Blue Demons Travel to Villanova for Regular Season Finale

VILLANOVA, Pa. – DePaul women's basketball will close out the 2023-24 regular season on Sunday, March 3 with a matchup against Villanova. Tipoff from Finneran Pavilion is set for 4 p.m. CST with coverage on FS1. Greg Mescall and Isis Young will have the call for the national television audience.

Noting the Blue Demons
DePaul (12-18, 4-13 BIG EAST) heads into the final day of the regular season looking to snap a five-game losing streak and pick up some momentum heading into postseason play. The Blue Demons are coming off a 73-70 loss to Butler on Wednesday in which the Blue Demons led for 35 minutes before being held scoreless in the final three minutes of the game.

Graduate forward Jorie Allen led the way with her third 20-point performance of the season while Kate Clarke recorded 15 points to post back-to-back double figure games for the first time since December. Allen is averaging 14.0 points a game in DePaul's last five contests.

Katlyn Gilbert had a huge game on the boards against Butler with a career-high 17 rebounds, the most of any DePaul player this season, as the Blue Demons out-muscled the Bulldogs 40-32 on the glass.

Anaya Peoples continues to lead DePaul with 17.4 points per game and 8.0 rebounds a contest. She is the only player in the league in the top 10 in points, rebounds, steals and blocks while ranking 11th in assists.

As a team, DePaul's defensive pressure has forced a league-high 17.63 turnovers per game while forcing 16 or more in 21 of 30 games on the season.

Sunday also serves as a homecoming for sophomore guard Maeve McErlane who hails from nearby Havertown, Pa., just six miles from Villanova's campus.

Scouting the Wildcats
Villanova is 17-11 on the season including a 10-7 mark in league play. The Wildcats are coming off back-to-back losses to ranked conference foes in No. 21 Creighton and No. 10 Connecticut.

VU is led by the BIG EAST's top scorer in junior guard Lucy Olsen who is averaging 23.0 points per game. Olsen has a league-best seven 30-point performances this season. Christina Dalce complements her classmate well, leading the conference in rebounding (9.8 rpg) and blocked shots (2.4 bpg).

The Wildcats have stepped up their defense in BIG EAST play, holding opponents to just 58.7 points per contest which ranks second behind UConn.

Series Stuff
DePaul holds the all-time series 20-12 while Villanova has won the last five meetings. The Wildcats are 7-6 on their home court through the previous 13 matchups.

Up Next: DePaul will head home to Chicago to prepare for the 2024 BIG EAST Tournament, March 8-11, hosted at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The Blue Demons will be the 10-seed and play either Seton Hall or Georgetown in Friday's first round with tipoff scheduled for 12:30 p.m. CST. First round coverage can be followed on FloHoops.

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 Travel to Villanova for Regular Season Finale

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jorie Allen

Kate Clarke

Katlyn Gilbert

Maeve McErlane

Anaya Peoples

DePaul University Athletics