Strong Defensive Effort Propels DePaul to 66-43 Win Over Butler

Saturday, December 21

Chicago, Ill.

2 p.m.

DePaul University

Butler

Strong Defensive Effort Propels DePaul to 66-43 Win Over Butler

12/21/2024 4:45:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

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Blue Demons hold Bulldogs to season-low 43 points

CHICAGO – DePaul women's basketball opened BIG EAST play in a big way, holding Butler to a season-low 43 points in a 66-43 victory on Saturday afternoon at Wintrust Arena.

The Blue Demons contained the Bulldogs to just 14 points between the second and third quarters to gradually build their lead and clinch a win in the league lid lifter for the sixth-consecutive season.

DePaul (6-8, 1-0 BIG EAST) held a Butler team that knocked down 18 three-point field goals in their last outing, to just three makes on 19 attempts for its lowest three-point field-goal percentage(.158) in a game since March of 2023.

On the offensive side of the ball, Taylor Johnson-Matthews exploded for a career-high 22 points on 50-percent shooting for the Blue Demons. The junior guard finished in double-figures for the sixth-straight game .

Jorie Allen tallied her second double-double of the season and seventh of her career with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Allen dished out seven assists to match her season-high. The graduate forward extended her double-digit scoring streak to 14 games.

Indiana native Meg Newman finished in double-figures for the seventh time in 2024 with 12 points while grabbing eight rebounds.

As a team, DePaul committed a season-low 10 turnovers while blanking the Bulldogs in second chance points, 11-0. The Blue Demons totaled 18 assists on 24 made baskets for a 75-percent assist rate.

Butler's Lily Carmody had a team-high 12 points while three Bulldogs totaled six or more.

How It Happened
The two sides shot extremely efficient out of the gate, combining for a 62-percent (10-for-16) clip from the field in the first five minutes of the game. The Bulldogs knocked down a pair of early triples to lead 14-10 at the media timeout. DePaul held Butler without a field goal for a six-minute stretch to close the first quarter on a 15-1 run and take a 23-15 advantage after 10 minutes.

Grace Carstensen's third triple on her third attempt stretched the Blue Demons' lead to 11 and force an early Butler timeout in the second quarter. All in all, DePaul held the Bulldogs without a field goal for a 10-minute stretch between the first two periods to extend the lead to 13. After a five-minute field goal drought of their own, DePaul duo of Allen and Johnson-Matthews combined to score seven of the final nine points in the quarter to take a 37-24 lead into the locker room.

DePaul totaled 12 first-half assists on 13 made field goals.

Both sides struggled to find the bottom of the net in the third quarter with just three field goals between the two squads at the under-five media break. A pair of free throws from Newman gave DePaul its largest lead of the game, 45-28 with 3:03 left in the third quarter. A successful drive to the basket from sophomore guard Shakara McCline as time expired put DePaul in front 51-29 headed into the final quarter.

Butler's Carmody scored eight of her 12 points in the fourth quarter in hopes of sparking a comeback bid, but DePaul saw five different scorers knock down a field goal in the stanza capped by freshman Ellery Minch's long-range triple.

Up Next
The Blue Demons will break for the holidays before returning home to host Marquette on Sunday, Dec. 29. Tipoff from Wintrust Arena is set for 2 p.m. Live coverage can be found on FloHoops.

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