Junior forward Max Strus scored 14 points to pace a balanced attack as DePaul earned its fifth win in a row, an 83-59 nonconference victory over Alabama A&M on Monday night in Chicago.

Senior forward Tre'Darius McCallum added 13 points, sophomore guard Brandon Cyrus posted 12 points, and sophomore guard Austin Grandstaff notched a career-high 11 points for the Blue Demons (6-4).

DePaul wasted little time seizing control, needing just eight minutes to build a 20-point lead.

Sophomore guard De'Ederick Petty paced Alabama A&M (0-9) with 21 points while junior guard Arthur Johnson contributed 13. The Bulldogs entered the night ranked 348th among the 351 Division I teams according to KenPom.com and never got closer than 19 points during the final 29 minutes.

The Blue Demons played without graduate transfer center Marin Maric (11.6 points, 5.2 rebounds per game), who banged knees with a UIC player on Saturday. Maric isn't expected to be gone long, but starting sophomore point guard Devin Gage will miss the rest of the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon on Dec. 6.

DePaul didn't seem to miss 40 percent of its starting lineup as the Blue Demons registered 24 assists -- their highest total since 2011 -- on 31 baskets.

DePaul built a 27-7 lead in the opening nine minutes and pushed the margin to 48-22 by halftime as coach Dave Leitao subbed liberally. Freshman guard Justin Roberts, who has taken over the point for Gage, canned all three of his first-half 3-point attempts to lead the Demons with nine points. He didn't score after halftime.

Oklahoma transfer Grandstaff, who missed the previous three games due to injury, came off the bench and handed out five assists, all in the first half, while seeing a season-high 12 minutes. Freshman power forward Jaylen Butz, making his first career start in Maric's absence, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots in 21 minutes.