DePaul basketball failed to close out the game against No. 17 Creighton on Saturday night, dropping the game 69-62. The game was largely a back-and-forth match for about 38 minutes when the Bluejays pulled off a late rally to put the game away. The Blue Demons came out hot, scoring seven points within the first two minutes, but then quickly found themselves amid a scoring drought for the next seven minutes. Taking advantage of DePaul’s inconsistent offensive attempts, Creighton was able to through the Blue Demons off any rhythm they seemed to find. In 11 minutes, the Bluejays defense was able to force DePaul’s offense to miss 15 of 16 shots. Still, the Demons battled back throughout the first half, holding Creighton,
Author: Maddi Smith
DePaul basketball: Homecoming for Javon Freeman-Liberty
Joining DePaul basketball was a sort of homecoming for Javon Freeman-Liberty. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Freeman-Liberty first started making a name for himself at Whitney Young High School. At Whitney Young, he played a key role in securing the Dolphins’ state title in 2017. As a senior in 2018, Freeman-Liberty averaged almost 20 points and six rebounds per game, earning his first team all-state honors while also taking the Dolphins to the state championships that year. He finished fifth in Illinois’s Mr. Basketball voting and was named a top-10 player in the Illinois Class of 2018. After his graduation from Whitney Young, Freeman-Liberty committed to playing for the Valparaiso Crusaders. As a freshman, he started all 33 games, averaging 11 points, roughly
DePaul basketball defeated by St. John’s
Coming off its first Big East win of the season last Saturday, DePaul basketball was aiming to start its first win streak of the year. On Wednesday night facing off against the St. John’s Red Storm, DePaul struggled to contain St. John’s offense, as the Demons lost 81-68. In their win against Marquette last week, the Demons’ defense was a critical key to that victory. Against St. John’s, DePaul couldn’t get back into that defensive rhythm, leaving the Red Storm to score 49 points in the first half, the most allowed by DePaul in a single half this season. St. John’s and DePaul were supposed to meet on Jan. 2, but that game was postponed due to COVID-19 related concerns. “From the
DePaul basketball picks up its first conference win
DePaul basketball picked up its first conference win on Saturday, defeating the Marquette Golden Eagles 68-61 on the road. The Blue Demons were coming into this game fresh off another Big East loss to Butler, while Marquette was hoping to add another game to its winning streak. In their most complete game of the season, the Blue Demons controlled both ends of the floor. DePaul’s go-to duo of junior guard Javon Freeman-Liberty and senior guard Charlie Moore - the Demons’ two leading scorers of the season so far - combined for 40 of the Demons’ 68 points. On the defensive end, sophomore center Nick Ongenda added a game-high five blocks, four of which were in the first half, while junior forward Darious
DePaul basketball drops game to Butler
DePaul basketball is back to its expected losing ways. After snapping a four-game losing streak with a win against non-conference opponent Valparaiso, the Blue Demons resumed Big East play with a loss to the Butler Bulldogs 67-53. An ice-cold offense in the first half all but sealed this defeat for the Blue Demons. Shooting just 25% on 7-for-28 shots, DePaul netted a season-low 17 points in the first half. At the break, the Demons trailed 35-17 and struggled to stay in the game for the rest of the contest. Coming off its second win of the season, DePaul was looking to build on the offensive rhythm it found against Valparaiso; Butler proved to be too great a challenge, as the Bulldogs had
DePaul basketball snaps four-game losing streak
DePaul basketball picked up its second win of the season on Saturday against Valparaiso 77-58. This brings its record to 2-4 overall, but still winless in the Big East. DePaul added this non-conference game against the Valparaiso Crusaders in the wake of the Georgetown game - originally scheduled for Jan. 13 - being canceled. With this win, DePaul snapped its four-game losing streak, giving it a bit more confidence before resuming Big East play next week. The Blue Demons came out hot, hitting six of their first eight shots including a perfect record from beyond the arc. As they raced to a 19-7 lead, the Crusaders were unable to contain the Demons offensively. This was one of the Demons’ best games on
DePaul basketball: Hometown hero Charlie Moore
As a DePaul basketball hometown hero, Charlie Moore wants to see his school thrive. Growing up in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, basketball was always a part of Moore’s life. A 5-foot-11 guard, he played high school ball for Morgan Park, a perennial contender for the past decade. The Morgan Park Mustangs boys’ basketball team were regional champions for nine consecutive years from 2011 to 2019, adding Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state championships in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018. Moore was part of the 2013 and 2014 championship teams during his freshman and sophomore years, but his dominance at Morgan Park didn’t stop there. As a senior in 2015-16, he was named the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year and Illinois’
DePaul basketball loses a close rematch to UConn
In their second match against UConn this season, DePaul basketball aimed to claim this revenge game. The Demons were just four minutes away from doing so, as they looked to win their first Big East game, and claim an upset victory over No. 25 UConn. Those four minutes weren’t enough. The Blue Demons effectively collapsed in those final four minutes as they closed out the game scoring zero points but still committing seven turnovers. UConn quickly took advantage of those mistakes, finishing the game on an 8-0 run, winning the game 60-53 and sweeping DePaul during this Big East conference season. This latest game brings DePaul to 1-4 overall and still winless in the Big East. This is now DePaul’s second consecutive season
DePaul basketball loses to Seton Hall
DePaul basketball dropped another Big East game this past week, bringing its overall record to 1-3 while still being winless within the conference. DePaul lost to a good Seton Hall team 76-68 in its first conference home game at Wintrust Arena. This gives DePaul a three-game losing streak. DePaul came into its first conference home game with only three games under its belt this season due to various COVID-19 related issues and pauses. With various quarantine periods, the Demons struggled to contain the Pirates’ offense and couldn’t put up much of a fight against their stronghold defense either. Coach Dave Leitao praised the Pirates during his postgame presser: “The thing about Seton Hall that makes them really good is they don’t break.
UConn trounces DePaul basketball
Coming off of a close defeat from Providence in double overtime, DePaul basketball was dealt a less-than-close loss from UConn on Wednesday night when the Huskies beat the Demons 82-61. This brings the Demons’ overall record to 1-2 and still being winless in the Big East. While both UConn and DePaul have played limited games this season due to various COVID-19 issues, DePaul now has the same amount of games played as games postponed or games canceled. DePaul began its season on Dec. 23 with a win over Western Illinois after three different COVID-19-related pauses, forcing the cancellation or postponing of its first 10 games. The Huskies also had these problems; they started their season with three wins before having to cancel
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