Allen’s Double-Double Paces DePaul in First Round Loss to Xavier

Friday, March 7

Uncasville, Conn.

3 p.m.

DePaul University

13-19,8-10Big East

Xavier

7-23,1-17Big East

Xavier

DePaul

Allen’s Double-Double Paces DePaul in First Round Loss to Xavier

3/7/2025 5:51:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

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Graduate student goes for 28 points and 12 rebounds

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – After falling behind in the first half, sixth-seeded DePaul women's basketball erased a 22-point deficit but couldn't complete the comeback in an 80-73 loss to No. 11 seed Xavier in the first round of the 2025 BIG EAST Tournament on Friday afternoon.

The Blue Demons season comes to an end with a 13-19 record including an 8-10 mark in conference action.

Graduate student Jorie Allen recorded her third double-double of the season to lead the Blue Demons with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Allen finished in double figures in all 32 games in her final season and posted 17 outings of 20 or more points.

Freshman guard Natiah Nelson finished in double figure with a career-high 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting in addition to four rebounds and three assists.

Kate Clarke and Taylor Johnson-Matthews recorded 11 and 10 points, respectively. Johnson-Matthews went 4-for-5 from the field.

The Blue Demons dominated in the paint, outscoring the Musketeers 40-16, while claiming the upper hand in second-chance points 21-2 behind 15 offensive rebounds.

Meri Kanerva and Aizhanique Mayo combined to score 55 of Xavier's points. The Musketeers shot 45-percent from three, connecting on 11 of 24 attempts.

How It Happened
Xavier (7-23) hit six of their first nine field goal attempts while the Blue Demons committed six turnovers in the first five minutes, trailing 15-2 halfway through the opening quarter. Clarke broke a near two-minute scoring drought for DePaul with her first triple of the game. Nelson's offensive rebound and putback with seven seconds remaining trimmed the deficit to 22-11 after 10 minutes.

Scoring was scarce in the second quarter on both ends of the floor, with the two teams combining for five field goals through the first eight minutes of the period. Allen found her fifth basket of the first half with three seconds remaining before the Musketeers connected on a halfcourt heave to take a 33-19 into the intermission.

Back-to-back triples for Xavier to open the second half ballooned its lead to 20. The Blue Demons used a 16-4 run to get back into the game and come within 10 with a minute left in the third. The Musketeers had a 58-47 advantage with 10 minutes to play.

The Blue Demons opened the fourth quarter with a 15-4 spurt to tie the game with five minutes to go. Xavier responded and outscored DePaul 17-11 in the final five minutes of the game including a 13-for-14 clip from the free throw line in the final stanza to advance to Saturday's Quarterfinals.