Blue Demons Open Ball Dawgs Classic Versus No. 9 Oklahoma

CHICAGO – DePaul women's basketball is set to open competition at the 2024 Ball Dawgs Classic in Henderson, Nevada on Monday, Nov. 25 when it takes on its second ranked opponent of the season in No. 9 Oklahoma.

Tipoff against the Sooners is expected at approximately 4:30 p.m. CT or 30 minutes following the conclusion of No. 10 Kansas State versus No. 14 Duke.

Live coverage for all games of the multi-team event (MTE) will be carried on FloCollege with Tony Cordasco and Kevaney Martin on the call.

Fans can purchase tickets to the Ball Dawgs Classic here.

Demon Doings
DePaul is 2-3 on the season with each of the three losses coming to teams that won their conference championship a season ago. The Blue Demons most recently dropped a 70-57 decision to Green Bay on the road on Thursday.

Against the Phoenix, three Blue Demons finished in double figures led by Jorie Allen's game-high 20 points. Allen has scored 20 points in three of the first five games this season and paces DePaul's offense with 19.8 points per game while shooting 53-percent from the field.

Junior guard Taylor Johnson-Matthews has added 13.2 points per contest which ranks second on the team while redshirt-junior forward Meg Newman is leading the team in rebounds with 7.2 per game.

The Blue Demons have excelled at drawing contact and getting to the free throw line, earning an average of 17.4 attempts per game, which ranks second in the conference. Jorie Allen's 35 made free throws through five games is good for 12th among Division I players.

With a combined 10 freshmen and sophomores on this year's squad, DePaul will look to continue finding scoring from all areas as the starting lineup has accounted for 78-percent of its scoring output three weeks into the season.

The Thanksgiving-week tournament played just outside of Las Vegas serves as a homecoming for sophomore forward Charlece Ohiaeri who won three state championships in high school with nearby national powerhouse Centennial.

Oklahoma Notes
The ninth-ranked Sooners are 5-0 on the season after a resounding 88-58 victory over UNLV on Friday evening. They return all five starters from their 2024 Big 12 Championship team while adding All-American center Raegan Beers from Oregon State.

OU has won all five of their contests by 30 or more points and rank eighth in the country in scoring offense (92.0 points/per game) and seventh in scoring margin (+40.4 points/per game). Beers leads three Sooners averaging double figures with 19.0 points to go with 10.8 rebounds a game. She is shooting 70-percent from the field.

Oklahoma, playing in its first season in the Southeastern Conference, was selected to finish fourth in the league in both the coaches and media preseason polls.

Head coach Jennie Baranczyk is in her fourth season leading the Oklahoma program. A familiar face is on the OU bench as Nicci Hays Fort joined Baranczyk's staff in the offseason. Hays Fort spent five seasons on Doug Bruno's staff as an assistant coach from 2006-2011.

Series Stuff
DePaul leads the all-time series with Oklahoma 4-1 and has won the last four meetings. The last time the two squads faced off was an 87-76 win Blue Demons victory in Norman, Okla. on Dec. 9, 2018.

On neutral courts against the Sooners, DePaul is 2-0 with a pair of wins in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and 2018.

Up Next
The Blue Demons will face either No. 10 Kansas State or No. 14 Duke in Wednesday's Championship or Consolation game. Live coverage will be carried on FloCollege with tipoff time to be determined.

Ticket Information
Season Tickets for the 2024-25 women's basketball season at Wintrust Arena start at $95. Secure your seats today at www.DePaulBlueDemons.com/tickets and commit to DePaul Women's Basketball!

Mobile Passes, Group Outings, Suite Rentals and Single-Game Tickets are on sale now. Fans can stay up-to-date on special ticket offers by signing up for email or text updates from DePaul Athletics.

Follow the Blue Demons
For all the latest information on DePaul Women's Basketball, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Blue Demons Open Ball Dawgs Classic Versus No. 9 Oklahoma

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Players Mentioned

Jorie Allen

Taylor Johnson-Matthews

Meg Newman

Charlece Ohiaeri

DePaul University Athletics