Late Rally Lifts Villanova Over DePaul

Sunday, March 3

Villanova, Pa.

4:00 P.M. CT

DePaul University

12-19,4-14Big East

Villanova

18-11,11-7Big East

DePaul

Villanova

3/3/2024 6:19:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Five Blue Demons finish in double figures in the setback

VILLANOVA, PA. – After an efficient start and a strong third quarter, DePaul's five-minute fourth-quarter scoring drought and costly turnovers made way for Villanova to claim a 68-66 victory at the buzzer on the final day of the regular season.

The Blue Demons led for 39 minutes in the contest, weathering a multitude of Wildcat runs, but couldn't withstand a final surge in a hostile Finneran Pavilion.

DePaul (12-19, 4-14) saw five players finish in double figures in a balanced scoring attack led by Jorie Allen and Katlyn Gilbert who totaled 14 points apiece. Allen secured her fourth double-double of the season with 12 rebounds while Anaya Peoples joined her with a double-double of her own on 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Kate Clarke and Michelle Sidor finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Lucy Olsen, the BIG EAST's leading scorer, paced Villanova with a game-high 31 points.

How it Happened
DePaul opened the game on a 7-1 run, holding Villanova without a field goal for the first five minutes of action. After back-to-back Wildcat buckets, DePaul used a 16-2 run over the next three minutes to take a 23-7 lead after 10 minutes.

After Peoples scored the first basket of the second quarter, Villanova responded with a 19-2 run to come with a point 27-26, with three minutes remaining in the half. The Wildcats converted a pair of DePaul turnovers into layups to get back within one before Clarke knocked in a triple as the second quarter buzzer sounded to put the Blue Demons in front 36-32 at the half.

Sidor's second three of the evening stretched the visitors lead to eight three minutes into the third quarter. Despite back-to-back buckets from Olsen to make it a three-possession game, Allen scored the final two field goals of the quarter down low as the Blue Demons led 55-46 heading into the fourth.

The Blue Demons scored the first five points of the final frame, before going on a five- minute scoring drought as Villanova clawed back within three with just over three minutes to play. Edwards broke the cold spell with a layup on the baseline out of bounds to widen the advantage back to five. The Wildcats took their first lead of the day with 45 seconds remaining in the fourth. Peoples responded with a drive to the basket to reclaim the lead before Gilbert hit the back-half of a pair of free throws to put DePaul back in front by two. Olsen hit a pair of free throws with two seconds remaining to tie the game, but a late DePaul turnover gave Villanova one last chance, and they capitalized as Olsen converted a jumper from the elbow as time expired.

Up Next
DePaul will turn its attention to the 2024 BIG EAST Tournament, March 8-11, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The Blue Demons are the No. 10 seed and will face seventh-seeded Seton Hall on Friday, March 8 at 12:30 p.m. CST. First round coverage can be found 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.