BIG EAST teams went 4-1 on Saturday and improved the league’s nonconference record to 89-31 for a .742 winning percentage. In addition, all 16 teams in the league hold a record of .500 or better and three squads remain undefeated.
No. 22/21 DePaul (6-1) knocked off Loyola-Chicago 70-65 at home. Junior Anna Martin scored a game-high 27 points and DePaul extended its McGrath-Phillips Arena winning streak to 22 games. Sophomore Jasmine Penny scored seven of her 16 points during a 13-2 run in the second half to help the short-handed Blue Demons break open a tight game. Junior Katherine Harry added nine points and 15 rebounds.
Loyola cut a 15-point deficit to five but got no closer in the final minutes. Martin has scored in double digits in seven straight games and has 20 or more in her last four.
DePaul senior forward Keisha Hampton missed practice all week with an unspecified injury and scored just four points in 15 minutes.
Providence (4-3) beat Fairfield 75-43 in the Brown Bear Tournament held at Brown University. PC senior Teya Wright recorded her fifth double-double of the season with a career-high 25 points and 12 boards.
USF (6-4) flew past Air Force 73-70 in Colorado Spring, Colo. The Bulls battled their way back late behind a team-high 18 points from senior Jasmine Wynne. USF trailed by as many as 13 with 15:10 to play in the second half, but were able to outscore the host Falcons 39-30 in the second half to avoid back-to-back losses.
West Virginia (5-2) topped Boston University 78-53 at home. Junior Asya Bussie recorded a double-double with a game-leading 17 points and 10 rebounds. Behind Bussie, Taylor Palmer put up 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting and a pair of treys.
Syracuse (6-2) lost to Brigham Young 83-59 in Hawaii. Junior Kayla Alexander led all scorers in the game with 26 points. She also grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
In action on Friday, No. 3/3 Notre Dame beat Penn 69-38 and No. 11/12 Rutgers won at Florida 63-49. In addition, Syracuse lost to Arizona 80-74, Marquette lost to No. 23/17 Green Bay 66-50, Pittsburgh lost to High Point 82-75 and USF lost to Idaho State 76-63.
Material from interviews, school websites, the Associated Press wire service as well as league and team sources was used in this report.
