|
 Blue Demons guard Billy Garrett said there were a few problematic
minutes, but it is hard to quibble as DePaul claimed an 80-62
non-conference victory over Drake in its Allstate Arena home opener.
"We wanted to come out today and jump out on them," said Garrett,
who collected a team-high 15 points. "We emphasized playing hard and
doing the little things throughout the 40 minutes. And I think we
played pretty hard, played pretty well for about 35 minutes. ... The
consistency is encouraging."
Forward Myke Henry added 13 points as the Blue Demons claimed a 2-0
opening record for the first time in three seasons.
DePaul trailed once early in the game and then used effective
perimeter shooting to build a 38-25 halftime advantage.
The Blue Demons led by as many as 20 points in the second half and
the margin never slipped under double digits as forward Jamee
Crockett scored 12 points, forward Forrest Robinson had 11 and guard
Durrell McDonald added 10.
 Drake forward Chris Caird scored 19 points, while guard Jordan
Daniels added 17 points and four assists for the Bulldogs (0-2).
"Jordan settled down and made the extra pass and in turn he found
himself getting open looks," Drake coach Ray Giacoletti said. "He
settled down and got into a nice rhythm. It comes back 10-fold if
you make a nice pass to someone else."
In last Saturday's 72-71 season-opening victory over
Illinois-Chicago, the Blue Demons saw a 16-point halftime advantage
vanish and needed Garrett's game-winning 3-pointer to secure the
win.
"We wanted to close out the game," DePaul coach Oliver Purnell said.
"We didn't want to let up like we did in the first game."
The Blue Demons shot 55.1 percent (27-of-49) from the field,
including 9-of-20 (45 percent) on 3-point tries. After hitting just
32.1 percent in the opening half, the Bulldogs' shooting improved
and they closed with 23-of-54 (42.6 percent). DePaul outrebounded
Drake 33-26.
DePaul sprinted to an early 21-8 lead behind 4-of-8 shooting from
beyond the arc, including a pair of 3-pointers from McDonald.
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Drake replied with a 14-7 surge -- including back-to-back Caird
3-pointers -- that cut the DePaul lead to 27-22. The Blue Demons
went on an 11-3 run through the final 4:34 for a 38-25 halftime
lead.
Also Tuesday at Allstate Arena, the No. 18 DePaul women (3-1) beat
in-state rival Bradley 101-77 as six Blue Demons hit double figures
led by Brittany Hrynko's 19 points. Fantasia Vine had 13 the Braves
(0-2).
"When you get it back to what we had in the second half, you have to
be able to get stops," Giacoletti said. "Those are things you have
to be able to do collectively as a group and get stops. We're
undermanned right now without two seniors, and we're trying to hold
this together and get young guys better."
NOTES: Last week's decision over Illinois-Chicago was DePaul's
seventh straight season-opening win. The Blue Demons are 81-11
all-time in the season's first game. ... The Blue Demons are off for
eight days for exams before hosting Lehigh in a Nov. 26
non-conference game. ... Drake, predicted to finish ninth in the
Missouri Valley Conference, fell 77-58 in last Saturday's season
opener against Bowling Green. Freshmen impressed in that game as G
Reed Timmer paced the Bulldogs with a team-high 16 points and G C.J.
Rivers pulled down six rebounds. ... Drake's Jacob Enevold Jensen
played for the Nordic champion Danish national Under-20 team in
2014. ... Drake travels to Western Michigan on Saturday.
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