Blue Demons Host Purdue Fort Wayne for Field Trip Day

CHICAGO – DePaul women's basketball hosts Purdue Fort Wayne for its first of two Field Trip Day games this season Friday, Nov. 6, at 11 a.m. at Wintrust Arena. The Blue Demons (1-0) are coming off a 90-65 win over Evansville in Tuesday's opener, and Friday's game is the second of three games in six days to start the season. Alex Cohen (play-by-play) and Kenny McReynolds (analyst) will call the game on ESPN+.

Friday is the first of two Field Trip Day games on the 2026-27 schedule, with DePaul hosting students from Chicago Public Schools and around the Chicagoland area.

Field Trip Day is presented by Wintrust Jr. Savers Club. It comes off a record-breaking 2025 event, when 9,526 attendees from 60 Chicagoland schools filled Wintrust Arena. That was the largest crowd in program history, and it pushed the initiative's all-time attendance past 76,000 since 2008.

Demon Doings
DePaul opened year two under head coach Jill M. Pizzotti with a 90-65 win over Evansville Tuesday. After falling behind 10-0 to start the game, the Blue Demons outscored the Purple Aces 53-32 in the second half to pull away. DePaul made 13 3-pointers, its most in a game since hitting 17 against Alabama State Dec. 17, 2023. The Blue Demons assisted on 25 of their 29 made field goals, the third time in the past three seasons they've reached 25 or more assists. DePaul also won the rebounding battle 39-25, and its bench outscored Evansville's reserves 30-17.

Zoey Ward led four Blue Demons in double figures with 20 points, her ninth career 20-point game. She passed 800 career points in the win. First-year Mikaia Litza had 15 points in her collegiate debut, hitting 5-of-7 from 3-point range and adding six assists. She scored nine of her points in the fourth quarter, including three triples in a 74-second span.

Gina Davorija added 13 points with a career-high seven assists, and her three steals matched a career best. Louis Volker had 11 points and 11 rebounds in her DePaul debut for the first double-double of her career. Doyinsola Lijirin grabbed 10 rebounds, six of them offensive, her 12th career double-digit rebounding game. DePaul won second-chance points 19-6.

The win improved DePaul to 41-12 all-time in season openers and 7-1 in openers at Wintrust Arena.

Scouting Purdue Fort Wayne
Purdue Fort Wayne (0-1) is in its first season under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad, who led Cleveland State for 15 seasons. The Mastodons went 21-14 last season and reached the WNIT Super 16. Eight newcomers join the roster, including three freshmen and four transfers. Purdue Fort Wayne opened the season Monday with a 75-63 home loss to Xavier. Avery Wagner and Nika Lokica each scored 15 points, and Wagner added nine rebounds.

Series Stuff
Friday marks the first meeting between the two teams.

Up Next
The Blue Demons close out a busy opening week Sunday when Stonehill visits the South Loop for a 2 p.m. tipoff. Fans can stream the action on ESPN+.

TICKET INFORMATION
Help us complete the DePaul 500! Full season tickets for the 2026-27 DePaul women's basketball season at Wintrust Arena are on sale now, starting at $125 per seat. Special discounts are available for DePaul faculty, staff, retirees and recent graduates (2022-26). Secure your seats today at DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets.

FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all the latest information on DePaul Women's Basketball, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Gina Davorija

Doyinsola Lijirin

Mikaia Litza

Louis Volker

Zoey Ward

DePaul University Athletics