Saturday, November 20
Chicago, Ill.
7:00 P.M. CT
DePaul University
4-0,0-0Big East
84
vs
80
Western Illinois
3-1,0-0Summit League
1
2
F
Western Ill.
36
44
80
DePaul
36
48
84
Freeman-Liberty Dominates Second Half in Win Over Western Illinois
11/20/2021 10:18:00 PM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Chicago native scores 27 of his career-high 33 points in the second half on Saturday
CHICAGO - DePaul men's basketball claimed the opening matchup of the Blue Demon Classic on Saturday night, topping Western Illinois, 84-80. Javon Freeman-Liberty took over in the second half, cruising to a career-high 33 points that included a 27-point second half.
Freeman-Liberty's flurry of scoring turned the tide in the second half, propelling the Blue Demons to a double-digit lead after trailing by seven with 14 and change to go. The Leathernecks fought back, cutting the Blue Demon advantage to two with under a minute to play. Despite the late game tension, DePaul iced its fourth straight win with a Freeman-Liberty three-point play and conversions at the stripe down the stretch.
Freeman-Liberty was aided by a trio of Blue Demons who scored in double digits. Brandon Johnson and Nick Ongenda both dropped in 15 points apiece and combined to haul in 13 boards. David Jones added 12 behind a 6-of-7 clip at the stripe. Lost in his incredible offensive display, Freeman-Liberty also managed to grab 11 boards and four assists, both team highs.
After a back and forth first half, the Leathernecks jumped ahead 36-34 with 24 seconds left. With time winding down, Freeman-Liberty sunk a driving layup to knot the ballgame up at the half.
Western Illinois (3-1) kept the foot on the gas coming out of the halftime break, sparking a 7-1 run to build a 51-44 advantage with just over 15 minutes to go. At the time, the seven-point lead was the largest of the ballgame.
Brandon Johnson answered the run with a dunk inside and then the Blue Demons were able to flip the switch. David Jones finished through contact on the right side of the lane, converting a three-point play to pull DePaul to within four at 51-47.
The teams continued to trade blows, and with just over eight minutes on the clock, a Western Illinois slam gave the Leathernecks a four-point advantage. Minutes later, Freeman-Liberty caught fire. After hitting a jumper to cut the deficit to two, the Blue Demon guard drilled back-to-back threes, the second from well behind the arc on the right wing. The scoring outburst ignited the Wintrust Arena crowd and gave DePaul a four-point lead.
Following an Ongenda bucket, Freeman-Liberty scored four straight points, capping a DePaul 13-0 run. The Blue Demons led by 10 with the momentum on their side.
Western Illinois wouldn't go down without a fight, however, rallying with an 8-0 run with less than two minutes to play. DePaul clung to a 78-76 lead after a Luka Barisic triple from the left wing. With the game in the balance once again, Freeman-Liberty took matters into his own hands, converting a layup inside while drawing a foul. The completed three-point play gave DePaul an 81-76 lead with 31 seconds to play.
DePaul (4-0) returns to Wintrust next Friday against Northern Kentucky to continue the Blue Demon Classic. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. with coverage on FS2 and WIND (560 AM).
Freeman-Liberty's flurry of scoring turned the tide in the second half, propelling the Blue Demons to a double-digit lead after trailing by seven with 14 and change to go. The Leathernecks fought back, cutting the Blue Demon advantage to two with under a minute to play. Despite the late game tension, DePaul iced its fourth straight win with a Freeman-Liberty three-point play and conversions at the stripe down the stretch.
Freeman-Liberty was aided by a trio of Blue Demons who scored in double digits. Brandon Johnson and Nick Ongenda both dropped in 15 points apiece and combined to haul in 13 boards. David Jones added 12 behind a 6-of-7 clip at the stripe. Lost in his incredible offensive display, Freeman-Liberty also managed to grab 11 boards and four assists, both team highs.
After a back and forth first half, the Leathernecks jumped ahead 36-34 with 24 seconds left. With time winding down, Freeman-Liberty sunk a driving layup to knot the ballgame up at the half.
Western Illinois (3-1) kept the foot on the gas coming out of the halftime break, sparking a 7-1 run to build a 51-44 advantage with just over 15 minutes to go. At the time, the seven-point lead was the largest of the ballgame.
Brandon Johnson answered the run with a dunk inside and then the Blue Demons were able to flip the switch. David Jones finished through contact on the right side of the lane, converting a three-point play to pull DePaul to within four at 51-47.
The teams continued to trade blows, and with just over eight minutes on the clock, a Western Illinois slam gave the Leathernecks a four-point advantage. Minutes later, Freeman-Liberty caught fire. After hitting a jumper to cut the deficit to two, the Blue Demon guard drilled back-to-back threes, the second from well behind the arc on the right wing. The scoring outburst ignited the Wintrust Arena crowd and gave DePaul a four-point lead.
Following an Ongenda bucket, Freeman-Liberty scored four straight points, capping a DePaul 13-0 run. The Blue Demons led by 10 with the momentum on their side.
Western Illinois wouldn't go down without a fight, however, rallying with an 8-0 run with less than two minutes to play. DePaul clung to a 78-76 lead after a Luka Barisic triple from the left wing. With the game in the balance once again, Freeman-Liberty took matters into his own hands, converting a layup inside while drawing a foul. The completed three-point play gave DePaul an 81-76 lead with 31 seconds to play.
DePaul (4-0) returns to Wintrust next Friday against Northern Kentucky to continue the Blue Demon Classic. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. with coverage on FS2 and WIND (560 AM).
Team Stats
WIU
DePaul
FG%
.431
.444
3FG%
.290
.273
FT%
.692
.781
RB
37
45
TO
11
13
STL
5
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
33
FGM
11
3FGM
2
FTM
9
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Players Mentioned
G
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