Demons fail to make it three straight after loss to St. John’s

Collin Feaster

Senior guard Anaya Peoples looks for an open defender while being guarded by Butler freshmen guard Jessica Carrothers during Wednesday’s 87-62 win over the Bulldogs.

Looking to make it three consecutive wins, St. John’s efficient offense was too much for DePaul’s defense. 

DePaul traveled to Queens, N.Y. for the last of two matches against the Red Storm this regular season. The first matchup at Wintrust Arena on Jan. 21 didn’t go in the favor of the Blue Demons with a 81-72. 

The storyline for Saturday was worse. A dreadful 33% shooting performance accounted for nine points in the first quarter, as DePaul found themselves playing from behind the rest of the game. 

St. John’s outscored DePaul in three of the game’s four quarters, as the Demons only gained a one-point advantage in the second quarter, outscoring the Red Storm 20-19. 

Sophomore Aneesah Morrow did what she could, leading DePaul with 23-points and eight rebounds, but it wasn’t enough in the 16 point loss. 

The rest of the starters combined for 21 points in the losing effort. Junior guard Darrione Rogers struggled mightily, shooting 2-14 from the field and 2-8 from three. She had a team-high three turnovers, and now leads the team with 95 total turnovers. 

Senior Jorie Allen continued to show progression, but has also battled injuries throughout the season. Averaging 7.4 points per game, she shot 1-5 on Saturday, finishing with seven points. 

Since returning from injury, senior Anaya Peoples has struggled to find her rhythm offensively. She had nine points in her return against Butler on Feb. 8 and only two on Saturday. 

Defensively, DePaul allowed five different scorers to reach double figures, including senior Jayla Everett who totaled a game-high 26-points. Everett gave the Blue Demons trouble in the first matchup on Jan. 21 when she had a 24. 

Everett is currently seventh in the Big East in scoring with 16.4 points per game and fourth in three-point percentage at 41%.

Trailing by as much as 11 points in the first quarter, DePaul never maintained a lead in Saturday’s game, and by the 2:52 minute mark of the fourth quarter, the Demons saw themselves down by as much as 23. 

While DePaul did outscore the Red Storm 44-28 in the paint, St. John’s 50% shooting from three-point range was ultimately what allowed St. John’s to stay in front. 

Senior Keke Rimmer had her fourth straight double-digit scoring performance with 14-points off the bench.