The DePaul women’s basketball team’s season has officially come to an end after a 88-57 loss to Dayton in the First Four play-in game at the NCAA Tournament. 

After a trip to the Big East Tournament that was cut short with a loss to Marquette, the Blue Demons found themselves as one of the four extra teams competing in a play-in spot for the NCAA Championship, but were not able to come out on top against Dayton.

“You always want to make sure you give credit to the victor in a situation like this, and they played a really, really great basketball game tonight,” head coach Doug Bruno said. “I just think we’re better than what we showed tonight.”

The Blue Demons finished the regular season with a record of 22-10, while Dayton finished at 25-5. Dayton was known for having a strong defense, but it was their offense that allowed them to take the lead in the game and run away with it, while the Blue Demons struggled to keep up.

DePaul is usually a high scoring team, and had seven games this season where they scored over a 100 points, setting a program record. Yet, they were never able to get going against Dayton and finished with the lowest amount of points they have scored all season. 

Dayton showed off their defense early by cutting off multiple DePaul breakaways early. However, they proved their offensive strength and sank three 3-point baskets in a row in the first quarter, and Dayton scored six of eight 3-point shots by the end of the quarter.

Dayton’s offense thrived in the second quarter, where they continued to sink multiple 3-point baskets. Dayton graduate student guard/forward Erin Whalen and sophomore guard Marika Cook led the way with 14 points each by the end of the quarter. Meanwhile, freshman forward Aneesah Morrow was held to 11 points by halftime.

By the third quarter, three Blue Demons wracked up three or more fouls, with Morrow and senior guard Lexi Held having three and senior guard Sonya Morris having four fouls, which forced her to the bench. 

In the last minute of the third quarter, Morrow was hit in the face and went down on the court. The trainer and Bruno went out to check on her and she walked off the court to the bench. 

By the halfway point of the fourth quarter, Morrow, Morris and graduate student guard Deja Church had four personal fouls, which caused the pace to slow down on the court. The Blue Demons could not play the agressive game they were used to, while Dayton was content with their lead for the rest of the game. 

Morrow finished the game with 28 points and 17 rebounds. In the past few weeks following the end of the regular season, she racked up accomplishments in the season, including Big East Freshman of the Year and The Athletic Freshman of the Year. 

“She had 17 rebounds and I thought we did an okay job on her,” Dayton head coach Shauna Green said. “She just is relentless. It’s really amazing what she’s capable of doing.”

DePaul is usually a high scoring team, and had seven games this season where they scored over a 100 points, setting a program record. Yet, they were never able to get going against Dayton and finished with the lowest amount of points they have scored all season. 

The Blue Demons will now look to next season, with players like Morrow and sophomore guard Darrione Rogers and Kendall Holmes.

“I know that the scoreboard shows that it’s a loss, but I always take every loss as a lesson,” Morrow said. “I’ve learned something from every game that I’ve played this year, wins and losses, and I learned something tonight as well.”