The DePaul Blue Demons' struggles against Big East foes continued on Sunday, as DePaul lost 75-59 at home against the South Florida Bulls. DePaul trailed by eight going into halftime and played competitively early in the second half, but South Florida pulled away late.
After being down eight points at the break, DePaul trimmed South Florida's lead down to two points just a few minutes into the half. The Bulls kept responding to the Blue Demons' runs, though, and eventually DePaul just couldn't keep up. A basket by Cleveland Melvin cut the Bulls' lead to 54-49 with roughly eight minutes left, but South Florida responded with a 15-3 run that effectively put the game away.
DePaul was essentially outplayed all over the court. The Blue Demons shot just 34 percent from the field but allowed the Bulls to knock down 56 percent of their shots. South Florida also had a clear advantage on the boards, 38-24, and got more opportunities from the charity stripe, too.
Melvin led the Blue Demons in scoring with 17 points on 8-for-18 shooting. Jamee Crockett came off the bench to add 15 points, with no other DePaul player scoring in the double-digits. South Florida got 22 points on 7-for-8 shooting from Augustus Gilchrist and 19 points from Jawanza Poland. DePaul has now lost five consecutive games and six of its past seven.
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