The Big East season opener did not go as planned for the Blue Demons, who have now dropped four straight games over the last two weeks.

“Offensively, we had a hard time putting the ball in the bucket,” head coach Jill Pizzotti said in her opening statement following the loss. “Defensively, Marquette is a very good basketball team. They’ve got great size, certainly took advantage of their size. We really tried to emphasize rebounding and got out rebounded poorly. We got back to fouling a little bit too much too tonight.”

The battle down low was certainly an area of concern for the Blue Demons, who were out-rebounded 36 to 21 while committing 27 team fouls. Forwards Meg Newman and Michelle Ojo, who were the primary low-post defenders, both fouled out during the second half.

While the game was out of hand throughout most of the game’s final 20 minutes, Pizzotti noted that the intensity from her squad never wavered, epitomized by the team’s best shooting quarter coming in their last.

“You can’t play the scoreboard, and that’s true whether you’re up or you’re down,” Pizzotti said. “You have to play possession by possession.”

One of the lone bright spots in DePaul’s loss came in the form of guard Alayna West, who finished with a career-high 17 points off the bench.

“I was just taking good shots, finding uncontested shots and not forcing anything,” West said post-game.

West finished five for eight from the field while adding five points from the stripe in 23 minutes. Alongside the successes, West also led the team with six turnovers, an area of her game that she is looking to clean up in the near future.

“I just need to slow down,” West said. “Hit the open women when they’re there and then don’t force it when they’re not. Just take my time.”

Despite her personal success, West remains focused on the team as a whole, steadfast that any successes come from the strength of the collective.

“We just got to stay together as a team,” West said. “We’re losing as a team, we’ll win as a team and we just got to stay positive and keep going. It’s still early.”

Marquette, who went 12-6 in the Big East last year, handed DePaul their largest conference loss since February 2024. The Blue Demons will get another chance to earn their first conference win of the season on Sunday when they go on the road to face number one ranked Connecticut.

With a score of 82-48 with just shy of three minutes to play, the game is all but over for the Blue Demons, who will drop their fourth straight game of the season. A second-chance three-pointer by Marquette is the icing on the cake for a DePaul squad who, despite losing Michelle Ojo, Meg Newman and now Kate Novik to foul trouble, played with energy throughout without ever holding a lead in their first Big East game of the season.

DePaul has yet to clear the bench, as several key players, including Alayna West and Gina Davorija, are poised to remain on the court until the final horn blows.

Michelle Ojo joins fellow forward Meg Newman as the second Blue Demon to foul out of this game. Ojo, who’s eight points are the second-most for DePaul, contributed 14 minutes off the bench before being sent back to the sideline for the night. Justis Odom enters the lineup in Ojo’s place, and nearly immediately tacks on her second assist of the night via a made layup by Kate Novik, who is now up to seven points on three for ten shooting from the floor. As Marquette looks to slow the pace of play offensively, DePaul trails 74-44 with a little over six minutes remaining.

The Blue Demons have yet to give up, still playing with their signature speed on offense and perimeter tenacity on defense, but it has simply not been their night as they trail Marquette 62-36 after three quarters. The mismatch down low has been apparent all night for DePaul, who has committed 21 team fouls, allowed 28 points in the paint and turned the ball over 16 times.

Alayna West, the only Blue Demon to score in double digits thus far, leads the way with 13 points, four of which have come from the line. Kate Novik leads the team with four boards.

After a lengthy review on a potential travel against Marquette, the officials upgraded Michelle Ojo’s personal foul to a flagrant one, awarding two free throw attempts — both of which were converted — and possession to the road team. Ojo’s foul total is now up to three, matching Natiah Nelson’s total. Meg Newman is up to five fouls, the last of which was a toss up call as bodies got tangled down low. Newman, who has now fouled out, is on the bench, watching as Kate Novik’s left-sided layup cuts Marquette’s lead to 25 points with just under four minutes left to play in the third quarter.

