DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
St. John's
Blue Demons Let This One Get Away
2/1/2012 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Feb. 1, 2012
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ROSEMONT, Ill. - You could almost feel the sting of disappointment in the words coming out of Moses Morgan's mouth.
"Man, this is a game we should have won," said the DePaul sophomore about an 87-81 BIG EAST Conference setback to St. John's Wednesday night at Allstate Arena.
"In the second half, we weren't getting back in transition and not finishing on the defensive end with a rebound. We didn't do a very good job of taking care of the ball."
DePaul (11-10, 2-7 in the BIG EAST) had a 12-point lead in the first half and led by nine early in the second half.
But problems against the St. John's full-court press mixed in with some defensive lapses contributed to a 30-14 Red Storm surge and an 81-73 lead.
A Jamee Crockett three-pointer followed by a tough Brandon Young drive to the hoop reduced the deficit to three. But that was as close as DePaul would get as St. John's improved to 10-12, 4-6 in the BIG EAST.
Cleveland Melvin led the Blue Demons with 22 points and 11 rebounds---his second double-double of the season. Morgan scored a career-high 19 points, including 5-of-9 from three-point range. Young finished with 13 points and a career-high 11 assists.
"I liked our approach and the pace of the game in the first half," said DePaul coach Oliver Purnell as DePaul moved out to a 31-19 lead thanks to a Morgan-inspired 17-5 run. "Then inexplicably, we didn't handle pressure very well."
That opened the door for St. John's to score the final 11 points of the first half in reducing the Blue Demon lead to 31-30 at the break. Fortunately, the Red Storm shot just 28 percent in the first 20 minutes.
Melvin opened the second half with three consecutive baskets before the game turned into a three-point shooting spectacle. In a span of 4 minutes and 30 seconds, both teams combined for eight three-pointers out of 10 baskets.
Young, Worrell Clahar and Morgan (twice) hit from beyond the arc for DePaul while D'Angelo Harrison hit four in a row for the Red Storm on his way to 29 points.
It was Harrison (7-of-11 on three-pointers) who sparked St. John's into a torrid 73 percent shooting in the second half.
"We didn't do a good job of finding Harrison defensively," Morgan said.
Purnell agreed with his sophomore forward's assessment.
"Harrison's a good player, and we allowed him to get going," Purnell said. "Once he got going, he was very aggressive. Clearly, he was their answer to getting back in the game."
Melvin ignited an 8-2 Blue Demon run that provided a 59-51 lead with 12 minutes to go. It would be the last time DePaul would be in control of the game.
St. John's responded with a 13-0 outburst that evolved into the 30-14 run.
This was one of the rare occasions this season when an opponent was younger and less experienced than the Blue Demons. For the third game in a row, St. John's started five freshmen, rookies who played like seasoned veterans in crunch time.
"We made a lot of turnovers in the second half, and we were not taking care of the ball like we're should," said Melvin, who has combined with Young to become the highest-scoring sophomore tandem in the nation at 33.8 points per game entering Wednesday's action.
"They wanted to come back pretty badly and they pressed us. We knew they'd be scrappy. We got too comfortable and let them come back."
Purnell pointed out that primary ballhandlers Young and Worrell Clahar combined for 11 of DePaul's 18 turnovers.
"We wanted our point guards to take it themselves rather than lob the ball," Purnell said. "Our point guards have the ability to take it through the press--- and they weren't doing it.
"It was a disappointing game. Now we've got to go back on the road and get one like we did at Rutgers."
Morgan took little consolation in his career night.
"It doesn't mean much when you lose," Morgan said. "I knew I was going to get my shot against their zone defense. I worked on my shot in practice, and it's all about having confidence."
DePaul returns to BIG EAST action on Saturday with a 6 p.m. game at Cincinnati.
