Cortijo Scores 17 Points To Lead No. 19 Texas To A 91-81 Win Over No. 12 DePaul

Texas handed DePaul its first loss of the season on Friday night

Dec. 29, 2007

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Carla Cortijo scored 17 points, Ashley Lindsey added 16 points and Texas handed DePaul its first loss of the season, 91-81 on Friday night at the Maggie Dixon Surf 'N Slam Classic.

The Longhorns (10-2) used a tough defense to hold DePaul, one of the nation's highest scoring teams, to a season-low 34.6 percent shooting.

DePaul (10-1) had been one of four undefeated teams, along with No. 1 Connecticut, Arkansas and Georgia. The loss prevented the Blue Demons from winning their 600th game.

Texas won its eighth consecutive game, the Longhorns' longest win streak since near the end of the 2005 season.

The Longhorns were more successful playing at the frantic pace favored by DePaul. Texas scored numerous fast break points, led by Cortijo, who finished with nine assists.

Allie Quigley, DePaul's leading scorer, struggled after hitting her first three shots from the field as the Blue Devils jumped out to an early lead nearly four minutes into the game. But the Longhorns increased their defensive pressure and forced Quiley into missing her next eight shots.

After falling behind 12-4, Texas outscored the Blue Demons 37-18 over the rest of the half, including a 15-3 run leading into halftime. Texas led 41-30 at halftime as DePaul tied their season low for first-half points.

Quigley led DePaul with 29 points, but made just eight of 22 shots, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range.

The 6-foot-4 Lindsey was too much for the Blue Devils to handle inside. She pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.

Brittany Raven and Kathleen Nash each scored 15 points, and Erneisha Bailey finished with 12 for Texas, which shot 49.2 percent from the field.

DePaul, off to the best start in school history, produced much of its offense after Texas took its biggest lead at 73-51 with 8:55 left. The Blue Demons, who had averaged winning by a margin of nearly 26 points, were no match for a fast and aggressive Texas squad.