Demons play rocky game against Mountaineers
Andre Hashem
Issue date: 2/1/10 Section: Sports
|
DePaul's first points came in transition of Will Walker's drive and lay-up. Walker, who finished with 17 points, pressed early, attempting to drive to the basket several times.
"You get nervous any time Will Walker has the ball," said West Virginia Coach Bob Huggins.
DePaul's forward/center Mac Koshwal played in his first game since aggravating a foot injury several weeks ago. While he was not named a starter, Koshwal played 25 minutes, scoring seven points and seven rebounds.
"It was great to have a majority of our team back," said DePaul Coach Tracy Webster. "Now we can really try to get better."
West Virginia's early lead and their defense forced DePaul to shoot from the perimeter - and the Demons couldn't have been on a colder streak than if they played outside. The Demons missed their first four shots, which carried throughout the game.
The Demons shot 32% for the game and 23.5% from the three-point-line, while committing 15 turnovers. The Demons shot 62.5% from the free-throw line.
"Getting down 20-4 early, that's a tough deal," said Webster. "Our guys did a great job in trying to battle and fight back."
Midway through the first half, the Demons began hitting their shots and swung momentum in their direction.
The streaking Demons forced the Mountaineers to into taking a panicked timeout when they brought the lead to within six, and again when they brought it to four.
The Blue Demons brought the game to within four points, 26-22, with 4:45 to play, but couldn't keep the pressure on West Virginia without giving up penalties.
The Demons went in to the break down 37-28. Walker led the team with 13 points in the first half, and the bench scored the remaining 15.
Walker scored DePaul's first second-half points as well. Those two points would be DePaul's only points for nearly five minutes. The Mountaineers didn't seem to respect Koshwal's scoring ability, often leaving 6'2" guard Darryl Bryant on the 6'8" junior.
Koshwal and Bizoukas combined to bring the Blue Demons back to within ten points, with just under ten minutes left.
But with 7:59 to play, the Demons found themselves in foul trouble again, and this time too early.
With the clock winding down, DePaul's possession offense, intended to keep the game close, began to ruin any chances for a comeback. Missed free throws don't help. And turnovers kill.
When the clock hit 1:20 and the Mountaineers up 62-46, the Blue Demons gave it up. They played a soft defense, Walker airmailed one three, then another - exit Right.
Be the first to comment on this story