DePaul women win 4th title in 6 years, top No. 13 Marquette

CHICAGO (AP) — Chante Stonewall converted a go-ahead, 3-point play with 5.4 seconds left and DePaul beat No. 13 Marquette 74-73 on Tuesday night for the Blue Demons' fourth Big East Conference title in six seasons.

Stonewall took a pass at the 3-point arc, drove the lane and was fouled while making a layup. She added the free throw for a one-point lead and Natisha Hiedeman went coast-to-coast but her bank shot fell short.

Stonewall's free throw gave DePaul its first lead since 10-8, with 4:07 left in the first quarter, and its 17th straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Stonewall finished with 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting for DePaul (26-7), which has won 11 games in a row. Lexi Held added 10 points and Kelly Campbell grabbed 12 rebounds.

Hiedeman led top-seeded Marquette (26-7) with 18 points. Selena Lott scored 13, Amani Wilborn 12, and Allazia Blockton and Danielle King each had 11. The Golden Eagles entered with their most victories since the 2006-07 season.

Wilborn made two baskets in the final six seconds of the first half to give Marquette a 40-35 lead. She sank a fade-away jumper in the lane with the shot clock winding down and, after a DePaul turnover, she made a contested layup just before the buzzer for 10 first-half points. Stonewall paced DePaul with 13 points in the half.

Blockton missed a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left but King grabbed the offensive rebound. The Golden Eagles dribbled down the clock and Hiedeman was fouled with 10.4 seconds left before making 1 of 2 free throws for a 73-71 lead.

DePaul has just 11 Big East losses in the last four years — with five coming to Marquette. Last season, DePaul made a tournament record 16 3-pointers in an 86-63 win over Marquette for its third championship in five years. In 2017, Marquette beat DePaul 86-78 for its first Big East title.