DePaul cruises past Butler, pick up second-straight win

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Collin Feaster

Sophomore forward Aneesah Morrow readies an entry pass to a teammate near the basket in DePaul’s win over Butler at Wintrust Arena on Wednesday.

DePaul used its recent momentum after its win over Xavier on Feb. 4 and applied it Wednesday night against Butler, picking up a second-straight victory. 

The 87-62 win was another showing of both efficiently executed defense and offense for the Blue Demons. DePaul shot 57% from the field and 53% from the three, while holding the Bulldogs to under 40% shooting in the game. 

DePaul’s 87 points is the most Butler has allowed all this season, while the Blue Demons shooting performance was the second best in a single-game this season. 

The Demons’ leading scorers showed out Wednesday. Junior Darrione Rogers and sophomore Aneesah Morrow combined for 46 points, which was 13 more points than Butler had in the second half as a team. 

Morrow grabbed her 18th double-double of the season and the 45th of her career. Rogers shot 87% from the field and added five rebounds and four assists. 

Head coach Doug Bruno got senior Anaya Peoples back in the starting lineup, after she was sidelined with a concussion against UConn on Jan. 23. 

For the third consecutive game, senior Keke Rimmer added a double-digit point performance with 15 and she was two rebounds shy of her third straight double-double. 

Rimmer has emerged as a reliable sixth woman off the bench for Bruno this season. DePaul struggled early in the season when the bench provided no stability for the starters, but since Rimmer’s emergence she has taken the weight off the shoulders of some starters. 

“Keke is very important to this team,” Bruno said. “It’s all about her focus. Most of her shots [Wednesday night] were second shots put back, and that is very important because though you want to make every shot, your team is not going to make every shot.” 

Junior Kendall Holmes did her work as well Wednesday night. Holmes had 11 points and went 3-4 from behind the arc. 

The Blue Demons dominated the low post and outscored Butler 46-20 inside the paint. Bruno’s squad also gained the advantage on the glass and nearly doubled the Bulldogs in rebounds, finishing with a 42-24 margin. 

With seven games remaining, DePaul will need to bolster its  record and stack some wins prior to the start of the Big East tournament. 

DePaul will play in Queens, N.Y. Saturday, Feb 11. as they conclude the regular season split with St. John’s one final time this regular season. The Red Storm took the last meeting 81-72 at Wintrust Arena. Tip-off for Saturday is 3:00 p.m.

“No matter what the records are, everybody can beat everybody [up] in the conference.” Bruno said. “It’s important that we get this rolling.”