All five starters scored in double figures as DePaul lead by 30 midway through the third quarter en route to a 92-66 win over Georgetown. With the win, the Blue Demons improved to 19-2 and 9-0 in conference play. 

The first quarter was lighting fast for the Blue Demons who after a close start, went on a tear. First, it was Deja Church who scored seven points in 44 seconds to force a Georgetown timeout, then it was Chante Stonewall and Lexi Held who poured on the pressure. 

DePaul made six three-pointers in the first quarter which helped them jump out to a 32-15 lead after just ten minutes. Held had eight points in the quarter to lead all scorers. Georgetown shot just 29 percent from the floor in the first quarter. 

The Blue Demons’ pressure was suffocating. There is never any hesitation in taking shots as each teammate trusts one another’s ability. 

In the second quarter, DePaul tried to build on its lead. Georgetown did a better job of holding onto the ball, but DePaul was able to contest shots and keep Georgetown down. Towards the end of the quarter, DePaul forced three quick turnovers that lead to them gaining a 50-26 lead on a Church three-pointer. 

The Blue Demons closed the half on an 8-1 run that had them up 50-27 after two quarters. 

Lexi Held led all scorers with 11 points but it was a balanced attack that saw Held joined by Church and Stonewall in double-figures. Kelly Campbell added nine points, five rebounds and six assists in the half. She would finish the game with 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. 

The Blue Demons picked right back up in the second half. Held, Morris and Campbell hit consecutive shots from deep to put the Blue Demons up 59-31 after just two minutes. The Blue Demons would keep the momentum going, leading 65-36 with 4:50 left in the third quarter. 

Lexi Held shot 5-for-10 from deep for the Blue Demons and lead all scorers with 19 points. The sophomore has averaged 17.4 points per game in Big East play. 

“A lot of it is my teammates, they are able to get me open or get me the ball when I am open,” the sophomore guard said. “So I think that’s a huge part of it and just working in the gym.”

With a 68-38 lead, all five starters headed to the bench. It’s one of the earliest incidents of sending the starters off of the season. 

Dee Bekelja and Nadege Jean scored 12 points combined as the Blue Demons held an 80-50 lead going into the final quarter. 

It’s great to see those girls because we are with them all the time, especially in practice and see how hard they work,” Stonewall said. “I was very very proud of every single one of the girls and then I’m excited as a senior because you get to see what you leave behind the years to come.”

Bekelja would score five quick points in the fourth quarter as the Blue Demons cruised through the rest of the game, winning 92-66. 

Sunday’s game marked the halfway point in the Big East season for DePaul. The 9-0 start is the best start to conference play since realignment in 2013. 

No matter what it means historically, the team still has the same approach to everything. “[We] really just need to keep doing what we’re doing, focusing on one game at a time and really just keep executing what we are doing right now,” Campbell said.

Moving forward, DePaul still has their eyes on their next game. Yet there is a good feeling this season that the Blue Demons can make their 18th straight NCAA tournament, and every college basketball player’s goals go far beyond that. 

“I think there’s a pretty solid focus here, even though there is a loss of focus sometimes,” Bruno said when asked what impressed him about this current team. “I still think there is a general understanding lead by Kelly and Chante that they’ve understood what the regular season has lead to the first three years and what their regular season can lead to. But how they have to use the regular season to really prepare themselves for what they ultimately are striving for. And I just think there’s a more mature understanding [this year].”

The win marked the Blue Demons’ tenth straight victory and leaped them to 9-0 in the Big East and 19-2 on the season. At no. 11 in the AP top 25, the Blue Demons will stay at home for their next two games as they host Creighton on Friday at 7 p.m. and Providence on Sunday at 1 p.m. both games will be played at Wintrust Arena