DePaul 80, Drake 62: Durrell McDonald hit all four of his field goals to finish with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists to lead a balanced scoring effort as the host Blue Demons cruised past the Bulldogs.
Billy Garrett Jr. poured in 12 of his 15 points in the second half while Illinois transfer Myke Henry added 13 for DePaul (2-0), which played a more complete game against Drake after nearly blowing a 21-point first-half lead in Friday’s one-point win over UIC. Jamee Crockett chipped in 12 points and Forrest Robinson had 11 for the Blue Demons.
Chris Caird led all scorers with 19 points for Drake (0-2), which has dropped six in a row on the road. Jordan Daniels (17 points) was the only other double-digit scorer for the Bulldogs.
DePaul, which trailed for less than 30 seconds early in the game, pulled ahead for good on a 3-pointer from McDonald, and the junior guard drained another triple near the end of an 18-4 surge that left the Blue Demons with a 13-point margin. Caird caught fire after Drake fell behind by 14 later in the first half, knocking down 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to pull the Bulldogs within 27-22.
Henry’s powerful dunk capped a half-ending 11-3 spurt after Caird rallied Drake as the Blue Demons held the Bulldogs without a field goal for more than 4½ minutes, allowing DePaul to take a 38-25 advantage into the break. Drake closed to within 11 on C.J. Rivers’ layup on the team’s first possession of the second half, but the Blue Demons never let their lead dip below that mark en route to their first 2-0 start in three seasons.
GAME NOTEBOOK: DePaul, which was facing Drake for the first time since 1991, improved to 121-45 all-time against the Missouri Valley Conference. … The Bulldogs have dropped their first two games of the season for the first time since 2009-10. … The Blue Demons went 9-for-20 beyond the arc Tuesday after shooting a dismal 6-of-28 from the 3-point line in their season opener.
Drake | DePaul | |
Chris Caird 19 | Scoring | Billy Garrett Jr. 15 |
Chris Caird 4 | Assists | Durrell McDonald 6 |
Jacob Enevold Jensen 6 | Rebounds | Tommy Hamilton IV 7 |
Chris Caird 4 | Free Throws Made | Billy Garrett Jr. 5 |
Ore Arogundade 2 | Steals | Billy Garrett Jr. 1 |
Jordan Daniels 1 | Blocks | Tommy Hamilton IV 2 |