DePaul University Athletics

Three in Double Figures Pushes DePaul Over Xavier 57-50
1/22/2025 10:27:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Blue Demons earn season sweep over Musketeers
CHICAGO – DePaul women's basketball completed the season sweep of Xavier on Wednesday night with a 57-50 victory at Wintrust Arena. The Blue Demons overcame a slow start, trailing by eight in the first quarter, behind a 21-6 run in a quarter and a half span.
In her first start of the season, junior guard Kate Clarke paced three Blue Demons in double figures in scoring with 15 points on 3-for-8 shooting from deep.
Jorie Allen finished in double figures for the 21st-consecutive game with 13 points, 11 of which came in the second half, to go along with a season-high seven assists and six rebounds.
Junior guard Taylor Johnson-Matthews finished with 10 or more points for the 16th time this season with 12 on the evening in addition to five rebounds and three assists.
DePaul (10-11, 5-3 BIG EAST) shared the ball extremely well, dishing out 17 assists on 20 made field goals. Sumer Lee and Allen combined for 13 helpers.
The Blue Demons edged the Musketeers 41-28 on the glass for its largest rebound margin of the season. Meg Newman led the Blue Demons in rebounding for the 11th time this season with eight boards.
Loren Christie posted a game-high 16 points to lead Xavier.
How It Happened
The Musketeers scored thirty seconds into the game, holding the lead for the remainder of the period. While DePaul held a slight 10-5 first-quarter rebound advantage, the Blue Demons hit just three field goals, with the scoreboard reading 18 to 10 after one. Allen assisted on all three Blue Demon baskets in the first quarter.
Clarke put DePaul in the scoring column early in the second, knocking down two-consecutive three pointers, followed by a Meg Newman fastbreak finish to pull in front 20-18. The Blue Demons held Xavier scoreless for nearly four minutes over this stretch. A third Clarke three pushed DePaul's scoring run to eight unanswered. Neither team registered a point in the final five minutes of the first half, making the score 22-21 in favor of the Musketeers.
Again, Clarke opened a period with two-straight baskets, hitting two layups off forced turnovers to give DePaul its largest lead of the night, 25-22. A pair of Hailey Walker steals pushed DePaul in front by seven, 29-22. Both sides traded seven consecutive baskets before Shakara McCline broke the streak on a driving finish to give the Blue Demons an eleven point lead, 40-29. Heading into the fourth, the Blue Demons were ahead 42-35.
Eight seconds into the fourth quarter, McCline converted on an and-one finish, pushing her scoring output to eight. A Johnson-Matthews-and-one halted DePaul's dry spell, keeping the Blue Demons' lead near ten, 48-39. Xavier responded, knocking down a pair of threes and a turnaround jumper to axe DePaul's lead to two with one minute remaining, 52-50. Steals by Allen and Lee in the final minute all but sealed the Blue Demons' fifth BIG EAST victory of the season.
Up Next
DePaul will travel to Indianapolis to take on Butler Sunday, Jan. 26. Tipoff at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse is set for 1 p.m. CT with live coverage on FloCollege.
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.
In her first start of the season, junior guard Kate Clarke paced three Blue Demons in double figures in scoring with 15 points on 3-for-8 shooting from deep.
Jorie Allen finished in double figures for the 21st-consecutive game with 13 points, 11 of which came in the second half, to go along with a season-high seven assists and six rebounds.
Junior guard Taylor Johnson-Matthews finished with 10 or more points for the 16th time this season with 12 on the evening in addition to five rebounds and three assists.
DePaul (10-11, 5-3 BIG EAST) shared the ball extremely well, dishing out 17 assists on 20 made field goals. Sumer Lee and Allen combined for 13 helpers.
The Blue Demons edged the Musketeers 41-28 on the glass for its largest rebound margin of the season. Meg Newman led the Blue Demons in rebounding for the 11th time this season with eight boards.
Loren Christie posted a game-high 16 points to lead Xavier.
How It Happened
The Musketeers scored thirty seconds into the game, holding the lead for the remainder of the period. While DePaul held a slight 10-5 first-quarter rebound advantage, the Blue Demons hit just three field goals, with the scoreboard reading 18 to 10 after one. Allen assisted on all three Blue Demon baskets in the first quarter.
Clarke put DePaul in the scoring column early in the second, knocking down two-consecutive three pointers, followed by a Meg Newman fastbreak finish to pull in front 20-18. The Blue Demons held Xavier scoreless for nearly four minutes over this stretch. A third Clarke three pushed DePaul's scoring run to eight unanswered. Neither team registered a point in the final five minutes of the first half, making the score 22-21 in favor of the Musketeers.
Again, Clarke opened a period with two-straight baskets, hitting two layups off forced turnovers to give DePaul its largest lead of the night, 25-22. A pair of Hailey Walker steals pushed DePaul in front by seven, 29-22. Both sides traded seven consecutive baskets before Shakara McCline broke the streak on a driving finish to give the Blue Demons an eleven point lead, 40-29. Heading into the fourth, the Blue Demons were ahead 42-35.
Eight seconds into the fourth quarter, McCline converted on an and-one finish, pushing her scoring output to eight. A Johnson-Matthews-and-one halted DePaul's dry spell, keeping the Blue Demons' lead near ten, 48-39. Xavier responded, knocking down a pair of threes and a turnaround jumper to axe DePaul's lead to two with one minute remaining, 52-50. Steals by Allen and Lee in the final minute all but sealed the Blue Demons' fifth BIG EAST victory of the season.
Up Next
DePaul will travel to Indianapolis to take on Butler Sunday, Jan. 26. Tipoff at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse is set for 1 p.m. CT with live coverage on FloCollege.
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.
Team Stats
XU
DePaul
FG%
.364
.377
3FG%
.250
.286
FT%
.375
.813
RB
28
41
TO
21
25
STL
10
12
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Demon Docs: Welcome Head Coach Jill M. Pizzotti
Tuesday, April 29
Episode 19: Jill M. Pizzotti, Women's Basketball Head Coach
Wednesday, April 16
Jill M. Pizzotti Introductory Press Conference
Tuesday, April 15
DePaul Women's Basketball: Jill Pizzotti Introductory Press Conference
Thursday, April 10