For the first time in eight seasons, DePaul knocked off a ranked team at home as the Blue Demons dominated from the opening tip for an 82-61 victory over No. 20 George Washington on Tuesday night at Allstate Arena.

DePaul (6-6) raced out to a 10-0 lead in the opening 2 minutes, 16 seconds, and never let the Colonials get closer than 7 points the rest of the way.

Junior guard Billy Garrett Jr. paced a balanced attack with 20 points and seven assists as DePaul defeated a ranked team at home for the first time since topping No. 17 Villanova on Jan. 3, 2008.

Freshman guard Eli Cain contributed 16 points and senior guard Aaron Simpson added 15 as the Blue Demons shot 55 percent from the field and 44 percent on 3-point attempts.

George Washington (10-2), playing just its second game on an opponent's homecourt this season, lost top scorer Tyler Cavanaugh early in the second half to a left ankle injury. The junior forward posted 14 points in 19 minutes before taking a seat. Senior center Kevin Larsen paced the Colonials with 17 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.

Senior forward Patricio Garino, who entered the night leading all A-10 marksmen with 56 percent shooting from 3-point range, went 0-for-6 from deep and 0-for-8 overall.

Garino's first miss came during DePaul's 10-0 outburst after the opening tip. The Blue Demons started with a Garrett jumper, Cain 3-pointer, Simpson 3-pointer and a Garrett baseline pull-up to force the Colonials into a timeout at 17:43 of the first.

DePaul's margin stood at 41-29 at halftime, but the hosts increased the lead steadily most of the second half. Senior forward Myke Henry's driving dunk with 4:23 to go pushed the lead to 75-52 and removed whatever dramatic tension remained from the game.