Published: January 17, 2007
ROSEMONT, Ill.
DePaul opened the second half with a 20-3 run and overcame a
35-27 halftime deficit in a 71-63 win over visiting St. John's at
AllState Arena on Tuesday night. Avery Patterson scored 13 of his
game-high 19 points in the first half to help the Red Storm to a
lead at the break, but some hot second-half shooting by Wilson
Chandler and the Blue Demons was too much as St. John's fell on the
road.
The loss moved the Red Storm's overall record to 10-8, 1-4 in
the BIG EAST, while DePaul improved to 12-7 overall, 3-2 in league
play and 9-1 at Allstate Arena.
Eugene Lawrence went 6-of-6 from the field and 4-of-4 from
3-point range and did equal damage in both halves of a rock solid
16-point, five-assist effort. In the first, he and Patterson
combined for 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting to help stake the Red
Storm to a lead for much of the period. Patterson finished the game
with 19 points, five 3's and two steals off the bench, and Lamont
Hamilton added 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Patterson's four straight baskets over separate 8-2 and 8-0 St.
John's runs in the first period helped the Red Storm to its largest
lead of the game, 27-17 with 6:50 remaining in the first. DePaul
answered with an 8-0 run of its own to close to 27-25, but five
quick points from Lawrence kept the Red Storm on top through the
break.
Big efforts from Chandler and Draelon Burns to start the second
helped the quickly surge past the Red Storm and hold on for the
win. The first of back-to-back 3's by Lawrence at the 8:06 mark
brought St. John's back to within three points at 51-48, but the
Blue Demons answered all comeback attempts and upped their lead to
as many as 11 with 1:41 remaining.
Chandler and Burns combined for 20 second-half points, and
DePaul knocked down 19-of-34 field goals over the final 20 minutes.
Chandler led the Blue Demons with 15 points, six rebounds and four
assists while Burns added 14 points and Sammy Mejia 12 points and
seven rebounds.
St. John's returns home to Madison Square Garden on Sunday for a
2 p.m. contest against intrastate rival Syracuse. The Red Storm
plays host to Notre Dame on Tuesday, Jan. 23, before hitting the
road for Pittsburgh on Saturday, Jan. 27.