DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
Creighton
Blue Demons Fall in BIG EAST Game to Creighton
2/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Forrest Robinson pretty much summed it all up during his postgame media session Tuesday night.
"You've got to play defense when your shots aren't falling," Robinson said about DePaul's 75-62 BIG EAST Conference loss to Creighton at Allstate Arena. "We weren't locking in at either end of the court.
"When you take bad shots, leave shooters open and don't get back on defense, that's pretty much a recipe for disaster."
After Jamee Crockett's jumper brought DePaul within 56-54, Creighton finished the game on a 19-8 run in improving to 13-15, 4-11 in conference play. The Blue Demons' fifth-straight loss dropped them to 12-17, 6-10.
Robinson led DePaul with 14 points and added five rebounds. Jamee Crockett scored 13 points and Rashaun Stimage came off the bench to contribute 10 points, four rebounds, three blocks and some strong physical play inside.
James Milliken led Creighton with 18 points.
"It was like a game of H-O-R-S-E in the first half, and you don't want to do that against a team like Creighton," said DePaul coach Oliver Purnell. "In the second half, we played offense like we're supposed to by moving the ball and using our quickness and athleticism.
"But down the stretch, our old bugaboo of defensive rebounding let us down. We were right there, but couldn't come up with the defensive rebound. They hurt us with their second-chance shots."
The Bluejays outrebounded DePaul 38-22 including 12-5 on the offensive glass. They came away with an 18-6 advantage in second-chance points.
"I told our guys we've got to play better offensively in the first half," Purnell said. "We've got to finish off games with defensive rebounding.
Two baskets by Stimage off brilliant passes from Billy Garrett Jr. helped enable DePaul to trim a seven-point halftime deficit to 40-35 early in the second half.
"Every game, Rashaun gets a little better," Purnell said. "He gave us a jolt of energy, provided an inside presence and got involved in the pick-and-roll."
A Crockett jumper culminated a 9-2 DePaul run that tied the game at 40-40. Austin Chatman and Robinson exchanged three-pointers to keep it knotted up with 12:29 left.
Creighton went ahead 49-45 midway through the second half on a Devin Brooks basket. Stimage cut into a five-point deficit with a power move inside. A Stimage free throw made it 53-49 with 7:56 left.
Robinson's three and a Crockett jumper sliced the Bluejay lead to 56-54. That's when nine unanswered Creighton points left DePaul trailing 65-54 with less than three minutes to go.
"The difference between the first Creighton game (70-60 DePaul road win) and tonight was a lack of focus on our end," said Robinson, who has led his team in scoring the last two games. "As a result, we didn't play very good defense and didn't rebound very well.
"Now, it's up to us to finish strong. We know how to put it together."
Both teams came out a little cold after the opening tip, combining to make just two of their first nine shots by the first media timeout. An early eight-point Creighton spurt provided a six-point lead.
That evolved into an 18-3 run as the Bluejays pulled in front 19-6 by the middle of the first half. At that point, DePaul had hit two of its first 14 shots and had twice as many turnovers as baskets.
Purnell was searching for some combination of five players who would generate badly needed energy along with a sense of cohesiveness on offense.
The Blue Demons came to life as Aaron Simpson ignited a 10-2 burst in drawing the home team within 24-17. DePaul trailed by 10 when a Garrett layup made it 29-21 with more than three minutes left in the first half.
Two dunks by Robinson and an off-balance Crockett basket in the lane ended the first half with a 6-2 spurt as DePaul narrowed the gap to 34-27. After making just two of the first 14 shots, the Blue Demons connected on 10 of the next 16. Robinson, Crockett and Simpson were heading up the attack.
Next up for the Blue Demons is their final home game of the regular season on Saturday when Butler comes to Allstate Arena for a 1 p.m. BIG EAST showdown on FOX Sports 2 and WSCR 670 The Score.
Postgame Notes: The Blue Demons tie the single-season three-point field goal record... DePaul's 231 three's are tied with the 2007-08 squad... DePaul leads the series, 16-11... the two sides split the season series with the road team winning in each game.
