DePaul WBB Holds off Xavier for 4th Straight Win

In a game similar to Monday night's win, DePaul beat Xavier 83-75. Once again, the Blue Demons led most for the way, and held off a few late Xavier surges to secure another win.

DePaul and Xavier battled in the first quarter with the Blue Demons having a slight edge at 19-17. A big second quarter saw DePaul gain a 36-27 halftime lead, a lead DePaul held through the end. Xavier got the edge 48-47 in the second half, but it wasn't enough to catch DePaul. Overall, DePaul led for 33:47 to Xavier's 4:08, although the game often seemed closer than that.

DePaul held the advantage in points from turnovers (25-9), second chance points (17-15) and fast break points (17-8). Xavier topped DePaul in points in the paint (40-34) and bench points (19-5). DePaul losing the bench points battle isn;t new to the team, as Coach Doug Bruno is relying mostly on his starters.

DePaul shot 38.3% from the field, 26.7% from three point land and 72.2% from the free throw line. Xavier shot 45.8%, 37.5% and 83.3% respectively.

Lexi Held topped the scoring sheet with 25 points. She also added six assists, five steals, two blocks and four rebounds in a well-rounded effort. Sonya Morris added 22 points and seven assists. Other Blue Demons in the scoing column were Dee Bekelja (20), Darrione Rogers (6), Jorie Allen (5), Hannah Purcell (3) and Kiara Dallmann (2).

Kaelynn Satterfield paced Xavier with 16 points. Three Musketeers, A'riana Gray, Aaliyah Dunham and Satterfield tied for the team rebound lead with seven.

As Coach Bruno discussed in the post-game presser, the great unknown was how Xavier would play after being off since January 23 due to COVID-19-related issues within its program. The ever-practical Bruno added that it's actually like that layoff or not. Any game can go any way. Still, the quick DePaul tempo could not have been a great welcome back to Xavier, but they held tough and forced DePaul to play hard the full 40 minutes.

One big highlight yesterday was Morris joining the 1,000 point club. Chjurch and Held reached that milestone earlier this season. In the post-game session, Morris and Held talked about their achievements, with both revealing they weren't aware of it as it was happening. Now they are quite aware of it as DePaul staffers and media members all congratulated them.

The Blue Demons now stand at 13-4. Those losses were against No. 1/1 Connecticut twice, No. 3/2 Louisville and No. 5/5 Texas A&M. DePaul returns to action on Saturday at Wintrust against Creighton in a game that will be televised nationally on FS1.

For more info on DePaul, go to DePaulBlueDemons.com. Also, check my recurring coverage here and at GlobalWomensSportsRadio.com, Patch.com and GlobalTravelerUSA.com.

On the Beat With the DePaul WBB Team Game 9

The No. 20/21 DePaul Blue Demons didn't plan on playing Monday, but those plans changed over the weekend when the BIG EAST rescheduled a game against Villanova for Monday. Despite the short notice, the Blue Demons rose to the challenge and defeated the Wildcats 94-82.

The first quarter was tight, with DePaul edging Villanova 20-19, but DePaul broke it open in the second to take a 54-43 halftime lead. DePaul outscored Villanova 40-39 in the second half to secure the victory. DePaul held the lead for 35:22 to Villanova's 2:50. There were only three lead changes and three ties, as DePaul was in control throughout the game.

DePaul's Sonya Morris paced her team with 22 points, edging out Darrione Rogers who had 21 points. Lexi Held (18), Deja Church (13) and Dee Bekelja (12) also scored in double digits. Jorie Allen added eight points to finish the DePaul scoring. The trio of Rogers, Held and Morris shot 12-of-22 from behind the arc (54.5 percent).

Madison Siegrist, the BIG EAST’s leading scorer and rebounder,  scored 31 and had nine rebounds to lead Villanova. She also had five assists, a steal and four blocked shots.

Villanova led DePaul in point in the paint (44-36), fast break points (25-17) and bench points 24-21). Second chance points belonged to DePaul (10-7).

The Blue Demons are fourth in the nation in forcing turnovers. They forced Villanova into 19 on Monday. DePaul’s full-court pressure has forced 23 or more turnovers in every game except three this season.

DePaul improved to 6-3 and 3-1 in the BIG EAST. The Blue Demons hit the road for a game at Butler on Thursday and then return to Wintrust Arena for a Sunday matchup against Creighton,

The rescheduling was a main topic in the post game press session as DePaul Coach Doug Bruno, Sonya Morris and Darrione Rogers fielded questions. As DePaul Assistant Director of Athletics Communications Bob Sakamoto said, "This is life in the pandemic." Everyone is basically ready for anything. It's not ideal, but at least basketball is being played again.

