Western Kentucky 70, DePaul 61: Jamal Crook scored 16 points off the bench and T.J. Price added 13 points and five assists as the Hilltoppers held off the Blue Demons in the consolation game of the Cancun Challenge.
The Hilltoppers (3-2) led 41-27 at halftime and used a 9-0 run midway through the second half to extend the margin as wide as 22 points.
DePaul's Cleveland Melvin collected 22 points and 13 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and the eighth of his career. Brandon Young added 12 points for the Blue Demons (2-3).
DePaul used a 17-4 run to get within single digits and got as close as 68-61 with just under a minute left but couldn't close the gap any more.
The Blue Demons have made a 3-pointer in 584 consecutive games dating to 1993, but they were undone by poor long-range shooting in Cancun. They were 5-for-22 in a loss to Wichita State and went just 1-for-14 against Western Kentucky.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Melvin surpassed 1,000 points in his career, becoming the 47th DePaul player to reach the milestone. Melvin has scored in double digits in 19 consecutive games and 53 of 63 in his career. … Western Kentucky's reserves outscored DePaul's bench 30-6. … Young has scored in double figures in nine straight games and 49 times in his career.
DePaul | Western Kentucky | |
Cleveland Melvin 22 | Scoring | Jamal Crook 16 |
Moses Morgan 3 | Assists | T.J. Price 5 |
Cleveland Melvin 13 | Rebounds | Brandon Harris 10 |
Brandon Young 6 | Free Throws Made | George Fant 4 |
Worrel Clahar 2 | Steals | Stephon Drane 2 |
Donnavan Kirk 5 | Blocks | Teeng Akol 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
DePaul | 61 | 37.9 | 1-14 | 10-15 | 8 | 33 | 7 | 9 | 15 |
Western Kentucky | 70 | 41.8 | 4-15 | 10-12 | 15 | 34 | 3 | 8 | 13 |