Intracity battle goes DePaul's way

DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright would like to see all Division I schools in Chicago play each other in basketball, and he'd especially like getting something going with Illinois.

For now, the Blue Demons and the Illinois-Chicago Flames have a renewed rivalry going, and it's shaping up as a good one.

"It was a good college basketball game this early in the year," Wainwright said after DePaul held off UIC 67-63 Saturday night in front of 5,912 at the Pavilion.

While he wasn't thrilled with the outcome, Flames coach Jimmy Collins agreed.

"It was the kind of game I was hoping it would be," Collins said. "The results weren't what we wanted, but it was a battle. I thought it was a good game."

It looked like a blowout was in the offing when the visiting Blue Demons (2-0) built a 57-44 lead on Will Walker's 3-pointer with just under nine minutes left in the game.

But UIC (1-2) showed that last season's win on DePaul's home floor was no fluke, and the Flames battled back and tied the game at 59-59 when star guard Josh Mayo drained a 10-foot jumper with 2:26 to play.

Mayo was only 3-for-11 shooting 3-pointers, but the senior guard led all scorers with 23 points.

"He's a great little player and you've really got to work on him," Wainwright said. "You can watch tape, but when you play against him you really know how good he really is."

DePaul got a good game from Walker (17 points) on the outside, and sophomore center Mac Koshwal was a huge presence inside with 14 points and 15 rebounds.

Still, the scrappy Flames didn't buckle against their bigger-name neighbors to the north.

But after Mayo tied the game down the stretch, Blue Demons freshman guard Jeremiah Kelly hit a clutch 3-pointer to put DePaul back in front, this time for good. It was Kelly's lone basket of the night.

"I knew he was going to make it," Walker said. "He hits that shot all the time in practice."

With UIC trailing 65-63 in the final seconds, Mayo launched a 3 from the top of the key, but the shot just missed.

"It just hit off the front of the rim." Mayo said. "Sometimes that's the way it goes."