For more info on DePaul sports, check DePaulBlueDemons.com. Also, check my coverage here, on Patch.com, GlobalTravelerUSA.com and GlobalWomensSportsRadio.com.

On the Beat With DePaul WBB Game 6

Facing their third top ten opponent in this young season, the DePaul Blue Demons women's basketball team battled Kentucky and came away with an 86-82 win. The victory over No. 9/9 Kentucky wasn't a major surprise, but it was an upset for the No. 23/24 Blue Demons.

Kentucky started strong, building an 8 point lead midway through the first quarter. That would be their biggest lead of the game. By the end of the 1st quarter, DePaul was up by one, but Kentucky came back to lead at halftime 37-35. DePaul had an 8 point scoring run in the 3rd quarter to take a 7 point lead, their biggest of the game, and finished the 3rd quarter leading 57-53. DePaul matched Kentucky in the 4th to preserve the win.

DePaul, wearing their alternate red uniforms, led for 24:25 of the game, compared to Kentucky's 12:02. Kentucky dominated second chance points 21-8, but DePaul did the same with fast break points 38-17. DePaul had a slight edge in points in the paint 50-48.

Sonya Morris led the Blue Demons with 23 points. She also had 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in a great effort.

Deja Church had 18 points, and Lexi Held, Darrione Rogers and Dee Bekelja all had 12. Kayla Caudle (5), Kendall Holmes (2) and Jean Nadege (2) rounded out the scoring.

This was a bigger win than it would seem. Kentucky brought it to the Blue Demons all game long and DePaul stayed one step ahead. DePaul's resolve was clear in this seesaw battle. They never gave in and they never let up.

It was also an interesting win for new DePaul athletic director DeWayne Peevy. The former Kentucky deputy AD watched his new team defeat his former team. Was Peevy the secret weapon? All lips were sealed, but the win probably had more to do with DePaul pounding the paint, instead of relying on 3 point shots. Still Peevy's presence added a fun wrinkle.

DePaul coach Doug Bruno reached a career milestone in notching his 725th win for the Blue Demons. The win allowed him to pass the legendary Ray Meyer as DePaul's all time winningest coach. The significance of that was not lost on Bruno, but he was quick to deflect praise, choosing to credit Meyer instead. Bruno played guard for Meyer and obviously holds him in high regard. Coach Bruno was emotional when discussing their relationship in the post game presser.

Sonya Morris and Deja Church joined Coach Bruno in the media session. In addition to discussing the game, both talked about the pros and cons of an empty arena.

DePaul is now 3-2 on the season, with a two game win streak. Their next game is Saturday, December 19 at 2 pm CST at Wintrust Arena against Georgetown. After that, DePaul faces Creighton on December 22. The rest of the schedule has yet to be announced, but is expected to be revealed soon.

On the Beat With DePaul Women's Basketball Game 5

The DePaul Women's basketball team was back in action after an eight day layoff following a big loss to Louisville in the Jimmy V Classic. The Blue Demons started a bit slow, but finished with a big fourth quarter to take a 76-67 win over Loyola University, their cross-city rivals.

DePaul led by two after one quarter and one at the half. The Ramblers came out strong in the third quarter to lead 53-48 going into the fourth quarter. DePaul outscored Loyola 29-14 in the final quarter to secure the win.

DePaul's late explosion started at the five minute mark of the fourth quarter. A 15-0 run propelled DePaul to the lead and they never looked back. Sonya Morris) 12 points) and Lexi Held (11 points) were the main sparks of the DePaul comeback, scoring 23 of the team’s 29 points in the fourth quarter. 

Morris led all scorers with 26 points. She also added six rebounds. Held had 17 points and Deja Church contributed 15. Only three other Blue Demons got in the scoring column. Dee Bekelja had 8, Darrione Rogers tallied 7 and Kendall Holmes had 3.

For Loyola, Maya Chandler scored 14 to lead the Ramblers. Allison Day with 11 and Ellie Rice with 10 were next, as nine Ramblers scored in the game.

On a personal note, it was cool to see second year guard Sam Galanopolous play. She scored five points with four assists in 32 minutes of play. I am a longtime friend of her family and I had never seen her play at the collegiate level.

DePaul managed to take the win, despite shooting just 36 percent overall, including 18.9 percent from three point territory. DePaul coach Doug Bruno discussed this in the post-game presser, stating good teams find ways to win. DePaul did just that. DePaul won its fifth in a row against the Ramblers in this “Red Line Rivalry” and the 26th in the last 27 games.

