Women's Basketball | Blue Demons Top Notre Dame

Blue Demons Top Notre Dame
2/12/2006

CHICAGO – In the program’s 900th game, the DePaul Blue Demons won in convincing fashion with a 79-50 win over visiting Notre Dame on Sunday afternoon. Khara Smith’s double-double of 12 points and a career-high 19 rebounds combined with Allie Quigley’s 26 points helped the Blue Demons tally their four straight 20-win season.

DePaul held the Fighting Irish without a field goal for the first 6:19 of the game and built a 13-3 advantage behind five early points from Quigley.

Her second three-pointer of the first half forced Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw to call the second Irish time out of the game with the Blue Demons holding a 20-10 lead and 8:44 left on the clock.

Notre Dame scored the next eight points over the next three minutes and pulled to within two on a 16-footer by Courtney LaVere. Quigley hit a free throw to end the Irish flurry with just over five minutes left in the first half.

The run continued for Notre Dame as they took their first lead of the afternoon at 22-21 on a pair of Megan Duffy free throws. LaVere hit a jumper on Notre Dame’s next possession that pushed their lead to three points before the Blue Demons answered with a half-ending 8-2 run. The run was capped by a Quigley three-pointer with just under a minute left that sent the home team into the intermission with a 29-26 advantage.

Duffy tied the game 20 seconds into the second half with a three-pointer before DePaul (20-5, 7-5 BIG EAST) answered with six straight points.

With 12:35 left in the game, Charel Allen hit a driving lay-up to cut the DePaul lead to 42-36. Over the next 6:30, DePaul opened up a 59-38 lead by scoring the 17 of the game’s 19 points. During the run, five different players scored led by Caprice Smith with five of the 17 points.

Tulyah Gaines hit a jumper with 4:39 on the clock to make the score 61-44, but it was as close as the Fighting Irish would get. Erin Cattell scored on a lay-up late in the game to give DePaul its largest lead at 79-48 and Gaines tallied the final points of the contest for the 79-50 final.

Quigley matched her career high with 26 points while adding seven rebounds and two assists. Khara Smith finished with 12 points and a career-high 19 rebounds with three assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Caprice Smith added 11 points, five rebounds while Cattell chipped in 10 points, five boards and two assists.

Notre Dame (14-9, 5-7 BIG EAST) was led by Allen with 15 points and six rebounds. She was followed by Duffy’s 12 points and LaVere with 10 points and six boards.

The Blue Demons travel to Washington, D.C. for a Wednesday night game against Georgetown. Following that game, DePaul returns to the DePaul Athletic Center for a Saturday night contest against St. John’s.

Game Notes: The game was the 900th in DePaul women’s basketball history… DePaul has won 20 games in four straight seasons… it is the 15th time overall with at least 20 victories… DePaul’s last two opponents, Cincinnati and Notre Dame, have combined to shoot 35-of-124 (.282)… the team is 12-0 when holding opponents to less than 60 points... Khara Smith’s double-double was the 70th of her career and 16th of the season… her 19 rebounds were the most since Mfon Udoka’s 20 rebounds at Loyola-Chicago on Dec. 18, 1997… Allie Quigley registered her 13th career game of at least 20 points… she has led the Blue Demons in scoring in each of the last three games… DePaul has won 50 straight at home over unranked opponents… DePaul leads the series, 15-10, and the two teams split the season series… Notre Dame won at the Joyce Center, 78-75, on Jan. 17.