DePaul tops Austin Peay 98-67

Cleveland Melvin scored 26 points and Brandon Young added 17 as DePaul routed Austin Peay 98-67 on Saturday.

The Blue Demons’ press forced 27 turnovers in their second game in the Cancun Challenge.

Melvin, the 2010-11 Big East rookie of the year, was 11 of 18 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds. Moses Morgan added 15 points for DePaul (2-1).

Anthony Campbell led Austin Peay (1-2) with 17 points. Will Triggs added 12 points and Travis Betran had 11 for the Governors.

DePaul never trailed and built a 58-30 halftime lead. The Blue Demons shot 51.3 percent from the field and 9 of 23 from 3-point range. Morgan led DePaul with four 3-pointers.

The Blue Demons scored the game’s first eight points. The Governors pulled to within 10-9, but the Blue Devils went on a 22-4 run, and Melvin’s 3-pointer extended the lead to 39-16 with 6:47 left before halftime. Young hit a layup to give DePaul a 30-point lead with 1:23 remaining.

In the first half, Young led DePaul with 16 points and Melvin had 13. DePaul made 6 of 14 from 3-point range and Austin Peay committed 18 turnovers before the break.

Jamee Crockett, who had five points and eight rebounds for DePaul, left the game with a right leg injury in the second half.

The Governors shot 39.6 percent from the field and were 4 of 16 from beyond the arc.

The Blue Demons bounced back from a 71-59 loss to Gardner-Webb on Thursday and improved to 14-1 all-time against current Ohio Valley Conference teams.

Both teams will travel to Cancun to play the rest of the tournament. On Tuesday, the Blue Devils will face Wichita State and the Governors will play Western Carolina.