DePaul’s women’s basketball team’s focus on Saturday afternoon wasn’t where head coach Doug Bruno wanted it to be. However, high energy and relentless effort propelled the Blue Demons to a 87-67 drubbing of visiting Lewis University Flyers.
Junior guard Jessica January was stellar in the team’s second exhibition game, finishing on the brink of a triple double with 26 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
“(January) came out with a lot of energy,” long-time head coach Doug Bruno said. “We have a lot of things to work on in terms of focus, but I’m very proud of our effort and energy today. Jess of course had a big game, and she’s always full of energy.”
The Blue Demons continue to find rhythm and chemistry on both sides of the floor, and must be encouraged by what they’ve done so far – as they’ve outscored their opponents 222-131.
The offense was assertive, aggressive, and did a fine job of dictating the games pace.
Defensively, they surrendered 34 of 67 Lewis’ points in the painted area, a number that coach Bruno knows will improve with time.
“We have a lot of work to do with focus and overall chemistry,” Bruno said.
“We just have to get better with that and our overall rhythm will improve on both defense and offense.”
Per usual for a Doug Bruno coached team, this year’s bunch can defend on the perimeter.
Lewis was forced into 25 turnovers, and six different Blue Demons were able to manage a steal. January led the way with six.
Getting every ounce of effort on the defensive side of the ball is what allows them to play as frenetic as they do on the offensive end. But the game comes down to making shots.
That came relatively easy for January on this particular night, as she was 7-13 from the field and 10-11 from the charity stripe.
“We all had a lot of energy and honestly we were just excited. It felt really good,” January said.
“We have a completely different team this year. So playing more, making adjustments, and gaining that experience is important. We were able to work together well tonight and will continue to do that.”
“DePaul Ball” as Bruno refers to it as starts with energy, but really works when players hit shots.
Junior Brook Schulte was an efficient 6-10 from the field, scoring 15 points while pulling down five rebounds. Sophomore Marte Gray added 12 points of her own, while Chanise Jenkins poured in 16.
11 different players were able to see the floor on Saturday, with seven of them appearing in the scoring column.
For the visiting Flyers, senior guard Jamie Johnson ledd the way with 21 points on 19 shots.
Fellow senior Mariyah Brawner-Henley added 14 of her own to go along with eight rebounds.
The Blue Demons are back in action next Friday as the Preseason NIT begins at 7 p.m. with the Southern Illinois Salukis visiting McGrath-Phillips Arena.