Saturday, December 29
Wintrust Arena
1:00 P.M. CT
DePaul University
8-4
65
vs
74
Xavier
9-5
1
2
F
Xavier
38
36
74
DePaul
32
33
65
Blue Demons Fall in BIG EAST Opener
12/29/2018 4:24:00 PM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Jaylen Butz and Paul Reed post career highs in league opener against Xavier
CHICAGO – The Blue Demons fought back from an early 12-point deficit to lead by as many as six in the second half, but a late run from Xavier lifted the Musketeers to a 74-65 win on Saturday afternoon. A career-high 17 points from Paul Reed along with a career-high 16 points from Jaylen Butz led the way for DePaul.
Behind the sophomore tandem of Reed and Butz, the Blue Demons outscored the Musketeers 32-22 in the paint while knocking down 20-of-23 free throws as a team.
In addition to his 17 points, Reed came up one rebound shy of a double-double. Also on the afternoon, Eli Cain finished with 17 rebounds, five rebounds and two assists while Max Strus finished with 10 points and two assists.
A flurry of three-pointers from the visitor got the action started Saturday afternoon as the Musketeers (9-5, 1-0 BIG EAST) took an early 13-3 lead within the first five minutes of the game.
However, the Blue Demons (8-4, 0-1 BIG EAST) weren't going anywhere. Midway through the first half, Devin Gage found Cain with an outlet pass atop the arc for an open three-pointer to cut the Xavier lead to seven. With eight minutes to go before the break, DePaul used a 6-0 run to pull within three at 25-22.
Over the final eight minutes of the first half DePaul kept the pressure on, riding the strong play of Reed who finished with nine first half points, to go into the half trailing by just six at 38-32.
Out of the intermission, Gage got the scoring started for DePaul in the second half as he forced a switch and then beat a Xavier big man off the dribble for an easy layup. Less than a minute later, Max Strus knocked down a corner three to pull back within four at 41-37.
With 11:14 to go in the game, Femi Olujobi converted on a lay-up, tying the game at 48 for the first tied score since it was 0-0. Three and a half minutes later, the Blue Demons took their first lead of the game 52-51 on a pair of Reed free throws.
The Musketeers retook the lead, setting the stage for Cain to have a senior moment. In under a minute and 30 seconds, Cain finished through contact for an old-fashioned three point play, calmly knocked down a jump shot and then set up Olujobi with a slick look away pass, catapulting the Blue Demons in front 61-56 and sending the Wintrust Arena crowd into a frenzy.
Xavier would chip away at the lead using a 9-0 run to pull back in front 65-61 before a Reed jump shot brought DePaul back within two points with 2:08 left.
Over the final two minutes the Musketeers would pull away opening up a nine-point lead with 33.8 seconds left to hold on for the win.
Xavier's Naji Marshall led all game scorers with 19 points while Ryan Welage added 17 points.
DePaul returns to action Wednesday evening as the Blue Demons travel to Villanova for an 8:30 p.m. ET start at Finneran Pavilion. The game can be seen on FS1 and heard on WIND (560 AM).
Behind the sophomore tandem of Reed and Butz, the Blue Demons outscored the Musketeers 32-22 in the paint while knocking down 20-of-23 free throws as a team.
In addition to his 17 points, Reed came up one rebound shy of a double-double. Also on the afternoon, Eli Cain finished with 17 rebounds, five rebounds and two assists while Max Strus finished with 10 points and two assists.
A flurry of three-pointers from the visitor got the action started Saturday afternoon as the Musketeers (9-5, 1-0 BIG EAST) took an early 13-3 lead within the first five minutes of the game.
However, the Blue Demons (8-4, 0-1 BIG EAST) weren't going anywhere. Midway through the first half, Devin Gage found Cain with an outlet pass atop the arc for an open three-pointer to cut the Xavier lead to seven. With eight minutes to go before the break, DePaul used a 6-0 run to pull within three at 25-22.
Over the final eight minutes of the first half DePaul kept the pressure on, riding the strong play of Reed who finished with nine first half points, to go into the half trailing by just six at 38-32.
Out of the intermission, Gage got the scoring started for DePaul in the second half as he forced a switch and then beat a Xavier big man off the dribble for an easy layup. Less than a minute later, Max Strus knocked down a corner three to pull back within four at 41-37.
With 11:14 to go in the game, Femi Olujobi converted on a lay-up, tying the game at 48 for the first tied score since it was 0-0. Three and a half minutes later, the Blue Demons took their first lead of the game 52-51 on a pair of Reed free throws.
The Musketeers retook the lead, setting the stage for Cain to have a senior moment. In under a minute and 30 seconds, Cain finished through contact for an old-fashioned three point play, calmly knocked down a jump shot and then set up Olujobi with a slick look away pass, catapulting the Blue Demons in front 61-56 and sending the Wintrust Arena crowd into a frenzy.
Xavier would chip away at the lead using a 9-0 run to pull back in front 65-61 before a Reed jump shot brought DePaul back within two points with 2:08 left.
Over the final two minutes the Musketeers would pull away opening up a nine-point lead with 33.8 seconds left to hold on for the win.
Xavier's Naji Marshall led all game scorers with 19 points while Ryan Welage added 17 points.
DePaul returns to action Wednesday evening as the Blue Demons travel to Villanova for an 8:30 p.m. ET start at Finneran Pavilion. The game can be seen on FS1 and heard on WIND (560 AM).
Team Stats
XU
DPU
FG%
.460
.404
3FG%
.385
.214
FT%
.818
.870
RB
33
30
TO
11
10
STL
7
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Players Mentioned
F
/ MEN'S BASKETBALL
G
/ MEN'S BASKETBALL
F
/ MEN'S BASKETBALLDeWayne Peevy and Chris Holtmann Media Availability - 7/22
Thursday, July 31
Media Availability: DeWayne Peevy and Chris Holtmann
Tuesday, July 22
Episode 22: NJ Benson, Men's Basketball
Thursday, June 05
College Basketball Crown Postgame Press Conference
Tuesday, April 01