Even when Allie Quigley is perceived as having an off night, opposing defenders have learned to overlook the DePaul guard at their peril.
Just past the midpoint of the second half Dec. 17 against Illinois-Chicago, the Blue Demons junior was stuck at 11 points–with only three in the second half–as the Blue Demons clung to a 53-50 lead.
But with the game on the line, Quigley hit a critical three-pointer to stop a Flames’ surge. She went on to collect nine more points and closed with a team-high 23 as DePaul pulled away to win 74-65.
“Everybody’s taking their best shots at her,” Blue Demons coach Doug Bruno said. “She puts up what she puts up against some very special defenses. They beat on her, grab at her, do everything they can to hold her.
“And she was able to persevere through the tough start and turn that into something valuable.”
The 5-foot-11-inch Quigley, a three-year starter, doesn’t always wait to lower the boom.
Earlier this month against Rutgers, Quigley popped a three-pointer on the game’s opening attempt and went on to a career-high 37 points and seven three-pointers in an 87-73 victory.
That performance led to Big East Player of the Week honors, the latest in a growing resume of national recognition.
Quigley is averaging 15.7 points per game for the nation’s No. 19 team (10-2), which had a 10-game winning streak broken in a one-point loss to TCU last week. And while she’s DePaul’s top gun, Quigley is quick to share credit and plaudits.
“I hope to bring energy and try to be a threat on offense and defense, and at the same time [help] make my teammates better,” said Quigley, who last month became the 20th Blue Demon to score 1,000 points.
“[But] I think on a given night anyone can have a breakout game, and we’ve shown that.”
Named to the preseason All-Big East team, Quigley was also cited by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club as one of the nation’s top 50 collegiate players as a Naismith Award nominee.
Success is nothing new. A Tribune All-State pick in three sports while attending Joliet Catholic, Quigley starred in basketball and softball and captained the Angels’ 2003 Class AA state volleyball championship team.
“Allie was one of the easiest athletes to coach and she had a great work ethic,” said Chris Scheibe, Joliet Catholic’s varsity volleyball coach. “[But] she was also one of the most humble athletes around. She had so much athletic ability and was so disciplined you could tell her to do anything and she’d go out there and do it.”
In her first DePaul season, Quigley started in 23 of 31 games and earned Conference USA freshman of the year honors after averaging 14.3 points per game. As a sophomore, she started all 34 games and landed on the All-Big East second team.
This season her scoring and rebounding (5.8) are up.
“Allie is one of the more talented players we’ve ever had at DePaul,” Bruno said. “[Now] I just want her to grow stronger in her understanding of the game and get more mentally tough.”
