After Xavier had possession with a chance to tie or take the lead at 52-50, the Blue Demons stood tall on defense and forced three straight turnovers.
Free throws from Allen and Sumer Lee iced the game.
DePaul hangs on to win 57-50.
After Xavier had possession with a chance to tie or take the lead at 52-50, the Blue Demons stood tall on defense and forced three straight turnovers.
Free throws from Allen and Sumer Lee iced the game.
DePaul hangs on to win 57-50.
Xavier has clawed their way back into this game with a late-game comeback. They find themselves down two, 52-50.
Forward Meg Newman has since returned to the court, back in her mask, looking to stop the bleeding.
47.6 seconds remain in the fourth quarter. Xavier has possession. DePaul needs to get a stop here.
DePaul has a nine-point lead with 3:59 left to go in this one. Forward Meg Newman sustained an injury to her face leaving DePaul short-handed.
While on the bench, not injured, head coach Jill M. Pizzotti has gone with a four-guard lineup this second half.
She has since returned to the bench with her facemask — something she’s worn throughout the year so far.
The starting five for DePaul begins the fourth quarter with McCline completing the three-point-play the old-fashioned way. The lead is up to 10.
McCline is second in scoring for the Blue Demons with eight points. She’s also grabbed two rebounds and provided tenacious on-ball defense stifling Xavier’s point guards.
DePaul heads into the final quarter still up seven, 42-35, making their final four field goals. DePaul shot 9-13 (69%) in the third quarter outscoring Xavier by eight. DePaul had a lead as large as 11 in the third and went on their largest run of the game (8-0).
Sumer Lee starts the third quarter in place of McCline adding some size to match Xavier. Jorie Allen however has two personal fouls and hasn’t been much of a factor so far shooting-wise, 1-3, but has gotten her teammates involved with five assists.
Clarke has been the engine of the offense this game being the only scorer in double-figures with 15 points.
Back-to-back layups by Allen and Clarke have them up seven, 29-22, with 6:12 to go in the third quarter.
Despite DePaul shooting 29% from the field, their leading scorer (Jorie Allen) having two points and committing 14 turnovers they find themselves only down one point, 22-21.
Neither team has found a rhythm on offense. The final stretch of game time included nine turnovers and zero field goals made.
A mini Kate Clarke three-point burst (3-5 from three) has given this team a pulse, down 22-21 with 4:30 left in the first half. Some credit must go to their defense for forcing Xavier into tough shots and turnovers.
DePaul continues their dominance on the glass outrebounding Xavier keeping DePaul in the game.
Eight turnovers plagued the Demon’s offense. The offense could only muster ten points – the lowest first-quarter total this season.
9-7 Xavier after the first media timeout.
DePaul is winning the rebounding battle (7-3), but four early turnovers have them searching for a rhythm.
DePaul:
Xavier:
DePaul will be debuting their red uniforms in honor of their late assistant coach, Maggie Dixon.
Dixon spent 2001-2005 as an assistant coach under Doug Bruno before taking over the head coaching role at Army West Point. Dixon led her team to a surprising Patriot League title and a birth in the NCAA tournament — their first in program history.
Dixon was rushed to the hospital during the Women’s Final Four where Bruno was beside her on her final days. Dixon passed away from an arrhythmic episode to her heart.
Fans attending are encouraged to wear red to honor Dixon and her legacy.
DePaul returns to Wintrust Arena Wednesday, Jan. 22, looking to end a two-game losing streak from Big East foes Villanova and Creighton. The Blue Demons are now in a three-way tie for fourth in the conference at 4-3. Xavier captured their first conference win with a one-point win over Butler last week. Another win versus Xavier tonight would make the all-time series even more lopsided (27-1 currently). Tipoff is set for 7pm. Follow here for live updates.