Junior guard Charlie Moore scored 19 of his game-high 26 points in the second half as DePaul shrugged off a slow start to earn an 86-65 nonconference victory over visiting UIC on Saturday afternoon in Chicago.
Forward Paul Reed posted 16 points and 12 rebounds to finish with his eighth double-double of the year for DePaul (10-1), which bounced back from a home loss to Buffalo on Sunday. Senior guard Jalen Coleman-Lands added 11 points.
UIC (4-7) committed 25 turnovers as it two-game winning streak ended. Sophomore forward Braelen Bridges notched career-highs with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while senior guards Marcus Ottey and Godwin Boahen added 12 points apiece.
DePaul canned just 2 of its first 11 shots as UIC edged out an 11-8 lead. When freshman guard Brian Taylor hit a 3-pointer at the 11:47 mark, the Flames claimed a 14-13 lead.
The Blue Demons answered with layups from juniors Darious Hall and Jaylen Butz to give the hosts the lead for good. DePaul's 8-0 run late in the first half -- capped by Reed's steal that led to his three-point play -- pushed the Blue Demons' lead to 32-21 with 4:05 to go.
UIC then held DePaul without a point until freshman Nick Ongenda hit a turnaround jumper at the buzzer for a 34-25 lead. The Flames committed 12 first-half turnovers.
They twice pulled within six points during the second half -- the last time on a layup by junior forward Michael Diggins that made it 38-32 with 17:33 to play.
DePaul gradually pulled away with a series of highlight-reel plays. Reed, a 6-foot-9 junior, pushed the ball in transition and delivered a 45-foot bounce pass through traffic to Hall for a layup to make it 46-33 with 14:32 left. One minute later Ongenda, getting a rare chance to play extended minutes, unleashed a pump fake to get past his defender and finished with a reverse scoop off the glass.
--Field Level Media
Illinois-Chicago | DePaul | |
Braelen Bridges 14 | Scoring | Charlie Moore 26 |
Tarkus Ferguson 6 | Assists | Charlie Moore 5 |
Braelen Bridges 14 | Rebounds | Paul Reed 12 |
Tarkus Ferguson 6 | Free Throws Made | Charlie Moore 9 |
Godwin Boahen 1 | Steals | Romeo Weems 3 |
Michael Diggins 2 | Blocks | Paul Reed 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Illinois-Chicago | 65 | 40.0 | 6-27 | 15-20 | 13 | 33 | 6 | 3 | 25 |
DePaul | 86 | 52.4 | 3-10 | 17-25 | 12 | 29 | 2 | 11 | 13 |