Correction (11/29/2020): A previous version of this story listed that seven DePaul players kneeled during the anthem. The story has since been updated to the correct number of players.

Nine DePaul players took a knee during the national anthem, while Texas A&M decided to stay in the locker room before the game started on Saturday at Wintrust Arena. 

Both teams are continuing their effort to protest social injustice and police brutality in America, with several DePaul players deciding to take a knee and Texas A&M staying in the locker room during the national anthem. 

The Blue Demons are also wearing masks while on the court in an effort to limit any possible exposure to Covid-19. Saturday’s game against the Aggies is DePaul’s first game of the season. 

Texas A&M entered Saturday’s game ranked No. 13 in the country, while DePaul slots in at No. 19. The Aggies’ first game came on Wednesday which was a 77-61 win over Lamar. The Blue Demons, on the other hand, had to wait until Saturday to play their first game of the season. 

The Aggies came out the more aggressive team in the first quarter by scoring the first six points, while it took the Blue Demons some time to knock off the rust. But DePaul was able to climb itself back into the game by playing through three players: Sonya Morris, Deja Church and Dee Bekelja. 

The trio scored all of the Blue Demons’ 21 points in the first quarter, which was good enough to keep the Aggies’ lead at one. In the second quarter, DePaul was able to find more of its groove on the offensive end and that allowed them to take a 34-30 lead. 

But Texas A&M quickly put an end to the Blue Demons’ surge in the second quarter by scoring 11 straight points. The Aggies were able to build their lead to eight, 49-41, by the end of the half as DePaul only scored two points in the final two minutes.