Blue Demons Take Down Lamar 80-61

Tuesday, December 6

Allstate Arena

8:00 PM

DePaul University

Lamar

12/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL

Dec. 6, 2016

Box Score

ROSEMONT, Ill. - Bouncing back big-time is what the Blue Demons had in mind as they took the court Tuesday night at Allstate Arena.

And behind Eli Cain's 21 points and seven rebounds, DePaul defeated Lamar 80-61 to improve its record to 5-2.

Billy Garrett Jr. added 15 points while R.J. Curington had 11 points and six rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench. Tre'Darius McCallum contributed eight points and a game-high 10 boards.

It was a nice reversal for the Blue Demons after a disappointing loss at Northwestern over the weekend.

An 8-2 spurt early in the second half extended a nine-point halftime lead to 42-30. Consecutive scores by Levi Cook and Devin Gage followed by a pair of R.J. Curington three-point plays made it 56-35 and finished off a 14-2 run.

There was no letup down the stretch. A Cook basket, Cain three-point play and Al Eichelberger foul shot provided a 26-point lead.

Back-to-back baskets by Tre'Darius McCallum and Joe Hanel followed by a Darrick Wood three-pointer gave DePaul a 12-6 lead in the middle of the first half. Lamar (4-4) hit just two of its first 13 shots.

Cain knocked down a free throw, rebounded his errant second attempt and scored inside as the Blue Demons went up by seven. Cain had 10 points in the first 12 minutes.

A pair of Garrett foul shots, his steal and layup culminated an 11-2 run for a 27-14 lead. After Lamar responded with a 9-0 burst, DePaul scored the final five points of the first half with Garrett hitting a runner just before the buzzer for a 34-25 lead.

Next up for DePaul is a 10:30 a.m. matchup Saturday against Temple at the Hoophall Miami Invitational in Florida. Temple (6-2) has won five in a row including victories over then-No. 19/17 West Virginia and then-No. 25 Florida State.

Postgame Notes

Eli Cain scored at least 20 points for the fifth time in seven games this season... tonight's 21 points marked his ninth career game of 20 or more points.

R.J. Curington grabbed a career-high six rebounds with 11 points... the 11 points notched his seventh career game in double-figures.

Billy Garrett Jr. played in his 100th career game... he passed Joey Meyer (1,233 points, 1968-71) for 26th on DePaul's all-time scoring list... Garrett has 1,242 points.