Forward Devante Gardner got his first start of the season for Marquette, a team hoping to overcome an uncharacteristic slow beginning to the season.
As far as DePaul men’s basketball was concerned, Gardner really got his start in the second half.
Gardner scored 21 of his 28 points after halftime and the Golden Eagles (9-6, 1-1) overcame a 10-point deficit as the Blue Demons (8-7, 0-2) dropped a second straight game, losing 66-56 Saturday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee.
DePaul led 40-30 with 15:42 left, but couldn’t hold on. Marquette would cut DePaul’s lead to two with an 8-0 run of their own.
The Golden Eagles took their first lead of the game when Gardner made a layup, putting Marquette ahead 44-43 with seven minutes to go. Gardner scored eight of Marquette’s 14 points in a 14-3 run that separated the Golden Eagles.
DePaul would take their last lead of the game when Charles McKinney scored on a layup to put the Blue Demons temporarily back on top, 47-46.
The Blue Demons led for the entire first half due to a strong bounce-back performance from senior Cleveland Melvin. Melvin, who had been shooting 28 percent and averaging 7 points per game in the last three games, scored DePaul’s first 11 of 14 points and the Blue Demons jumped out to a 14-3 lead.
Melvin finished with 22 points, including tying a career high of five three pointers. DePaul led 30-26 at halftime.
In the final five minutes, DePaul would have no answer for Gardner and Marquette senior Jamil Wilson. Wilson had 14 points, seven rounds and four assists.
Gardner forced his way in the paint and continued to draw fouls. He made 10 of his 11 free throws.
Sandi Marcius and Billy Garrett Jr. both fouled out. Garrett scored 10 points, but only shot 28 percent (4-14) and had four turnovers. Marcius ended up scoreless, dealing with foul trouble the whole game.
Marquette outscored DePaul 30-22 in the paint. The Blue Demons struggled to get contributions from the team’s big men. Tommy Hamilton was benched throughout the first half and only played six minutes. He finished the game with four fouls.
DePaul concluded its four game road trip, going 1-3 in that span. The team continued struggling to shoot the ball, shooting 38.6 percent (22-57).
Senior Brandon Young had a rough day and failed to score. He went 0-9 and missed two of DePaul’s four free throw attempts.
The Blue Demons return to Allstate Arena Tuesday when they take on Creighton (12-2, 2-0).