DePaul uses balanced offensive attack to defeat Seton Hall, 92-60
By Eric Schleicher
DePaul Quotes | Seton Hall Quotes
MILWAUKEE – Nationally ranked No. 18/17 and top-seeded DePaul took down eight-seeded Seton Hall, 92-60, in the quarterfinal round of the BIG EAST Tournament. DePaul leaned on Chante Stonewall, who tied a tournament-high with 20 points. Stonewall also grabbed eight rebounds in the contest for the Blue Demons.
BIG EAST Player of the Year honoree Brook Schulte poured in 16 points and recorded six rebounds for the Blue Demons. DePaul’s roster featured five players to tally double-digit point totals in the game. The Blue Demons also set a program-high for most three-point field goals in a BIG EAST Tournament game with 14, besting its previous high of 10 set against Pittsburgh in 2014.
The Pirates were paced by Jayla Jones-Pack, who notched 13 points and added five rebounds. Jones-Pack finished a perfect 4 of 4 from the field, and shot 5 of 6 from the charity stripe. Lubirdia Gordon finished just two points and two rebounds shy of her third double-double of the season, finishing her night with eight points and eight boards.
DePaul started quickly, opening up a 26-12 lead after one quarter, generating much of its offense from a stifling defensive attack, which forced five Seton Hall turnovers. Schulte paced the Blue Demons during the first stanza, registering eight points to go along with six boards, which included a single possession of three offensive boards that led to a Schulte layup.
The second quarter featured continued pinpoint shooting from the Blue Demons, who shot 9 of 14 from the field, helping DePaul enter the break with a 52-28 advantage. However, Seton Hall was able to apply defensive pressure, forcing the BIG EAST leader in turnover margin at plus-4.4, to commit seven turnovers in the period.
DePaul opened the third quarter on an 11-2 run, which was fueled by Jacqui Grant who recorded seven tallies during the stretch. Grant finished with nine points in the quarter, helping the Blue Demons to a 71-41 lead to begin the fourth quarter.
After allowing an early bucket in the fourth, Seton Hall opened up a 9-0 run, aided by two Blue Demon turnovers. The Pirates had their best shooting quarter of the game in the fourth, knocking down 6 of 11 shots from the field.
DePaul now advances to the semifinal round, and will take on the winner of the matchup between fourth-seeded Villanova and fifth-seeded St. John’s at 5:30 p.m. Central on March 6. The Blue Demons swept their season series over both the Red Storm and the Wildcats, and will look to advance to the BIG EAST Tournament Final for the third time in four seasons with a win.