The DePaul Blue Demons picked up their fourth Big East win on Sunday, taking down the visiting Xavier Musketeers by a final score of 76-67.

Despite a slow start, including a 26-18 deficit after the first quarter, the Blue Demons’ offense came alive throughout the game, with seven players scoring eight or more points. Amongst them, Kate Novik and Michelle Ojo led their squad with 16 and 15 points, respectively.

For Novik, her performance marked her 20th game this season with 10 or more points, a feat that helped her eclipse 1,000 career points during the game.

“It wasn’t my goal to reach 1,000 points,” Novik said postgame. “The goal was to win.”

Novik said that she was not aware of the milestone until her coach and teammates told her. Still, despite her continued success on the offensive end of the court, Novik had one of her better games on the defensive end against Xavier, finishing with four steals and a blocked shot.

“I am long, I have the length and I can steal balls and get blocked shots,” Novik said. “Tonight, this one really mattered to us, so I played my best for my teammates.”

For as much as Novik wanted to perform for her squad, her squad is appreciative of her leadership on and off the court.

“She’s an amazing player. She’s an amazing teammate,” Ojo said. “Our whole team is really lucky to have her here.”

Ojo was not as successful getting turnovers as her teammate, but the forward’s 15 points and seven rebounds were certainly felt throughout her team’s win. Going five-for-eight from the field and four-for-five from the free throw line, Ojo knocked home the first made three-point attempt of her collegiate career.

“My teammates have all been telling me ‘just let it go and let it fly,'” Ojo said. “It went in tonight and I was excited.”

While Novik and Ojo were the most productive Blue Demons on Sunday, it took a true team effort to topple Xavier. Devin Hagemann added 10 points and three steals in a two-way effort. Natiah Nelson tacked on eight points and eight total rebounds. Ally Timm, Alayna West and Aizhanique Mayo all added eight points off the bench, combing for 24 of DePaul’s 27 points from non-starters.

“When we have our game and everyone score, everyone shares ball, it’s really enjoyable to play with each other,” Novik said of her squad’s top-to-bottom performance.

The win moves DePaul’s Big East record to 4-14, tied with Xavier and the Butler Bulldogs. After spending the majority of the season in last place of the conference standings, the Blue Demons have put themselves in position to enter the conference tournament with a better seeding when post-season play tips off on March 6 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Montville, Connecticut.

“We wanted to have a good February. Everyone just feels better when you win games,” coach Jill Pizzotti said. “If you look at the schedules and who’s beaten who, anyone can truly beat anyone. We want to have some momentum, we want to feel good about ourselves, and then we want to have a great week at the Mohegan Sun.”

With two more games remaining in the regular season, the Blue Demons’ final home game comes Wednesday night at 6 p.m. in a senior night showdown against Butler.

“Butler’s gonna be a tough game, but certainly I anticipate us having some great energy tomorrow when we get together and get ready for Wednesday,” Pizzotti said.

DePaul entered Sunday’s game with a chance to climb from the bottom of the Big East with a win, and a 76-67 final against Xavier did exactly that. With a 4-14 conference record, the Blue Demons are now tied with both the Musketeers and the Butler Bulldogs in terms of conference record, thanks in large part to today’s home win that featured 15-plus point scoring performances from both Michelle Ojo and Kate Novik.

Ojo’s 15 points included four makes from the line on five attempts, as well as her first made three-pointer of the season. The forward also tacked on seven rebounds, two of which came on the offensive end.

Novik’s 16 points marked her 20th double-digit outing of the season, a figure that helped her surpass 1,000 career points at the end of her third collegiate season. The Morehead State transfer also lead her squad with nine rebounds and five assists.

Alongside Ojo and Novik, Devin Hagemann was able to reach double digit points in 35 minutes. Natiah Nelson, Ally Timm, Aizhanique Mayo and Alayna West were all close behind with eight points each.

In all, the Blue Demons shot 39% from the field, 31% from deep and 88% from the line en route to the victory. Their 26 points off turnovers dominated Xavier’s four, and they were able to win the battle on the glass by five rebounds. DePaul’s bench outscored their opponent’s 27-9. Between the second and third quarters, the Blue Demons were able to outscore the Musketeers 38-21, a margin that more than accounted for the game’s final score.

DePaul’s next and final home game of the year comes Wednesday night at 6 p.m. against the aforementioned Butler Bulldogs.

DePaul’s offense has gone quiet in the game’s final five minutes, but their lead may prove to be insurmountable nonetheless. Natiah Nelson’s made layup with two minutes remaining marked the team’s first make in nearly three minutes, but with 58 seconds remaining, Xavier, down five, has resulted to the foul game to try to make this a one possession game.

Xavier’s 7-2 run to start the fourth quarter has them back in striking range of a game that they recently trailed by double digits in, but coming out of a timeout with about seven minutes remaining, the Blue Demons successfully answered with a made three-pointer from Aizhanique Mayo. After forcing a miss on the other end, Natiah Nelson turned her rebound into an assist by finding a wide-open Alayna West in transition for the layup. West took the heat-check three on the Blue Demons’ following possession, where she knocked down the shot to up her total to eight points. Including West, DePaul now has five players with eight or more points as they lead 66-57 with a little under five minutes remaining.

After controlling much of the third quarter, the Blue Demons finished off the period with consecutive trips to the line. First, Michelle Ojo converted one of two attempts before Kate Novik drilled both of her shots to give her team an 11-point lead, their biggest of the night. Xavier fittingly answered with a pair of attempts of their own, hitting both.

