Martin leads short-handed, resilient bench through rest of Big East play

The DePaul Blue Demons women's basketball team seems to have hit a rough patch in their 2011-12 season, sustaining the loss of four key players and three back to back games.

However, with the help of strong team leaders like junior guard Anna Martin and junior forward Katherine Harry, this team plans to fight back and win their campaign to the NCAA tournament.

This team has faced a lot of "emotional adversity" in a short eight day period, including their hard fought 65-64 loss to Rutgers.

With an overall record of 15-6 the team needs to "mentally and emotionally rebound" said Head Coach Doug Bruno.

With four players out from season-ending injuries and mid-season losses to USF, Connecticut and Rutgers, "we have to redesign our goals" for the season.

Last season DePaul finished as an NCAA Sweet 16 team, yet, this year "we need to make the Sweet 16 the floor, rather than the ceiling."

Some of their early goals like finishing in the top three for the Big East may now be much tougher to achieve, however, they have not given up.

"We still have a chance for the NCAA," said Bruno, which DePaul will be hosting during the first and second rounds.

Anna Martin has put up several strong performances most recently in last week's Rutgers game, scoring 26 points. With three assists and seven rebounds, as well as a career-high of 13-for-14 from the free throw line, Martin has proved to be a great asset as well as a strong leader for this team.

"We just need to focus on a strong finish," said Martin.

"Katherine Harry and I have been in a leadership role" for the team this season said Martin, however she is quick to note the strong performance of her teammates.

Freshman Brittany Hrynko and Megan Rogowski, as well as sophomore Jasmine Penny, have been "doing a great job," said Martin.

"We are a really close team on and off the court," she says. "Good things happen when we work together."

With their "old and young dynamic" holding strong, this small squad of nine girls has a "great senior class" and some underclassmen who are "really stepping up," said Bruno. Despite injuries, seniors Keisha Hampton and Taylor Pikes are "still mentoring" and integral parts of the team.

Martin has done a "magnificent job leading," said Bruno, and "being aggressive to score." Staying "strong in face of adversity," Bruno adds, is something this team is going to have to do to be successful, and Martin has done that.

We just need to "bounce back" and focus on the "little things," said Martin.

"This is the most difficult stretch," said Bruno, however if the team can overcome their recent hurdles and sustain momentum throughout the game they will be successful on the court.

The Blue Demons will be returning home to face fellow Big East Conference team Louisville at 8 p.m. on Tuesday.