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 Forward Myke Henry and guard Billy Garrett Jr. led a balanced
attack with 15 points apiece, and the Blue Demons brushed off a late
Northern Illinois comeback attempt to secure a 78-67 victory Tuesday
at Allstate Arena.
"We're being more consistent, and it's paying off," said DePaul
forward Jamee Crockett, who scored 13 points and was selected the
rivalry game's most valuable player. "This year is a different year,
different guys, different mentalities, and it's good that we can
pull out wins like this."
DePaul forward Forrest Robinson scored 14 points, and center Tommy
Hamilton IV had 13 as the Blue Demons won their second straight.
Crockett's play is emblematic of DePaul's promising start.
"Jamee's been playing well," DePaul coach Oliver Purnell said. "For
the first time for a while, he's been healthy. He's been able to
practice, and he's got a really good attitude as a senior. I just
think conditioning and being healthy really makes a world of
difference."
 For the Huskies (3-2), guard Aaric Armstead scored a game-high 16
points, guard Darrell Bowie added 15 and guard Chuks Iroegbu had 15.
Northern Illinois coach Mark Montgomery said DePaul's full-court
press and 3-point shooting made the difference.
"That press really bothered us. I thought we prepared for it,"
Montgomery said. "We probably caught them on their best night
shooting threes. Eleven out of 22, that's exceptional."
DePaul led 38-29 at halftime, then opened its largest lead at 62-43
with 9:56 to play on guard Durrell McDonald's baseline 3-pointer.
Northern Illinois used an 11-1 run to close the gap to 63-54 after
back-to-back 3-pointers by Armstead and guard Michael Orris.
However, Garrett hit four consecutive free throws in a 41-second
span, and Hamilton's jam helped pushed the Blue Demons' lead to
69-56 with 4:10 to play.
The win was the Blue Demons' fourth in a row over the Huskies.
DePaul leads the series 26-6, including an 11-1 mark at Allstate
Arena.
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The Blue Demons shot 28-for-52 (53.8 percent) from the field and
11-for-22 (50.0 percent) from the 3-point arc. Northern Illinois
shot 24-for-50 (48 percent) and committed 21 turnovers but dominated
on the board with a 34-22 advantage.
"We played well in stretches with energy, particularly on the
defensive end with some of our pressure," Purnell said. "We've still
got work to do with rebounding mentality. ... We've got to do a
better job, but we controlled the game and got the job done."
Crockett won the Jay Goedert Memorial MVP, named for the former
Northern Illinois and DePaul assistant who died of a heart attack in
2004 at age 44.
NOTES: Northern Illinois used a 28-2 run in the final 10:40 last
Sunday to pull out a 61-56 victory over Maine. It was the third
comeback from a second-half double-digit deficit this season. ...
The Huskies entered Tuesday with a 3-1 record, their best start
after four games since 2006-07. ... Sophomore G Aaric Armstead led
the team with a 13.8 scoring average entering Tuesday's game. ...
Next up for Northern Illinois is a road trip to Eastern Illinois on
Saturday. ... Blue Demons F Myke Henry earned Big East weekly honors
after averaging 25.5 points while shooting 61.8 percent shooting
from the field. ... Henry is among four DePaul players averaging in
double figures. He led the team with a 19.3 average through Monday's
action. ... DePaul F Jamee Crockett sank the 85th 3-pointer of his
career, breaking a three-way tie for 20th in program history. ...
DePaul travels to Chicago State on Thursday and hosts Milwaukee on
Sunday.
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