The Blue Demons turned their game against the Seton Hall Pirates into a 40-minute layup drill.
DePaul cruised to a 74-48 Wednesday night in a game that was not close after the opening minutes. The Demons dominated in every facet of the game. They made the extra pass to open teammates, outrebounded their smaller opponents, and got a basket at the rim anytime they wanted.
The Demons (17-6, 6-3 Big East) trailed Seton Hall (8-14, 3-6 Big East) by one point after eight minutes, but promptly went on an 8-0 run to open a lead they would never relinquish. They took a 33-20 lead into the second half, and went on a 19-1 run to make it 57-27 with 11 minutes left.
DePaul finished with 25 assists. That’s not counting “hockey” assists, either – the Demons scored many baskets on perfectly executed screens and give-and-gos, and they routinely broke the Pirates’ half-court trap with multiple passes. They also crushed their opponents in the paint, outscoring them 46-18 at the basket.
“Today we were just trying to share the ball,” said guard Brittany Hrynko. “Tonight we did a pretty good job with everybody stepping up and then just sharing the ball with each other and everybody contributing.”
Jasmine Penny had her best game of the season against the Pirates. Penny scored a career high 29 points on 12-of-15 shooting, continuously getting open looks at the rim. Guards Hrynko and Chanise Jenkins kept feeding the post, and Penny kept flipping the ball in. The forward also finished with six rebounds and four assists.
“Jas is rim-running again,” said head coach Doug Bruno. “She got some easy ones because we got great guards that can pass to her.”
While Hrynko was the sole source of offense in the team’s previous game against Marquette (35 points), she found a different way to impact this game. Along with eight points, she had seven rebounds and nine assists. Her court vision set up a number of pretty passes where Hrynko would drive the lane and pass to an open teammate on the weak side block after she drew a double team.
“I just couldn’t score in the first half,” Hrynko said, “and in the second half I wasn’t going to force anything so I just passed the ball more and played defense.”
The game was different from Saturday’s game in Milwaukee, when Hrynko shot the ball 28 times in a four-point loss. Though Bruno appreciated the leadership and the fearlessness shown by Hrynko, he said it’s just not how the team should play.
“You can’t be your best basketball team if one player is taking 28 shots,” said Bruno.
Katherine Harry was a force down low, scoring eight points and grabbing 12 rebounds. She also rejected a shot from Alexandra Maseko in the first half, sending the ball flying out of bounds. Jenkins finished with nine points, eight rebounds and five steals, and Megan Podkowa had 13 points and six boards.
As for Seton Hall, Brittany Morris scored 13 points, and Ka-Deidre Simmons scored 12 points and six rebounds. The team shot 19-for-59 from the field for a 32 percent clip.
“They only shoot 35 [percent] on the year. Our goal was 30,” Bruno said on the team defense. “The key to this game was getting this game at our pace. They can still win shooting 35, as long as it’s in a slow, slow pace. But once we get the game in our pace, which is a much higher possession game, then their 32 percent isn’t going to be enough.”
The Demons won the game despite playing shorthanded. Only eight Demons saw action, and guard Anna Martin missed her fourth straight game with a right knee injury. Walk-on guard (and DePaul softball player) Gena Lenti played 20 minutes and scored her first collegiate points on a three-pointer in the first half. The shot was met with raucous applause from the home crowd.
DePaul travels to Connecticut to play UConn Sunday afternoon.