DePaul Outlasts Seton Hall; Advances to Fourth-Straight Title Game
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CHICAGO - DePaul is right back where it hoped to be following a nerve-wracking 83-80 victory over Seton Hall in Sunday's Big East women's basketball tournament semifinals.
The top-seed Blue Demons, the Big East regular season champs, seek a third consecutive conference tourney title after securing a date with either Marquette or St. John's in Monday's championship game at Wintrust Arena.
DePaul maintained sometimes precarious leads through the fourth quarter, but never relinquished it even in the final seconds as Seton Hall had possession and an opportunity to tie with a three pointer.
But a last-ditch shot by by Red Storm guard/forward Alexis Lewis fell short.
Lexi Held led a balanced attack for DePaul (27-5) with 22 points. Chante Stonewall followed with 18 while Kelly Campbell and Sonya Morris had 16 and 14 points, respectively.
Five players scored in double figures for fourth seeded Seton Hall (19-12) led by Desiree Elmore's game-high 26 points. Shadeen Samuels added 13 while Lauren Park-Lane, Mya Jackson and Alexis Lewis had 10 apiece.
DePaul and Seton Hall deadlocked 24-24 after a briskly-played first quarter that featured a combined seven 3 pointers.
Early in the second the Blue Demons scored 12 unanswered points and a 36-26 lead including eight from Stonewall. The double-digit advantage didn't last as the Pirates chipped away, finally trailing 50-46 at halftime as Elmore collected 12 second quarter points.
DePaul led by 11 points with 5:32 left in the third when Elmore went back to work with seven straight points, helping Seton Hall eventually cut the deficit to 68-67 with 10 seconds showing.
But Deja Church's buzzer-beating fast-break layup restored a 3-point Blue Demon lead heading into the final quarter.
The victory was the Blue Demons' third over the Pirates this season. DePaul scored an 85-68 victory on Jan. 10 at home and an 86-76 triumph at Seton Hall on Feb. 9.
DePaul snapped a two-game losing streak as it advanced out of the Big East quarterfinals with Saturday's 97-59 victory over Providence. Seton Hall, which came in with a three-game winning streak and four wins in six games, reached the semifinals with its 83-57 triumph over Butler as it set a program record with 16 made 3 pointers.
Monday's championship is set for 7 p.m. (CT).