Scrappy DePaul fights back, fails to close out
During the first 26 minutes of DePaul’s Allstate Arena opener on Thursday, Mississippi seemed to demonstrate why the Blue Demons face a long, steep path back to respectability.
The visiting Rebels had most everything DePaul didn’t — mainly depth, height and athleticism — and forced the home team into a 16-minute stretch of shooting 1-for-20 from the field.
Then again, the Blue Demons also showed that scrappiness can be a nice equalizer. After falling behind by 17 points early in the second half, they rallied to take the lead with 41.3 seconds remaining.
But DePaul missed four free throws and committed an untimely turnover in the final seconds, allowing the Rebels to escape with a narrow 70-68 victory in a Big East/SEC Challenge game. Mississippi’s Murphy Holloway produced the winning basket on a steal and lay in with 3.7 seconds on the clock.
“We knew they were big and physical when they came in the door,” second-year DePaul coach Oliver Purnell said. “We’re quick and finesse, attack. We have to do that for most of the game and put that team under duress.
“I think that’s a lesson. We’re going to play a lot of teams like that. We’ve got to play our way. It’s our style versus their style. Hopefully, we can impose our will a little bit better in the next ballgame.”
Sophomore guard Brandon Young completed the 17-point comeback with a driving lay in that sent DePaul ahead 67-66 with 41.3 seconds left. The Demons got a defensive stop when Moses Morgan drew a charge, but Young and Cleveland Melvin went 1-for-3 at the line, keeping the lead at 2 points.
Mississippi’s Jarvis Sumners got loose on a pick-and-roll, hit the tying bank shot, but missed a chance at the 3-point play. After rebounding the missed free throw, DePaul guard Jeremiah Kelly was fouled with 12.2 seconds on the clock.
With a chance to break the tie, Kelly missed both foul shots. Melvin managed to tip the offensive rebound to himself. But before he could gather himself or call timeout, Holloway stripped the ball from behind and was off to the races.
“I was just trying to hold the ball,” Melvin said. “It happens. They grabbed me and everything. I’ve just got to be tougher with the ball in that situation.”
Even though it turned out to be a frustrating loss, the Demons had reason to be encouraged. They seemed to have little chance of being competitive after falling behind 50-33 with 14 minutes remaining. DePaul not only rallied, but had a chance to ice the game at the foul line.
Melvin didn’t shoot well (4 for 18) but finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Mississippi got 17 points from guard Nick Williams and 5 blocked shots from 6-9 junior Reginald Buckner.
Young’s zigzag lane drive completed a 19-4 run and brought DePaul within 2 points with 7:51 remaining. Mississippi went back up by 6 before back-to-back 3-pointers by Melvin and Kelly cut the lead to 60-58.
The Demons probably got a little too trigger-happy from 3-point land, where they were 7 for 24. But a 3-pointer by freshman Jamee Crockett trimmed the lead to 66-65 with 1:11 left. The Rebels turned it over against DePaul’s pressure, setting up Young’s go-ahead basket.
The Demons played without 6-9 forward Donnavan Kirk, who was sidelined with a sore back. A transfer from Miami who became eligible at the end of the fall semester, Kirk has played a total of just 20 minutes total in three games.
The Blue Demons will host UW-Milwaukee on Monday at Allstate Arena, with a total of six games remaining before the Big East opener on Jan. 1 at home against Syracuse.