DePaul Blows By James Madison
The Blue Demon offense was firing on all cylinders on Friday afternoon in Louisville as sixth-seeded DePaul cruised by 11th-seeded James Madison, 97-67, in the NCAA Tournament First Round. DePaul made 11 3-pointers and grabbed a season-high 55 rebounds. Jessica January had 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. January was one of six Blue Demons to reach double-figures in the win while 11 DePaul players scored in the victory. The Blue Demons’ 24 assists are their most in NCAA Tournament history. For the full recap, click
HERE.
Up Next For DePaul
The Blue Demons’ emphatic win over JMU earned them an NCAA Tournament Second Round date with host and third-seeded Louisville, set for Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2. The Cardinals dispatched 14th-seeded Central Arkansas 87-60 in yesterday’s second game at the KFC Yum! Center. Former conference foes in both the BIG EAST and Conference USA, DePaul and Louisville have met 31 times previously with the Blue Demons having a 16-15 series advantage. DePaul enters the game with a 26-8 overall record and winners of 10 of their last 11. Louisville is 26-7 and earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. Sunday’s DePaul-Louisville winner moves on to Dallas for the Sweet 16 and will face the winner of No. 10 St. Bonaventure and No. 2 Oregon State on March 26. DePaul has advanced to the Regional Semifinals three times, most recently in 2014.
St. John’s, Seton Hall Fall In First Round
Seasons for St. John’s and Seton Hall came to a close following NCAA Tournament First Round setbacks to Auburn and Duquesne, respectively. The eighth-seeded Red Storm fell 68-57 to ninth-seeded Auburn in Waco, Texas, on Saturday night despite a game-high 25 points from Danaejah Grant. St. John’s couldn’t overcome a six-point first quarter despite outscoring the Tigers in the second and third frames. For the full recap, click
HERE. The eighth-seeded Pirates also found themselves in an early hole against ninth-seeded Duquesne in Storrs, Conn., as the Dukes reached the 30-point mark in both the first and third quarters. SHU all-time leading scorer Tabatha Richardson-Smith finished her Pirate career with a 17-point afternoon in the 97-76 setback. For the full recap, click
HERE. St. John’s finishes at 23-10 while Seton Hall posted a 23-9 mark.
WNIT Update
Villanova is the lone BIG EAST squad remaining in the WNIT following narrow First Round setbacks by Georgetown at Rutgers and Creighton at South Dakota. The Wildcats handed Liberty a 67-51 loss on Thursday night to claim their fourth consecutive 20-win season. Megan Quinn totaled 21 points for Nova as the Wildcats committed just seven turnovers compared to 18 by the Flames. For the full recap, click
HERE. The Hoyas suffered a heartbreaker at Rutgers on Thursday as the Scarlet Knights scored the game-winning layup with 0.2 seconds left for the 57-55 win. Dorothy Adomako led three Hoyas in double figures with 18 points, whose 12-win turnaround from last season was one of the best in Division I this year. For the full recap, click
HERE. Audrey Faber totaled 25 points in her final game as a rookie for Creighton as South Dakota used a big second half to move by the Bluejays, 74-68, on Wednesday night. Tied with 8:31 remaining, the Coyotes exploded on a 12-3 run to regain a lead they would never relinquish. For the full recap, click
HERE.
Up Next For Villanova
Villanova will remain at home to host Hofstra on Saturday at 6 p.m. (ET), in the WNIT Second Round. The Pride blew by Harvard, 76-50, on Thursday to improve to 23-8 on the year. The Wildcats boast a 20-11 overall record and beat Hofstra 71-46 in their lone series meeting in 2006. Nova eyes its second straight trip the WNIT Third Round after marching onto the Quarterfinals in 2015. The winner of tonight’s Villanova-Hofstra tilt will face the winner of Sunday’s Virginia-Rutgers showdown.
BIG EAST In The NCAAs
First Round - Friday, March 18 - Louisville, Ky.
No. 6 DePaul 97, No. 11 James Madison 67*
First Round - Friday, March 18 - Waco, Texas
No. 9 Auburn 68, No. 8 St. John’s 57*
First Round - Saturday, March 19 - Storrs, Conn.
No. 9 Duquesne 97, No. 8 Seton Hall 76*
Second Round - Sunday, March 20 - Louisville, Ky.
No. 6 DePaul at No. 3 Louisville, 2:30 p.m.*
BIG EAST In The WNIT
First Round - Wednesday, March 16 - Vermillion, S.D.
South Dakota 74, Creighton 68
First Round - Thursday, March 17 - Piscataway, N.J.
Rutgers 57, Georgetown 55
First Round - Thursday, March 17 - Villanova, Pa.
Villanova 67, Liberty 51
Second Round - Saturday, March 19 - Villanova, Pa.
Villanova vs. Hofstra, 6 p.m.
All times Eastern
*ESPN2