ROSEMONT, Ill. – All season long, opponents of DePaul women’s basketball have found that any of the Blue Demons’ five starters have the potential to take the game over.
In the Big East tournament, forwards Megan Podkowa and Megan Rogowski led the team in a blowout against Georgetown. The next day, guard Chanise Jenkins and forward Jasmine Penny starred against rival Marquette. Four of the five DePaul starters had great games to lead the Blue Demons into the finals.
On Tuesday, it was Brittany Hrynko’s turn to shine.
“I just came out ready to play,” Hrynko said. “Coach always talks about making simple plays and I had to attack the basket. Once I got there, I just had to be patient.”
Hrynko scored 15 points, grabbed eight rebounds and three other Blue Demons finished in double figures as No. 23 DePaul knocked off St. John’s 65-57 at Allstate Arena for the women’s Big East Championship.
Megan Rogowski scored 14 points, Megan Podkowa finished with 12 and Jasmine Penny added 11 to help DePaul earn the school’s first conference title since 1993 when they were a part of the Great Midwest Conference.
“These players are special,” DePaul head coach Doug Bruno said. “Everybody just gave us a great season to this point. It’s all really about them. Winning three in a row (in three days) is really hard to do, especially with the style we play.”
DePaul (27-6) jumped out to an 11-4 lead, but St. John’s would battle back. The Red Storm forced eight first half turnovers and led 18-17 with 8:52 left.
The Red Storm (22-10) went 4-6 from the 3-point line in the first half to keep the game close. DePaul retook the lead off a Rogowski layup with 37 seconds left, going ahead 30-29 into halftime.
In the second half, the Blue Demons were able to establish the high-octane offense they have played at throughout the season. DePaul led 49-42 with 9:57 left.
Every time the Blue Demons extended the lead to seven, however, the Red Storm came right back. They trailed 57-53 after guard Keylantra Landry hit a 3-pointer with 2:45 left.
St. John’s forward Aliyyah Handford led her team with 13 points. She struggled, though, going 5-15 from the field and committing five turnovers.
As the pace slowed, the Blue Demons kept calm and executed under pressure. Hrynko would find Penny and Podkowa to cool St. John’s surge. Hrynko finished with six assists. Penny and Podkowa were a major factor in DePaul outscoring St. John’s 38-20 in the paint.
Bruno was impressed with both forwards throughout the game. Podkowa nearly posted a double double, securing the game with nine rebounds.