Penny, Hrynko Push DePaul Women Past Pirates

CHICAGO - Selfish basketball players always look to score. Unselfish basketball players always look to win.

The DePaul women’s basketball team had plenty of the latter Wednesday night at McGrath-Phillips Arena.

Jasmine Penny scored a career-high 29 points and Brittany Hrynko provided an outstanding floor game despite scoring just eight points as DePaul beat Seton Hall 74-48.

Bruno benched Penny tonight after just one minute due to a perceived lack of effort in rebounding, but it was then a case of pine equals punch as Penny scored 14 first half points on six of six field goals. She shot 12-15 from the floor for the game, and she is No. 2 in the Big East in field goal percentage behind Stefanie Dolson of Connecticut.

In the Marquette game last Saturday, Penny had just five points and she fouled out.

“I have been really frustrated with scoring, so I knew tonight I had to come out and be a presence on the floor, be aggressive, and score,” Penny said.

Hrynko shot 12-28 in scoring her 35 points against Marquette. She took only nine shots tonight, and she did not score her first field goal until 14:18 left in the game. That three-pointer moves her into a tie with Melanie Ehrhardt for ninth place at DePaul for most three-pointer in a single season. Hrynko’s 66 three-pointers are second best in the Big East.

“You can’t be your best basketball team if your best player is taking 28 shots,” DePaul coach Doug Bruno said. “I am thrilled Brittany put us on her shoulders at Marquette because nobody else wanted the ball. She was not being selfish at Marquette.” And another trademark of not being selfish is giving up the ball.

Hrynko’s game-high nine assists was one more than the entire Seton Hall team.

“Tonight we were just trying to share the ball and Coach Bruno told us after the Marquette game that is wasn’t just me, but everybody else had to step up,” said Hrynko.

She added seven rebounds and three steals.

“I think it’s important that we share the ball, move the ball, and I thought that was vital and key to the game tonight,” Bruno said.

DePaul (17-6, 6-3 Big East) had 25 assists on 31 baskets, including 13 assists on 14 baskets in the first half.

Bruno opted for a lineup change tonight, with Kelsey Reynolds starting at guard in place of wing Megan Podkowa.

“Megan is really a good basketball player, but I just did not feel like it was fitting,” Bruno said. “The lineup with Megan, Jasmine, and Katherine Harry together did not have the same flow we are used to. Kelsey Reynolds had to be ready to play, and then we had to have [walk on] Gena Lenti coming in and joining us and helping us in practice.”

Reynolds contributed four points, four rebounds and one steal in 30 minutes of play.

Lenti entered the game at 9:25 of the first half and hit a three-pointer from the left corner. Chanise Jenkins’ (nine points, eight rebounds and five assists) pass to Lenti, who then fed Harry, put DePaul up 24-12 at 5:18.

Harry’s block into the baseline wall of Brittany Webb’s shot resulted in a technical foul on Webb. Harry finished with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

DePaul then closed the half on a 10-3 run to lead 33-20 at the break. The 20 points was the fourth lowest scored by a DePaul opponent in a first half this year.

The Pirates are now 1-13 when trailing at the break.

The Blue Demons went on a 19-1 run in the second half and held their largest lead of 30 points with 11:15 left to play.

Podkowa’s 13 points helped DePaul gain a 46-18 edge in points in the paint. She added six rebounds and two assists.

Brittany Morris led Seton Hall (8-14, 3-6 Big East) with 13 points.

DePaul plays three of its next four games against No. 3 Connecticut (away this Saturday at 2:30 CST and on ESPNU), No. 2 Notre Dame (home) and at No. 11 Louisville. The Blue Demons’ next home game is against Rutgers next Wednesday at 8:00 CST.

Notes:

- DePaul’s Megan Rogowski has advanced from a cast to a splint on her broken right hand.

- The Blue Demons have now won eight straight against Seton Hall.