While several statistical categories have stayed close between the teams through 30 minutes, DePaul’s 11 extra fast break points and 20 more points off of turnovers seem to be the main differences. The Blue Demons already have two players, Novik and Ojo, in double digits, with the former also leading her squad with a handful of assists. Natiah Nelson leads the way with six rebounds.

DePaul leads 56-47 entering the fourth quarter.

After hitting a major career milestone, Novik got involved on the defensive end by diving for a loose ball, which eventually made its way to Meg Newman. Newman was fouled and converted one of two attempts from the line to give her team a six-point edge. Xavier’s airballed attempt from deep gave the rock right back to the Blue Demons, who turned the ball right back over thanks to an illegal charge. Novik answered with another big defensive play, this time a block on a perimeter attempt, before being taken to the ground and turning the ball over. DePaul responded with a pair of made shots, the first a two-pointer from Natiah Nelson and the second a three-pointer from Aizhanique Mayo. With a little over a minute until the fourth quarter, the Blue Demons lead 53-45, their largest margin of the game.

Entering the game with 990 total points between her time at Morehead State and DePaul, Kate Novik needed just 10 points today to hit quadruple digits in her collegiate career. That milestone came in the third quarter as Novik converted an and-one opportunity to break into double-digit scoring early in the game’s penultimate period. Novik’s 12 points and five points both lead her team halfway through the third quarter, and the Belarusian native has now hit double-digit points in 20 games this season. DePaul currently leads 48-43 at the media timeout.

It did not take long for the Blue Demons to find the bottom of the basket in the second half, as Devin Hagemann opened the frame by drilling a shot from deep, her second of the game. Xavier answered with a make from deep of their own just a few possessions later before forcing an errant pass from Kate Novik to get the ball right back. The possession proved fruitless for Xavier, as Novik brought down the rebound. On the other end of the court, the Blue Demons got a couple of looks at the basket thanks to Michelle Ojo’s first offensive rebound of the game, but they were unable to convert either shot. Hagemann’s steal on the following defensive possession finally got the Blue Demons back on the board as Ally Timm nailed a corner three to give her team a 45-41 lead with six and a half minutes remaining in the third.

A 9-0 run by the Blue Demons brought them back into a game that they once trailed by 11, but a pair of converted free throws by Xavier put the home team’s run to rest. Alayna West was able to corral a long rebound off of Xavier’s missed three-point attempt, and she added an assist after Kate Novik was able to put down an athletic layup attempt from underneath the basket. Aizhanique Mayo’s made three-pointer on the following possession gave her team a one-point lead in the final minute of the half, and the Blue Demons were able to answer defensively by forcing a shot clock violation on the other end of the court. 20 minutes in, DePaul goes to the locker room with a 39-38 lead.

The Blue Demons outscored the Musketeers 21-12 in the second quarter, and the home team is lead by Michelle Ojo’s 10 points and Alayna West’s four rebounds. Both Novik and West lead the team with three assists apiece.

Devin Hagemann picked up her second steal of the game to open the third quarter, and after passing it away, the ball eventually came back to her as she nailed her first three-pointer of the game. On the following possession, Natiah Nelson was able to tip in a rebound off of Michelle Ojo’s missed shot to cut Xavier’s lead to seven points. The Musketeers answered with a pair of made field goals of their own on the other end before an errant pass was picked up by Kate Novik. Novik was able to get the ball down to Michelle Ojo, who converted the close layup attempt. Ojo followed up the close make by knocking one in from deep, marking her first made three-pointer of the season. With a little under four minutes until halftime, the Blue Demons trail 36-32.

After gaining a one-point edge, the Blue Demons have struggled to keep up on both ends of the court, resulting in a 12-0 run for the visiting team that included four fast break points and three baskets in the paint. With just 3.9 seconds remaining in the quarter, DePaul was able to stop the bleeding thanks to a Kate Novik layup, which resulted in a foul and extra attempt from the line, which she converted. At the end of the first frame, Xavier leads 26-18. Forward Michelle Ojo leads the Blue Demons with five points, while Novik’s three rebounds and two assists both serve as team-highs.

Following the first quarter media timeout, the Blue Demons have played sticky defense, tipping the Musketeers’ first attempt to bring the ball in play before Devin Hagemann ultimately came away with the steal. The stolen ball eventually found its way to Alayna West, who hit both the layup and the and-one foul for her first points of the game. Meg Newman’s second-chance bucket, aided by Hagemann’s offensive rebound, on the Blue Demons’ following possession gave her team a 15-14 lead with a little under three minutes remaining in the opening quarter.

After winning the opening tip, it took Xavier 14 seconds to earn a trip to the free throw line, converting one of two shots to earn a quick 1-0 lead. A few possessions later, the Blue Demons answered with their first made field goal, a Michelle Ojo layup via Kate Novik’s pass. Ojo found the bottom of the net on her next shot as well, working through contact to earn an extra shot from the line, which she converted. Tied at 7-7 with nearly six minutes remaining in the first quarter, Ojo leads the team with five points.

Tip-off between DePaul and Xavier is just moments away, with the Blue Demons opening with the following starting lineup:

• G Gina Davorija (Fr.)
• G Devin Hagemann (So.)
• G Natiah Nelson (So.)
• G Kate Novik (Jr.)
• F Michelle Ojo (Gr.)

The Musketeers will take the court with the following players:

• G Savannah White (Sr.)
• G Meri Kanerva (So.)
• G Mackenzie Givens (So.)
• G Mariyah Noel (Jr.)
• F Petra Oborilova (Sr.)

The game begins NOW!