DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
Providence
Blue Demons Drop BIG EAST Contest to Providence
2/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Right from the opening tip, it seemed like DePaul was stuck in neutral and could not find a way to get untracked.
With an offense hampered by turnovers in the first half and an effective zone defense in the second half, the Blue Demons were knocked off 84-57 by Providence Wednesday night in a BIG EAST Conference matchup at Allstate Arena.
LaDontae Henton had game highs of 22 points and 11 rebounds and teammate Kris Dunn added 21 points as Providence (19-8, 9-5 in the BIG EAST) went 25-of-29 from the free throw line with its regular rotation on the floor.
Billy Garrett Jr. led DePaul (12-15, 6-8) with 11 points while Jamee Crockett and R.J. Curington each scored 10 points.
"I was very disappointed in the way we played tonight," said DePaul coach Oliver Purnell. "We didn't respond very well to much of anything.
"We gave them 17 points in the first half off 13 turnovers, and didn't respond very well at halftime. It was us not taking very good care of the ball. We didn't respond very well in the second half when we had to chase them.
"Now the question is, how will we respond after getting our butts kicked? We're a much better team than that."
Down by 15 at halftime, DePaul traded points with Providence over the opening five minutes of the second half. The Friars offensive consistency with Dunn operating at the point made it difficult for the Blue Demons to cut into the deficit.
Dunn was responsible for five points in a 7-0 spurt as Providence pulled out to a 52-32 lead. Crockett swished a deep corner three-pointer to bring DePaul within 54-37 at the 11:56 mark.
The relentless Providence attack outscored the Blue Demons 11-5 in stretching its lead to 67-42 with less than eight minutes to go. At that point, the Friars had gone 23-of-25 from the free throw line.
"We weren't being strong with the ball and weren't attacking them," Curington said. "We know we can compete with those guys, but we have to bring it from the opening jump. In the second half, we were just floating around against their zone."
Henry scored five quick points early in the game, but Henton's six-point burst and Dunn's two steals and breakaway baskets ignited a 15-1 Providence run. The Friars had seven steals in the first nine minutes.
A Garrett drive down the lane ended the Providence surge. The Blue Demons trailed by 12 in the middle of the first half when Tommy Hamilton IV buried a three-pointer.
Behind Henton, Providence scored eight unanswered points in taking a 32-15 lead with less than five minutes to go in the first half.
DePaul wasn't helping its cause by committing 10 turnovers in the first 16 minutes of the game. That was a big reason the Blue Demons could not get their offense untracked.
A Forrest Robinson three-pointer followed by a pair of Hamilton free throws narrowed the gap to 36-22. Garrett picked up his third foul near the end of the first half.
"Once we gave them a working margin, their zone became pretty good in the second half," Purnell said of a defense that featured 7-foot Carson Desrosiers and 7-2 Paschal Chukwu alternating down low to discourage any drives to the basket. "Providence might be the biggest and most physical team in the conference. With their length (including 6-9 Tyler Harris and 6-8 Ben Bentil), they are long in the zone."
Curington had a productive 12 minutes trying to light a fire under his team.
"I came in trying to give the team some energy and a little spark," Curington said. "I tried to wake up the other guys."
DePaul's next BIG EAST challenge is at 7 p.m. Saturday when the Blue Demons confront Georgetown in Washington, D.C.
Notes: This was the 34th meeting between the programs all-time... Providence holds a 26-8 advantage in the series... the road team has won six of the last eight... Jamee Crockett played in his 105th career game... Billy Garrett Jr. eclipsed the 100-assist mark on the season with two dimes... Crockett reached double figures for the 44th time in his career and 17th time this season... he has scored 10-plus points in four of five career meetings versus Providence... Garrett amassed five made free throws for the 14th time this season... Blue Demons were held under 35-percent from the field for the third time this season.... DePaul moves to 2-7 when scoring less than 70 points.
