After trailing by 17 points in the first quarter, the Blue Demons defeated Vanderbilt University 91-74 in their final game at the 2021 Paradise Jam Tournament at the Virgin Island on Saturday. Senior guard Sonya Morris had a career-high 36 points.

After a tight 77-74 win over Rutgers University on Thursday, the Blue Demons fell to No. 9 ranked University of Arizona 75-68 on Friday.

Vanderbilt dominated the entirety of the first quarter and started out on a 6-0 run before freshman forward Aneesah Morrow got the Blue Demons on the board.

DePaul struggled with turnovers and fouls as Vanderbilt was able to get around the Blue Demons’ defense for rushes down the court as the Commodores led by 17 points for a score of 26-9.

A late three-point jumper by Morris at the end of the first quarter put the Blue Demons in double-digits, but Vanderbilt had controlled the first quarter and led 26-12. DePaul finished the first quarter with 16 turnovers and six rebounds.

The Blue Demons played better in the second quarter, although the Commodores continued to dominate during the period.

The Blue Demons began to cut down Vanderbilt’s lead halfway through the second quarter and cut down the lead to six points late in the quarter with a three-point jumper from Morrow.

However, Vanderbilt and freshman forward Sasha Washington controlled the rest of the game. Washington finished the quarter with nine points as the half ended with Vanderbilt leading 44-37.

The Blue Demons began the second half with three straight baskets to tie the game at 44 points. Two free throws by Morrow gave the Blue Demons their first lead of the game seconds later.

While Vanderbilt was able to bounce back and regain the lead, the Blue Demons took that from them again with a layup by Morris to make the score 52-51.

The Blue Demons extended their lead more with a three-point jumper from Morris and two free throws by Morrow as Vanderbilt struggled to catch up.

DePaul continued to add to their lead, and finished the third quarter leading by 11 points as the score was 63-52. Morrow had 24 points to end the quarter.

The fourth quarter was all DePaul as they were able to limit the turnovers and control the offense. Bench players such as freshman forward Kaitlyn Ammons and sophomore guard Kendall Holmes came in and helped add to DePaul’s lead over Vanderbilt to win the game.

Morris finished with 36 points, while Morrow had 28 points and 15 rebounds.

The Blue Demons return to Wintrust Arena to take on Butler University on Dec. 3 before taking on Xavier University at home two days later.