DePaul University Athletics
Men's Basketball Falls in Season Opener
11/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Jerry Wainwright Post Game Audio
Box Score
PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley hit 13 three-point field goals and had a 22-10 run to open the second half en route to a 78-58 win over DePaul in the season opener for both teams on Saturday night at Carver Arena.
DePaul was led by Sammy Mejia’s 18 points while Wilson Chandler added 12. Bradley had four players in double figures led by Jeremy Crouch’s game-high 22 points.
The game was tight in the early going and the Braves held a 27-26 advantage with 4:23 to play before halftime when Daniel Ruffin hit a three that sent Bradley on a 8-2 run to close out the stanza and take a 35-28 lead into intermission.
DePaul had to spend most of the opening half without Chandler who picked up two fouls in the game’s first six-plus minutes but Mejia, who became the first DePaul player to start four season openers in his career since Dave Corzine in the late 1970’s, kept the Blue Demons in the contest by scoring 13 of his 18 points in the first period.
The second half was all Bradley which finished the night shooting just over 56-percent (27-49) from the floor and was better from three-point range (13-25 - .520) than the free throw line (11-22 - .500).
Crouch, who was 6-9 from beyond the arc, hit a three just eight seconds into the period and the Braves never looked back. Crouch and Daniel Ruffin each had six points in the first five minutes to ignite the sellout crowd and set Bradley on to victory.
The lead grew to as much as 25 at 76-51 with 4:15 to play before the final margin. A bright spot in the second for DePaul was
The Blue Demons suffered 18 turnovers on the night.
DePaul is back in action again on Tuesday when it travels to Northwestern to take on the Wildcats at 7 p.m. in Welsh-Ryan Arena. The game can be heard on the official website of DePaul Athletics at www.depaulbluedemons.com.