DePaul Holds Off Cleveland State

Wednesday, December 18

Cleveland, Ohio

6:00 P.M. CT

DePaul University

11-1

Cleveland State

4-8

DePaul

Cleveland State

12/18/2019 9:07:00 PM | MEN'S BASKETBALL

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes

Blue Demons win 11th game of the season and fourth on the road

CLEVELAND, Ohio – DePaul withstood a second-half rally by Cleveland State in a 73-65 win over the Vikings on Wednesday night. The Blue Demons led by as many as 16 points late in the first half only to see Cleveland State tie the score in the second half.

The Blue Demons started quickly with nine straight points behind three buckets by Paul Reed and a three-point play by Romeo Weems. DePaul held Cleveland State scoreless for the first five minutes of the game with the first Viking basket making the score 9-2.

DePaul (11-1) led by as many as 16 points with 3:33 in the first half after Cleveland State cut the deficit to seven on multiple occasions.

Weems scored the first eight DePaul points of the second half, but the Blue Demons couldn't pull away. An 11-0 run brought Cleveland State back within striking distance and a three-pointer by Franklyn Penn Jr. knotted the score at 45-45 midway through the second half.

The Blue Demons pushed ahead again with a three-pointer from Jalen Coleman-Lands making the score 59-51 at the six-minute mark, but the Vikings answered and pulled to within a point less than three minutes later.

That would be the final attempt by Cleveland State as the Blue Demons closed game outscoring the Vikings, 13-6, for the 73-65 score. Butz, Reed, Weems and Devin Gage went a combined 9-for-12 at the free throw line in the final three minutes.

Reed recorded a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double along with four blocked shots. The double-double was his ninth of the season and moved him into a tie for the nation's lead in the category. Weems finished with 14 points and five boards while Charlie Moore totaled 12 points, three assists and three steals.

Cleveland State (4-8) was led by 15 points from Tre Gomillion.

The Blue Demons play the final non-conference game of the regular season on Saturday night when Northwestern visits Wintrust Arena. Start time between the Wildcats and Blue Demons is set for 7:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network and WIND (560 AM).