National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
DePaul 61, Marquette 58
When: 5:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Where: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Officials: # Roger Ayers, # Brian O'Connell, # Gary Prager
Attendance: 8079

DePaul 61, Marquette 58: Billy Garrett Jr. scored eight of his game-high 19 points during a game-ending 11-3 run as the host Blue Demons rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit in the Big East opener for both teams.

The victory snapped a six-game losing streak for DePaul (7-7, 1-0 Big East), which played without its top rebounder and second-leading scorer, center Tommy Hamilton IV, who sat out the game for a violation of team rules. Jamee Crockett finished with 13 points and seven rebounds while Darrick Wood added eight points and five assists for the Blue Demons.

Duane Wilson and Matt Carlino each scored 11 points for Marquette (8-5, 0-1), which had a four-game win streak snapped. The Golden Eagles shot just 38.6 percent from the floor, including 3-of-23 from 3-point range.

Marquette, behind seven straight points by JaJuan Johnson, used an 11-2 run to build a 49-36 lead with 11:46 to go. DePaul, which forced 15 turnovers, clamped down defensively after that, tying it on a Garrett 3-pointer with just under two minutes remaining before taking the lead for good on Garrett's free throw with 1:14 to go.

Crockett's jumper boosted DePaul's lead to 58-55 and, after a Carlino free throw, Garrett upped the margin to 60-56 with two free throws with 26 seconds left. Luke Fischer's layup cut the lead to 60-58, but Wood then hit the second of two free throws on the other end and Wilson and Carlino both missed potential game-tying 3-point attempts in the final seconds.

GAME NOTEBOOK: DePaul, which entered the game ranked 18th nationally in free-throw shooting (74.8), connected on 10-of-15 free throws. ... Carlino, who entered the game shooting 44.8 percent from 3-point range, made 1-of-10 beyond the arc. ... DePaul finished with a 21-12 edge in points off turnovers.
Top Game Performances
 
Marquette   DePaul
Matt Carlino 11 Scoring Billy Garrett Jr. 19
Luke Fischer 3 Assists Darrick Wood 5
Juan Anderson 8 Rebounds Jamee Crockett 7
Matt Carlino 4 Free Throws Made Billy Garrett Jr. 5
Matt Carlino 2 Steals Durrell McDonald 5
Luke Fischer 3 Blocks Forrest Robinson 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Marquette 58 38.6 3-23 11-18 11 36 3 6 15
DePaul 61 40.4 5-19 10-15 11 32 6 12 10