Big East Sports Blog

No let down for the Blue Demons coming off their upset win over No.16 Villanova on Thursday, as DePaul beat Providence on Saturday night 70-65.  Despite only eight points from their leading scorer Draelon Burns, DePaul (6-7, 2-0) won their their second straight game over a Big East opponent, marking the first time in their history they have won their first two conference games.

Dar Tucker led DePaul with 15 points and Will Walker added 13.  Walker was a huge factor down the stretch, helping DePaul to the win.  Walker hit a three-pointer to put the Blue Demons up 67-60 with less than three minutes to go.  Then Walker sealed the deal, stealing an inbounds pass and went the all the way to rack, only to have his layup attempt goaltended with one second to play.

Providence (9-5, 0-2) made a good game of things, cutting their 13-point deficit at halftime (37-24) to five points after a 10-3 run got the Friars back in it early in the second half.  With DePaul lagging and in need of boost, Tucker drained two 3-pointers and threw down a slam dunk to get the juices flowing again for the Blue Demons.  Providence refused to fold, cutting the DePaul lead to three on two different occasions, 60-57 and then 68-65 with a minute to go.  Providence, however, couldn’t get any closer.

The Friars had a chance to tie the game at 68 twice in the final 10 seconds.  After a Tucker miss, Providence couldn’t connect on a 3-point attempt, but got another chance after Tucker missed a free-throw.  Off the inbounds, however, Walker stole the ball and had his layup goaltended at the other end to seal the victory.

Weyinmi Efejuku had a game-high 20 points and Jeff Xavier added 15 points for the Friars, who remain winless in conference play.  Providence will be idle until Wednesday night when they host Rutgers at 7:30 p.m.  DePaul will square off against Georgetown on Tuesday night at 9 p.m.

The Blue Demons have endured their struggles and growing pains so far this season. A five-game losing streak and close games that DePaul has come up short on have been tough growing pains.  But on Thursday night, their pains and their struggles turned into satisfying sweetness in front of the home crowd.

In the first match-up for both squads in the Big East, DePaul upset No. 16 Villanova 84-76, notching their third straight win after having lost five consecutive games.  The win inches DePaul closer to the .500 mark (5-7, 1-0), while the loss is only the second of the year for Villanova (10-2, 0-1).  The loss also end the Wildcats’ six-game winning streak.

DePaul had six players in double figures, led by Draelon Burns with 20 points.  Karron Clarke added 14 points and Cliff Clinkscales, Will Walker, and Wes Green each had 12 points. 

The Wildcats found themselves behind the eight-ball early, falling behind by 10, with DePaul gaining more and more confidence as the first half wore on.  The Blue Demons took a 40-28 lead into halftime.  An 11-2 run in first five minutes of the second half dug a deeper hole for the Wildcats, 53-38.  DePaul had their lead at 60-44 with under nine minutes to play, but Villanova didn’t go quietly into the night.

Dante Cunningham was huge tonight for the Wildcats, pouring in 16 points, including scoring five straight points to shave the lead to 68-64.  Villanova, however, would get no closer.  When DePaul needed their best player to come up with a basket, Burns responded all night.  With the lead at four and the Wildcats mounting a charge, Burns sunk two free throws, then came up with a steal and a fast-break lay-up to build the lead back up to eight, 72-64.  Free throws and missed shots by Villanova helped DePaul earn their first win in the Big East.

The youth and inexperience for the Wildcats played a pivotal part in their demise tonight.  Despite 23 points from freshamn guard Corey Fisher, the Wildcats hoisted too many three’s that resulted in too many misses (6-of-26 for 23 percent).  Super sophomore and leading scorer Scottie Reynolds had a tough night, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting.

DePaul proved that in conference play, there’s no such thing as a pushover.  A home game to kick off conference play, DePaul needed this one badly and it showed.  The Blue Demons played their hearts out and can use this win as a building block for things to come in the Big East. 

DePaul will aim for their fourth straight win and second in a row in conference play when they host Providence on Saturday at 8 p.m.  Villanova will have a few days to regroup, but they’ll have to regroup quickly.  They’ll face their toughest test of the year to date when they host No.13 Pittsburgh on Sunday at noon.

Draelon Burns and Dar Tucker combined for 37 points as DePaul knocked off Detroit 70-64 on Saturday afternoon.  DePaul withstood a late rally by Detroit, as the Titans erased a 15-point lead the Blue Demons had at one point during the second half.  Detroit got to within three points at 64-61 with 52 seconds left to play in the game, but two key baskets by Mac Koshwal helped the Blue Demons hang on. Koshwal scored 16 points to lift DePaul to their second straight win and improve to 4-7 on the year.

Jon Goode did his part to keep the Titans in the game, scoring a game high 25 points and helped spark a 14-2 Titans run that erased the double digit deficit.  With the loss, Detroit has now lost six games in a row, all six losses coming in the month of December.  The Titans last picked up a win on Nov. 28th at Eastern Michigan.

DePaul will host Villanova on Jan. 3rd at 9 p.m. in their meeting of the year against a Big East opponent.

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.

Sophomore forward Trevor Booker paced the way with 18 points and 10 rebound for the Tigers, who had six players in double figures, as Clemson man-handled DePaul 90-74 on Friday afternoon in the San Juan Shootout.

The Tigers got 15 points from Cliff Hammonds and 14 points from Dermontez Stitt.  Clemson trailed by one at halftime 41-40, but used a 19-4 run early in the second half to seize control, 59-45 with just over 14 minutes left.

DePaul countered with a 7-0 run, cutting the Clemson to 59-52, however, the Tigers would come no closer.  Clemson pulled away down the stretch, shooting 54 percent from the field in the second half, but it was their toughness at both ends of the floor to punish the Blue Demons.

DePaul had no answer inside for Booker and their perimeter defense was much to be desired as well.  Hammonds and Terrence Oglesby were a combined 8-for-11 from three-point range. 

Draelon Burns led DePaul with 27 points.  Karron Clarke had 14 points and Dar Tucker added 13 points.

The Blue Demons fall to 2-7 on the season.  They have had a tough go of things as of late, losing five in a row.  They’ll complete a string of three games in three nights on Saturday, Dec. 22nd at 3 p.m. when they host the Explorers from LaSalle.

Mississippi held DePaul without any field goals in the final 8 and a half minutes to remain unbeaten (9-0), knocking off the Blue Demons 69-63 in the San Juan Shootout on Thursday night. 

The Rebels had four players in double figures, led by senior center Dwayne Curtis.  Curtis led all scores with 21 points, including going 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Kenny Williams added 10 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, Chris Warren added 11 points and David Huertas finished with 10 points.

Draelon Burns paced the way for DePaul, scoring a team-high 17 points and shooting a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line.  Karron Clark added a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards.  DePaul falls to 2-6 on the year and Blue Demons have now dropped five straight games.

DePaul couldn’t buy a bucket all evening, shooting a stone-cold 31 percent from the field and only connecting on four three-pointers on twenty-two attempts, good for a paltry 18 percent.  The Blue Demons’ shooting woes plagued them severely in the second half, going 6-for-22 from the field.  DePaul only managed 18 field goals in the entire game.

Despite their horrid shooting woes, DePaul led at halftime 31-27, becoming the only team all year to have a lead over Mississippi at the break.

2007 has not been kind to the Blue Demons so far,with four of their six losses coming by six points or less. DePaul will have to quickly forget about their poor shooting performance against the Rebels.  They’ve started a string of three games in three nights, and they’ll be right back on the hardwood when they host Clemson on Friday and LaSalle on Saturday