In the presser, Coach Bruno, Held and Morris talked about the game, in addition to the long layoff, the uncertainty of the schedule, practices and the city rivalries. All looked forward to the challenge awaiting them Wednesday in the form of Kentucky.

DePaul now stands at 2-2. DePaul's next game is against #9 Kentucky on Wednesday, December 16, at 2 pm CST at Wintrust Arena. This will be DePaul's third  game against teams ranked in the top ten.

Go to DePaulBlueDemons.com for more info on the team. Also, check for my coverage here and on GlobalTravelerUSA.com, Patch.com and GlobalWomensSportsRadio.com.

 

On the Beat With the DePaul Women's Basketball Team 11/28/20 & 11/30/20

When I last left the DePaul Blue Demons Women's Basketball team, I was ankle deep in confetti celebrating the Big Ten Tournament victory at Wintrrust Arena. The team, the fans and I were happy and looking forward to the NCAA Tournament. Of course, the Tournament and all else stopped shortly after that day.

Last Saturday, the Blue Demons were finally back in action. Unfortunately, they lost a tough game 93-91 to Texas A&M.

The post-game presser featured Coach Doug Bruno, along with players Deja Church, Dee Bekelja and Sonya Morris. Of course, they discussed the game, but other main topics included playing while wearing masks, the lingering pandemic situation and the long layoff.

Despite the loss, everyone just seemed so happy to actually have basketball back. As usual, Coach Bruno ended his session thanking all for covering the tam and women's sports. Coach Bruno is a class act and is genuinely appreciative of the support. He has thanked me personally several times off camera and I always appreciate him for that.

The DePaul Blue Demons bounced back from their season opening loss in grand fashion with a huge 128-66 win over Chicago State. Their first win included an all-time scoring record, among other accomplishments.

DePaul came out strong and the game was never really in doubt. The Blue Demons, who started the game with a five guard offense, came out shooting. Thanks to a 21-1 run, the Blue Demons jumped to a 24-5 lead and never looked back. The big lead allowed Coach Doug Bruno to empty his bench early in the second quarter.

Coming of the bench, freshman Kendall Holmes led all scorers with 23 points, including hitting 6 of 8 3-point attempts. Lexi Held and Sonya Morris were next with 21 points, followed by Dee Bekelja with 15, Darrione Rogers with 12 and Deja Church with 11, as six players scored in double digits. Hannah Purcell (8), Jean Nadege (8), Maya Stovall (5), and Kayla Caudle (4) also got in on the scoring binge. Only Jolene Daninger somehow did not score, despite playing more than 17 minutes. 

Not surprisingly, DePaul also dominated in team stats. DePaul's biggest lead was 63 points, compared to Chicago State's early 2 point lead. DePaul led for 38:39, while Chicago State had the lead for 52 seconds. There were only three lead changes in the game.

DePaul's Friday game against Villanova was postponed, but will instead play Louisville in the prestigious Women’s Jimmy V Classic at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The game will be televised nationally at 6 pm CST on ESPN. DePaul also announced it has canceled the December 9 game at Kent State.

You can also follow my coverage of DePaul Women's Basketball on GlobalTravelerUSA.com, Patch.com and GlobalWomensSportsRadio.com. Also, check out DePaulBlueDemons.com for all DePaul news.

Sonya Morris and the DePaul Blue Demons

The DePaul Blue Demons women's basketball team finished the season with a record of 25-5, ranked 16th in the nation. In the Big East Conference, the Demons were 15-3, good for first place. This weekend, the Demons take the Wintrust Arena court to go after another Big East title, after winning previous two Big East Conference tournaments

Last year, I had the pleasure of celebrating on the court with the team, including then-freshman guard Sonya Morris.The St. Louis, MO native was the 2018-19 Big East Freshman of the Year and also made the Big East All; Academic team. She played in all 34 games, averaging 14.5 minutes per game.

This season, she has started all 30 games, averaging 28.6 minutes per game. She averaged 16.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, both good for #2 on the team..She added 85 assists and 66 steals. Sonya is a key to the success of the Blue Demons in the Big East Tournament and the NCAA tourney, too.

I'll be "On the Beat" all weekend at the tourney. Hopefully, local fans fill the arena for the Demons (or the other teams). These elite athletes deserve our support.

Go to BigEast.com for more info on the Women's Tournament. Also, check DePaulBlueDemons.com for info on the Demons.

Sonya Morris and me in Chicago, IL-Marchj 2019.