DePaul Sets Sights on Inaugural Elevance Health Fort Myers Tip-Off

FORT MYERS, Fla. – DePaul women's basketball is set to begin a three-day stint at the inaugural Elevance Health Fort Myers Tip-Off, Nov. 25-27. The Blue Demons will meet No. 14 Maryland, Pittsburgh and Towson in the round-robin tournament at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on the campus of Florida Southwestern State College.

Game Info:
vs. No. 14 Maryland | Friday, Nov. 25 | 10 a.m. CT | FS2 | Stats
vs. Pittsburgh | Saturday, Nov. 26 | 1 p.m. CT | FSWBucs.com | Stats
vs. Towson | Sunday, Nov. 27 | 1 p.m. CT | FSWBucs.com | Stats

Opening Tip: DePaul enters the weekend 2-2, coming off a 98-83 victory over RV/RV Miami on Sunday which saw Darrione Rogers and Aneesah Morrow combine for 71 points.

The duo has paced the Blue Demons in the early stages of the 2022-23 season with Morrow, a preseason AP All-American, averaging a nation's-best 31.5 points per game to go along with 10.8 boards while Rogers is putting up 21.8 points and 5.8 assists per contest.

Notre Dame transfer Anaya Peoples has brought her all-around game to Chicago with an average of 9.8 points and 8.8 rebounds through four games. Jorie Allen, returning to the starting lineup after missing last season with injury, bolsters the front court alongside Morrow. After losing a pair of guards to injury, junior Kendall Holmes has stepped up as the lead ball handler.

DePaul ranks 11th in the nation in scoring offense with 89.0 points per game and is forcing 22.3 turnovers per game. As a team, the Blue Demons have won or shared the rebounding battle in all four games and hold a margin of +9.2 for the season.

Doug Bruno is in his 37th season leading DePaul's program and holds a record of 760-370 while earning his 800th career win in Sunday's victory over Miami.

Scouting Maryland: The 14th-ranked Terrapins are 4-1 heading into Fort Myers with their lone loss coming at the hands of 2022 reigning champions, No. 1 South Carolina. Before making the trip to Florida, Maryland took down then-No. 19 Baylor 73-68 last week in Waco. Diamond Miller, the Terps lone returning starter, leads the way with an average of 21.0 points per game while Princeton transfer Abby Myers has scored in double-figures in all five games to average 15.6. Brenda Frese is in her 21st season as the leader in College Park and led her program to the Sweet Sixteen in 2022.

Scouting Pittsburgh: Former BIG EAST peer, Pitt, is 4-0 on the young season after most recently picking up a win over local rival Duquesne on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers welcomed five newcomers to their squad while returning nine letterwinners from a 2021-22 squad that went 11-19 and 2-16 in ACC action. Junior guard Liatu King leads three Pitt players averaging double figures with 12.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Lance White is in his fifth season leading the Panthers program.

Scouting Towson: The Tigers, under first year head coach Laura Harper, have started the season 3-0 with wins over Longwood, Saint Francis and Maryland Eastern Shore. Kylie Kornegay-Lewis leads the team in points (20.7 ppg), rebounds (8.0 rpg) and assists (15). Anissa Rivera, a North Carolina Central transfer, is averaging 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds through three games. A season ago, Towson went 24-8 last earned an WNIT bid.

Series Stuff: The tournament's first contest will see DePaul and Maryland meet for just the second time The Terps took the lone previous meeting on November 23, 2001 in a Coaches vs. Cancer event in Ames, Iowa.

Saturday's meeting will mark the first matchup between DePaul and Pittsburgh, former BIG EAST opponents, since 2013. The Blue Demons are 9-4 all-time against the Panthers and have won seven of the last eight meetings including six in a row.

DePaul and Towson will meet for the first time in program history on Sunday. The Blue Demons are 4-0 all-time against current CAA member institutions.

Up Next: DePaul will return to Chicago before beginning BIG EAST play on the road with a matchup at Butler on Sunday, Dec. 4. Tipoff from Hinkle Fieldhouse is scheduled for 1 p.m. with coverage on FloHoops.

DePaul Sets Sights on Inaugural Elevance Health Fort Myers Tip-Off

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Players Mentioned

Jorie Allen

Kendall Holmes

Aneesah Morrow

Anaya Peoples

Darrione Rogers