University of Houston
DePaul
Lady Cougars De-Clawed By Blue Demons, 101-52
1/31/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2003
HOUSTON - The University of Houston women's basketball team suffered its worst loss in over a decade as it dropped to DePaul 101-52 Friday night at the DePaul Athletic Center. All-American Chandi Jones was held to only 12 points as the Lady Cougars fell to 10-8 overall and 2-4 in Conference USA. Shondra Bush led Houston with 18 points while Jones (26.5 ppg) played only 26 minutes in the contest.
The Blue Demons were led by Khara Smith, who posted a game-high 22 points in only 17 minutes of play. Ashley Luke hit five treys for a total of 17 points on the night while three other DePaul players scored in double figures.
Jones opened with game with a quick layup then turned around and forced a Blue Demon steal and foul. DePaul answered later with 13-0 run to take a 21-6 lead before KiKi Harris hit a jumper at 13:45 in the first half. The Blue Demons went on to a 20-point advantage, holding the Lady Cougars to only 10 points in the first eight minutes. Houston could not recover as DePaul shot 69.7 percent from the floor, and the Lady Cougars carried a 36-point deficit into the locker room, trailing 59-23 at the half.
DePaul continued its ambush in the second-half, but Houston rallied and kept the Blue Demons scoreless for almost three minutes, chipping away at its 73-38 deficit with 10:48 remaining. The Blue Demons answered with a 33-2 run and kept Houston scoreless for more than seven minutes, increasing their lead to 57, the largest of the night.
The Lady Cougars fought to the finish but scored only 29 points in the second half and were defeated 101-52, its worst loss since Jan. 13, 1993, when Houston fell to Texas Tech by 52 points.
For the first time since Dec. 23, the Blue Demons (15-6, 4-2 C-USA) are not ranked in either the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA or Associated Press' Top 25. DePaul's No. 20 ranking in the Coaches' Poll was its highest rank this season.
The Blue Demons shot 37 of 58 from the floor (63.8 percent) while Houston made only 19 of its 58 attempts (32.8 percent). DePaul, who is10-0 at home this season, totaled 13 three-pointers and outrebounded Houston 44-31 on the night.
Houston will continue its four-game road stand as it heads to Milwaukee to face C-USA rival Marquette Sunday at the U.S. Cellular Center. Tip off is set for 2 p.m. CST.
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