Blue Demons snap five game skid, beat Explorers
DePaul ended the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico this weekend on a positive note, defeating LaSalle 93-88 on Saturday afternoon, snapping their five game losing streak and notching their first since since Nov. 28th.
The tag team of Karron Clarke and Draelon Burns spear-headed the offensive attack for the Blue Demons. Clarke poured in a game-high 25 points and Burns added 20. DePaul finally got a much needed balanced offensive attack they’ve been longing for, with six players reaching double figures in scoring.
Darnell Harris led the Explores with 21 points, and Ruben Guillandeaux added 16 points. LaSalle trailed big in the first half, down by as many as 16, but used a late surge to cut DePaul’s lead to five at halftime, 50-45.
DePaul took great care of the basketball, only turning the ball over seven times all day. They connected on 11 three-pointers, and finished with 13 steals, led by Will Walker with four steals in the ballgame.
It was the second time in as many days LaSalle trailed by a double-digit margin, only to erase the deficit to take the lead. Today, they fought back and held a 72-70 lead with under eight minutes to play, only to have DePaul take the lead on a three-pointer and went up for good with under eight minutes to play in the second half.
LaSalle lost for the second straight day, falling to 4-6 on the season. On Friday, they lost to Mississippi 84-77.
DePaul will enjoy a full week off, and they’ll return to the hardwood next Saturday, Dec. 29th at 4 p.m. when they travel to Detroit to take on the Titans.
Tags: Big East Basketball, DePaul Blue Demons, LaSalle Explorers, NCAA Men's basketball