DePaul’s men’s basketball team suffered its worst loss of the season Tuesday as the Connecticut Huskies cruised to a 99-78 victory over the Blue Demons.
The Blue Demons (10-6) came into the game with a four-game road winning streak, but were simply overmatched. UConn (11-3) jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead at the beginning of the game and it got worse from there. The Huskies went into halftime with a 20-point lead (54-34).
The Huskies’ large lead was in part due to UConn’s DeAndre Daniels, who scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds, dominating the Blue Demons on the inside. DePaul’s Donnavan Kirk and Charles McKinney were both suspended for violation of team rules, and the team struggled to maintain any semblance of an effective defense effort.
UConn guard Ryan Boatright also proved to be a big problem for DePaul. The 20-year-old sophomore often led the fast break, including throwing down a dazzling one-handed dunk in the second half. Boatright had 22 points and shot 50 percent from the field.
DePaul’s Brandon Young was the lone bright spot for the Demons. Young scored a career-high 35 points (13-22 FG) and added five assists.
As a team, DePaul shot 44 percent (31-70 FG), in line with their season average of 45. However, the Blue Demons were outrebounded 46-26, which proved to be a significant disadvantage.
With the loss, DePaul fell to 1-2 in Big East play. The Blue Demons’ next game is against Cincinnati at Allstate Arena, Jan. 15.
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Game Notes:
-DePaul fell to a 1-8 record all-time against UConn. Their lone win came in 2007.
– UConn’s 99 points were its highest point total in a Big East game since scoring 117 in 2009.