ξ
Cleveland Melvin and Donnavan Kirk each finished with double-doubles in DePaul’s 91 -74 victory over the Lewis Flyers Friday night. Because it was an exhibition, the object for many fans was to see the growth of DePaul’s play and the continuous maturity of the players. Fans saw 25 minutes of well-played basketball at McGrath-Phillips Arena.
The Blue Demons looked energized early on, jumping out to a 14 -2 lead in the first three minutes. Head coach Oliver Purnell’s fast-break offense and full court press were back in full swing. It took Lewis by surprise, however, as DePaul scored 15 of its 52 points off turnovers in the first half.
The Blue Demons ran the entire first half and it seemed Lewis was always a step behind. Jamee Crockett gave DePaul its first taste of momentum in the first, when the 6-foot-4 wing jumped two feet higher than his opponent in the corner to knock down a three. This would be the theme of the half. The Flyers were forced to kill their first timeout less than five minutes into the half.
Crockett shot 4-6 in the first half, hitting two threes and dishing out three assists. Kirk also looked sharp, not only in the paint, but from the outside. DePaul’s big man hit a surprising three in the first half, showing a new element to the senior’s game.
Kirk had a team-high 11 points and five rebounds in the first half. DePaul shot close to 60 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, hitting 55 percent of their shots from beyond the arc.
“I was pleased with Donnavan, and it’s good to see him get off to a good start,” said Purnell. “He knocked down a few shots, rebounded in there and this is another step in his progression.”
Kirk finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds on the game.
On defense, DePaul was able to take advantage of miscommunication on Lewis’ end. The quicker, more athletic Blue Demons out rebounded Lewis 21 -13 in the first half. Freshman point guard Durrell McDonald grabbed two defensive rebounds of his own in his collegiate debut. After the first half, DePaul led Lewis 52 -27.
“Our guards got in there rebounding, and that’s huge for us,” said Purnell. “That helps because we don’t have a real big team. I was pleased with our defense and rebounding in the first half.”
The second half was dismal for DePaul, as Lewis turned up the intensity on both ends of the court. Lewis’ Gabe Williams and David Bryant, who were basically ineffective during last year’s meeting between the two teams, scored the majority of the Flyers’ points.
Williams and Bryant both finished with 23, and it was solely due to their perimeter shooting. After trailing 63 -32 with 15:04 to go, Lewis capitalized on three consecutive three-pointers to trim the lead. Williams added four threes in the second, and Bryant added five to cut DePaul’s lead to 20.
DePaul’s only offense in the second came from Melvin, who struggled in the first half hitting only 4-10. In the second, the junior forward converted 7-of-8 shots from the floor, giving him 25 for the game. Melvin also grabbed five rebounds in the half to bring his game total to 11. He would have had more points in this one, had it not been for his poor shooting from the charity stripe, a dismal 3-of-9.
“Cleve (Melvin) struggled at times, but he hung in there,” said Purnell. “If he makes his free throws, he is going to score a lot more points.”
Despite an ineffective second half, the Blue Demons came away winners in this one. Just like most of last season, DePaul has struggled to play a complete game, often burning out early. This will have to change if they want to find success this season.
The season opener is Nov. 9 against UC Riverside at McGrath-Phillips Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
