No. 10 seed DePaul gets to face Marist

The No. 10 DePaul women's basketball team will open against No. 7 Marist in the first round. It's the sixth consecutive trip to the tournament and the 13th in school history for the Blue Demons (20-11).

"We have established ourselves as an NCAA Tournament team and now we have to take it up a notch," DePaul coach Doug Bruno said Monday. "You're still defined by how you do in the NCAA Tournament."

The Red Foxes (31-2) won the MAAC and enter the postseason on a 21-game win streak. The teams play Saturday in Baton Rouge, La., in the New Orleans regional.

"They're experienced with four seniors that returned from a team that went to the Sweet Sixteen a year ago," Bruno said. "This is a very, very seasoned Marist team."

Senior Allie Quigley, who leads the Blue Demons in scoring at 19.5 points a game, likes DePaul's experience.

"I think it helps to have five seniors out there," Quigley said. "At the same time, we have a lot of other people who have been to previous tournaments and played in close games. I think we're ready."

DePaul will be prepared after surviving a tough Big East schedule that included five of the final eight games against teams ranked in top 25, said senior Missy Mitidiero.

"I feel that the Big East is one of the best conferences in the nation. If we play our best basketball we can go up against anybody," said Mitidiero, citing wins over No. 15 Notre Dame and No. 17 West Virginia, along with a 1-point loss to top-ranked Connecticut.