advertisement

DePaul representing Illinois well in women's NCAA Tourney

This one meant more, but it came a little easier.

At the beginning of the season, the DePaul women's basketball team hosted Oklahoma in a nonconference game that turned into a spectacular instant classic.

It was one of the best basketball games I have ever seen in person. Full of lots of offense, constant back-and-forth action, one lead change after another, a twist followed by a turn, and ultimately a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime.

Thanks to an off-balance, falling out-of-bounds baseline 3-pointer by Amarah Coleman, DePaul snagged a 111-108 victory over then-No. 21 Oklahoma at McGrath-Phillips Arena in Lincoln Park in mid-November. It was DePaul's second game of the season.

"It was an accident," Coleman said of the last-second play, which was designed for another teammate. "There was a mix-up and I thought, 'Oh, shoot!' I just tried to make a play.

"When I let it go, I knew it was going in."

There was no need for Coleman's heroics on Friday (although she did tie for team-high scoring honors with 17 points).

In the rematch with No. 12-seed Oklahoma in the first-round of the NCAA tournament, fifth-seeded DePaul got a much more run-of-the-mill victory, 90-79, in College Station, Texas. The Blue Demons will face No. 4 Texas A&M on its own floor in the second round on Sunday.

DePaul, which has won seven games in a row and 13 of its last 14 games, is the only women's team from Illinois to make the NCAA tournament. The only men's team from Illinois in the NCAA tournament also advanced to the second round. No. 11 Loyola Chicago defeated No. 6 Miami on Thursday, 64-62 on a 3-point buzzer beater in Dallas.

"It's always won by the players," DePaul coach Doug Bruno said after the Oklahoma win. "They make every play. They got off to a quick and efficient start. And they also held strong when that Oklahoma team made a great run inside the second half."

DePaul, which leads the entire country with 13 made 3-pointers a game, had its usual showing from long distance, hitting 12 3-pointers against the Sooners.

This year's DePaul women's team became the first in program history to knock down at least 400 3-pointers in one season. And the Blue Demons' 27 wins (27-7) is the third-most in program history.

"Our team is just clicking, and on offense, it's like we're having a party," said DePaul junior forward Mart'e Grays, who leads the team in scoring at 14.4 points per game and had 16 points in this latest game against Oklahoma. She is one of five players averaging double-figures on the season for the Blue Demons. "We all trust each other to shoot the ball and we trust each other to hit the open player.

"And you have to guard everyone on our team. We all can score the ball. We don't rely on just one person. That's what makes us special."=

This bug bites hard:

The injury bug keeps zapping Notre Dame.

The Irish have been hit incredibly hard by injuries this season, and yet still earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

The resilience of the Irish (30-3) also earned head coach Muffet McGraw national coach of the year honors from espnW.

Notre Dame has lost four key players in the last nine months to ACL knee injuries, and on Friday in its 99-81 first-round win over Cal State Northridge, the bug struck again.

Kathryn Westbeld, a starter, went down with a severely rolled ankle early in the game and did not return. The Irish are already down Brianna Turner, Mychal Johnson, Lili Thompson and Mikayla Vaughn to knee injuries, all of whom have missed most if not all of the season.

"It was really rewarding to know after what we've been through this year and playing the nation's toughest schedule and playing so well and coming together as a team, despite all the injuries, it was really rewarding (to get a No. 1 seed)," McGraw said.

Notre Dame will face No. 9-seed Villanova on Sunday. It is not clear at this time if Westbeld will be able to play against Villanova.

pbabcock@dailyherald.com

Follow Patricia on Twitter: @babcockmcgraw

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.