The DePaul Blue Demons were gunning for their third Big East win of the season tonight in New York against the St. John's Red Storm, but coach Steve Lavin's crew was too much to handle in the second half and DePaul fell 79-72. The loss drops DePaul to 11-16, 2-13 in the Big East, while St. John's improves to 12-16, 5-10 in the Big East.
The Red Storm played only six players, but guard D'Angelo Harrison did it all in the win for St. John's. The freshman went 5-of-13 from the field to finish with 23 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Teammate Amir Garrett added 18 points and nine rebounds, while Moe Harkless had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 10 rebounds.
Cleveland Melvin had 18 points and 15 rebounds for DePaul in the loss. Guard Brandon Young added 17 points and freshman forward Jamee Crockett went 1-of-11 from three-point range to finish with 15 points.
St. John's shot 36 foul shots in the game, 15 more than DePaul.
Winnable games in the Big East are few and far between for the DePaul Blue Demons in recent years, but tonight's matchup against the St. John's Red Storm offers another chance for the Demons to pick up a conference win. They are off to an encouraging start: DePaul trails St. John's 37-35 tonight after one half of basketball in New York, but many of the Demons' principle components are playing well.
Forward Cleveland Melvin has 10 points and seven rebounds (including five offensive boards) for DePaul thus far. Guard Brandon Young and freshman forward Jamee Crockett each have seven points and three assists.
The Red Storm has been powered by guard D'Angelo Harrison, who has 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. Wing Moe Harkless has also played well for St. John's, finishing the half with eight points and six rebounds. Forward Amir Garrett has seven points and five rebounds for St. John's.
The DePaul Blue Demons (11-15, 2-12) will try and avenge an early February loss to the St. John's Red Storm (11-16, 4-10) as both teams aim look for some momentum with the Big East Tournament on the horizon.
