Missed opportunity for DePaul

MILWAUKEE -- The first sign DePaul might slit its own throat Saturday night at the Bradley Center came less than four minutes into the game.

Far ahead of the field, senior point guard Cliff Clinkscales turned down a layup in order to bounce a pass off the backboard to super-leaper Dar Tucker.

Not only did Tucker blow the unchallenged dunk, he missed the subsequent layup and then fouled on the ensuing rebound.

While technically not a turnover, it foreshadowed an 18-giveaway night by the Blue Demons that helped No. 21 Marquette run off to a 79-71 Big East win before 19,037.

The hosts finished with 17 points off turnovers and 27 fast-break points to build an 18-point margin with 3:12 to go.

"The telling statistic for us certainly would be in the turnovers," said DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright. "And I think a lot of those turnovers turned into points.

"If you throw the ball in the stands, that's one thing. But when you throw it for points, that's another."

Marquette used a 9-0 run in the first three minutes of the second half -- a spree that featured a pair of DePaul turnovers and a Tucker airball on a baseline drive -- to turn a 2-point halftime edge into a party for the largest crowd to see a college game in Wisconsin.

Marquette (14-4, 4-3) played like a team that hated waiting a week to rinse out big back-to-back losses to Louisville and Connecticut.

"We wanted to play until exhaustion," said Golden Eagles coach Tom Crean. "They played so hard, they asked to come out, get a couple minutes' rest and then go back in.

"For the most part tonight, our guys played with great will. They battled. DePaul did as well. They're a good team. A very good team."

The Blue Demons (9-10, 4-3) twice trimmed double-digit deficits to 6 points in the second half. Tucker's fourth dunk of the night, this one set up by a Draelon Burns drive, made it 55-49 with 9:53 to go.

"It seemed like each time we cut it down to 6, we'd have a critical turnover," Burns said. "And they converted. Good players do that."

Over the next six minutes, Marquette junior point guard Dominic James steered a 20-8 run that clinched matters.

James banked a 3-pointer from the top of the key and drove to the hole for 2 layups to wrap up his team-high 19 points.

"I thought this was one of Dominic's best games since he's been at Marquette," Crean said. "He was dead tired every time he came out of the game … he had a lot of great possessions tonight."

DePaul freshman Mac Koshwal delivered his fourth career double-double (19 points, 12 rebounds), while Burns finished with 19 points playing before a few dozen family members and friends in his hometown. However, the senior shooter made just 6 of 16 attempts and committed a game-high 5 turnovers.

"I can say I forced a couple shots out there," Burns said. "Especially when they started making their run, I probably forced one or two."

DePaul played without junior backup post player Matija Poscic, who injured a muscle near his hip in Friday's practice.