DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Hold Off Indiana State
11/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
DePaul 75 Indiana State 70
ROSEMONT, Ill. It was a tale of two halves but in the end DePaul walked away unbeaten and is off to the program’s best start five years.
The Blue Demons, who improved to 4-0, rolled to a 23-point lead in the first half then watched in the second half as it shrunk to as little as two before pulling out a 75-70 victory over Indiana State on Saturday at the Allstate Arena.
Indiana State jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead and then DePaul answered with a 19-2 run and kept building from there growing the lead to as much as 23 at 32-9 and 36-13 with 3:18 to play before halftime. Head Coach Jerry Wainwright’s crew took a 39-19 lead into intermission. DePaul’s Dar Tucker (11 points) and Jabari Currie (10) were keys in the Blue Demons first half attack.
After missing all 10 three-point field goals in the first half, the Sycamores came roaring out of the locker room in the second period, hitting their first three treys and had cut the lead down to six in just over six minutes of action to make it a game again. Indiana State was able to whittle the advantage to as little as two at 68-66 with 1:01 to play. After a Dar Tucker free throw, freshman Jeremiah Kelly made a key steal and a lay up with 35 seconds to play that essentially put the game out of reach and send the Blue Demons home with their fourth-straight victory.
Notable
DePaul (4-0)
- Season-high 26 field goals and 67 field goals attempted. Previous season-high was 24 FG and 62 FGA against Albany in the season opener at McGrath Arena.
- DePaul’s 20-point half time advantage was the team’s largest advantage of the season. DePaul’s previous season-high was 18 against Albany.
- Tying a career-high with 15 rebounds, Mac Koshwal has finished three of DePaul’s four games with double-digit rebounds. Against Detroit, the only game without 10 or more rebounds, he finished nine.
- Michael Bizoukas dished out a career-high four assists.
- With a season-high 26 points, Dar Tucker led the Blue Demons for the 12th time in his career and third time this season. It is this third time this season he has finished with 20+ points.
- Jeremiah Kelly’s 11 points were a career-high. Three of his 11 came in the final 30 seconds.
- Tied a season-high was five blocks. Blocked five shots at UIC.
- DePaul’s bench outscored Indiana State 18-9.
- The same five players (Tucker, Kelly, Koshwal, Walker and Poscic) have started each game this season for DePaul.
- 4-0 for the first time since 2002-03.
Indiana State (0-4)
- Missed first 10 3’s, but made first three in the second half. Finished the game 7-21 and .333 percent from behind the arc.
- 19 first half points was a season-low.
- Aaron Carter has scored in double-figures in all four Indiana State games. Cater finished with a team-high 19.
- Outscored DePaul 51-36 in the second half.
Series
- DePaul is now 11-1 all-time against Indiana State.
- Indiana State’s only series win came at the 1979 NCAA Final Four
- The Blue Demons have won the last six meetings
- DePaul defeated Indiana State 78-66 on Nov. 29, 2003.
Quotable
“I was proud of the way the guys hung together. A lot of teams would have come apart when the lead got down to two but they pulled for each other and that helped us hold on and win. We had too many missed shots that should have been made, especially early in the game when we had a chance to put the game away but we will learn from that.” DePaul Head Coach Jerry Wainwright.
Up Next
DePaul heads west as it plays at California on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. (CST) on WSCR (670 AM) in Chicago.