Dec. 20, 2007

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 15/14 DePaul used a 54-point second half and a 50 percent shooting effort to defeat Northwestern 102-64 Thursday afternoon at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Senior Nadia Bibbs (Chicago, Ill./Hillcrest) led the way for the Wildcats, pouring in a career-high 25 points and dishing out a team-high six assists. Over 3,900 children from the Chicagoland area attended the game as part of NU's 2007 Field Trip Day.

"This week was great preparation for the Big Ten season," head coach Beth Combs said. "We need to be ready to face top-tier opponents every week."

DePaul jumped out to an 8-0 lead before two free throws by Bibbs put the Wildcats on the board with 16:15 to go in the first half. A layup by Jenny Eckhart (Libertyville, Ill./Carmel/Syracuse) less than two minutes later put Northwestern within four. The Blue Demons slowly built their lead, outscoring NU 20-10 over the next six minutes to extend the advantage to 14 points.

A three-point play by Meshia Reed (Country Club Hills, Ill./Stockbridge (Ga.)) put the Cats within 11, 30-19, with 7:13 remaining. DePaul's Allie Quigley responded with a jumper -- two of her game-high 31 points on the afternoon -- before Bibbs answered with a trey to put Northwestern within 10 at the 6:43 mark.

DePaul kept the Wildcats at arms distance for the rest of the frame, thanks largely to a 50 percent shooting effort and pushed the lead to 48-31 at the half. Bibbs led all Wildcat scorers with 13 points.

The Blue Demons opened the half on a 6-0 run and never looked back, outscoring the Wildcats 54-33 in the second stanza.

Ellen Jaeschke (Cary, Ill./Cary-Grove/Air Force) led NU on the boards with eight rebounds. She also scored eight of her 10 points in the second half.

The Wildcats are next in action Thursday, Dec. 27 when they host Illinois in the conference opener. Tip is set for 7 p.m. and the game is being televised live on the Big Ten Network.