughness and deep reservoir of resilience of Sonya Morris, Lexi Held, Deja Church, Darrione Rogers, Aneesah Morrow, Kierra Collier and Kendall Holmes.
They are giving Bruno everything they've got in their Magnificent Seven mode.
Morrow leads the nation in double-doubles with 17 and is second in points, rebounds and field goals. Morris is third in field goals and fifth in shot attempts. Held is No. 7 in the country in assists and Church ranks No. 12 in free throw percentage at 91.4 percent.
Gauntlet No. 2 began with a full 40 minutes of NCAA tournament-like pressure in an 80-78 setback to No. 10/9 Connecticut. It was a showdown on Wednesday night that truly could have gone either way.
Two days later, DePaul (9-2 in the BIG EAST) is again stretched to the limit (remember that word resiliency) when St. John's fast-paced, attack-mode offense misfired only at the end of a 94-88 Blue Demon win.
Perhaps Morris, Held & Co. filed away in their top-notch GPA minds how to navigate such duress after Gauntlet No. 1 when they played Marquette, Villanova and Georgetown Jan. 12-16 and went 2-1.
It certainly helps to have the invaluable experience of Morris, Held and Church who collectively can pool together 13 years of NCAA experience at the highest level.
It certainly helps to have the freshness of young legs in junior Collier and sophomores Rogers and Holmes.
It certainly helps to have the seemingly indefatigable high motor and bouncy, forceful presence of freshman Morrow who relentlessly attacks the boards, exchanges body blows in the blocks and carries herself with the ferocious attitude of a linebacker that was her father Ed Morrow playing for 1994 national champion Nebraska.
These Blue Demons will summon up all of the above along with a force of will when they encounter a Seton Hall team led by the BIG EAST's best point guard not named Paige Bueckers in Lauren Park-Lane.
The 5-foot, 6-inch junior impacts the game from every angle and can burn you in every which way. She leads the Pirates at 16.9 points a game while also raising her teammates' play averaging a BIG EAST-leading 6.6 assists.
Park-Lane is second in the conference in assist-turnover ratio and leads the Pirates in three-point percentage (.368) and steals.
Feeding off her superb leadership are backcourt mate Andra Espinoza-Hunter (15.8 points a game) and 6-4 Sidney Cooks (12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds).
Seton Hall coach Tony Bozzella might just be the BIG EAST's best at spacing the floor to maximize his players' strengths.
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