Coming out of half down 38-21, DePaul has had opportunities to cut into Marquette’s demanding lead, but they have yet to convert into the second half. After Skylar Forbes, the Golden Eagles’ highest scorer, made back-to-back attempts to up her game-high point total to 12, coach Pizzotti called a timeout two minutes into the frame to try to help her squad reset on both ends of the court. The Blue Demons face a 21 point deficit with a little over 18 minutes of game time remaining.

gA tough Michelle Ojo layup with just under a minute remaining in the first half provided a spark for the Blue Demons offense, and Alayna West’s forced charge on Marquette’s subsequent possession has brought life to DePaul’s defense, but the home team still finds themselves down 17 heading into halftime.

Marquette has dominated the game from the opening tip, shooting better than 43% from the field while converting 10 of 12 attempts from the line.

On the other end, DePaul is led by Alayna West’s eight points, which includes one of DePaul’s two made three-point attempts. She is also one of four Blue Demons to have logged an assist thus far, where Ally Timm leads the way with two. Kate Novik and Devin Hagemann, who have played the most with 18 and 17 total minutes, respectively, are also leading the team with two boards apiece.

Halfway through the second quarter, DePaul has sunk just four of their 18 total attempts from the field, and have hit just as many shots from the line on eight attempts. Seven of their 13 total team points have come from the bench as they have yet to take a lead in their first Big East game of the season.

The Blue Demons have not fared much better defensively, allowing 18 points in the paint while committing 12 total fouls as a team.

After missing back-to-back three point attempts as a team to start the quarter, guard Kate Novik earns a trip to the line after forcing a foul from Marquette on her drive to the hoop. She knocked in the first of two attempts to bring the Blue Demons’ point total to 10 nearly three minutes into the second quarter. The physicality has been ratcheted up in the second quarter, as forward Meg Newman’s attempt to take a charge, in which she was loudly knocked to the floor, resulted in a blocking foul, DePaul’s 10th team foul of the game, and an energetic coach Jill Pizzotti, who demanded answers from the officiating crew.

Meg Newman and Alayna West lead the way for the Blue Demons with three points apiece, accounting for six of DePaul’s nine total points. On the other side, it’s been a team effort for Marquette, who have seven players with a made shot. The visitors have also been more careful with the ball, committing five turnovers to DePaul’s seven, and three total fouls to the Blue Demons’ eight. DePaul will need more top-to-bottom, including from the bench, which has contributed four points through 10 minutes.

With a little over a minute left in the first quarter, the Blue Demons have had few answers for Marquette’s offense, especially in the paint. The visitors have totaled 12 points down low as a team, and have drawn seven total fouls, resulting in seven points from the line. DePaul trails 22-9.

The Blue Demons have been able to generate pressure in the paint offensively, but they have managed to convert only half of their four interior shot attempts. They are down multiple possessions, in large part because of their five total team turnovers, compared to the two they have forced defensively. Their presence on the glass, where they have given up four rebounds and two second-chance points, has also been detrimental early.

DeBoth teams started the game with tight defensive pressure, forcing turnovers on each of their opponent’s opening possessions. Marquette was the first to settle in, rattling home a three-pointer by Olivia Porter on the team’s first shot. A made two-pointer by Meg Newman earns DePaul their first bucket of the night after starting 0-2 from the field. On the next possession, Newman drew a foul, earning her first trip to the line where she converted one of two attempts.

DePaul’s starting lineup features guards Gina Davorija, Devin Hagemann, Natiah Nelson and Kate Novik. Forward Meg Newman rounds out the first five.

It will be Newman’s second consecutive start after recovering from a lower leg injury that kept her out for DePaul’s first four games. Nelson and Novik remain the only Blue Demons who have started every game.

Marquette will take the floor with guards Lee Volker, Jaidynn Mason, Halle Vice, Olivia Porter and forward Skylar Forbes.