DePaul beats NIU, matches win total of last season

Cleveland Melvin led a balanced attack with 19 points as DePaul used a dominating second-half performance to top host Northern Illinois 75-52 on Wednesday night.

The Blue Demons (7-3) won their third straight as Brandon Young scored 16, while Jeremiah Kelly added 15 and Moses Morgan 11.

Tim Toler led the Huskies (0-9) with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

The victory allowed DePaul to match its win total for the entire 2010-11 season.

The Blue Demons led only 28-25 at intermission but then launched a decisive run in the second half. Five players scored as DePaul turned a 33-32 deficit into a 49-33 lead by the 13:49 mark.

The Blue Demons closed the game with a 14-4 run, including 6 straight points from Melvin.

But DePaul struggled to gain traction before putting together a 10-4 surge to open its halftime lead.

The Blue Demons outrebounded the Huskies 39-33, outscored Northern Illinois 25-6 off turnovers and had a significant shooting edge. DePaul shot 27 of 57 from the field (47.4 percent), while Northern Illinois was just 16 of 55 (29.1 percent).

DePaul leads the series 24-6 and beat the Huskies 86-84 last year at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. Northern Illinois last won in 2005, a 77-68 decision in DeKalb.

The Blue Demons meet Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 7 p.m. Saturday at McGrath-Phillips Arena, then take on Cal Poly on Dec. 21 at Allstate Arena. They kick off Big East action Jan. 1 at home against top-ranked Syracuse.