A second half push wasn’t enough for DePaul men’s basketball as they suffered an 81-68 loss against George Washington Thursday in their first road game of the season.

The Blue Demons (6-2) came out sluggish and struggled to shoot the ball. DePaul shot only 34.6 percent in the first half, including 25 percent (3-12) from deep.

George Washington (6-2) took advantage of DePaul’s lack of size. The team hammered the ball inside, outscoring the Blue Demons 54-24 in the paint. George Washington forwards Patricio Garino (19 points) and Kevin Larsen (18 points) went a combined 16-20 from the field.

DePaul trailed 42-22 at the half.

“It was a disappointing performance by our team tonight, particularly in the first half,” DePaul head coach Oliver Purnell said. “Both sides of the ball, I felt we weren’t there in the first half.”

The Blue Demons did crack into George Washington’s lead at times after halftime. The team came out energized, forcing turnovers and then finding opener shooters for an 11-4 run. DePaul finished the second half outscoring George Washington, 46-39, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit.

Forward Myke Henry led the Blue Demons with 22 points, 18 of those coming in the second half. Forward Jamee Crockett added 16 and guard Billy Garrett Jr. had 10. George Washington effectively limited forward Tommy Hamilton, finishing with just four points and shooting 1-6.

Even though the team made a run in the second half, Purnell said the team’s shot selection “wasn’t very good.”

“We had been shooting the ball pretty well, which part of that is offensive balance,” Purnell said. “When you’ve got shots in the paint and off the break, your percentage tends to go up.

“We’ve understood that for the most part, but we didn’t understand that tonight,” he said. “You can’t do that against a good team.”

The Blue Demons will look to avoid going 6-3 when they face Illinois State next. The two teams meet at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Allstate Arena.