Field Level Media
Jan 18, 2020
Paul Reed had 23 points and nine rebounds and Jalen Coleman-Lands added 20 points to steer host DePaul to a 79-66 upset of No. 5 Butler on Saturday afternoon in Chicago for the Blue Demons' first Big East victory of the season.
After winning 12 of their first 13 to cruise through the nonconference portion of their schedule, the Blue Demons lost each of their first four league games.
A breakthrough arrived at last on Saturday. DePaul (13-5, 1-4 Big East) never trailed and led by as many as 21 in the second half while forcing 17 Bulldogs turnovers and going 10-for-17 from long range.
Romeo Weems chipped in 11 points for DePaul. Reed finished 8-for-9 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.
Butler (15-3, 3-2) lost its second straight game this week after rising to the No. 5 ranking and saw its series winning streak against DePaul snapped at 11 games. The Bulldogs shot 41.5 percent compared to 48.9 percent for the Blue Demons.
Kamar Baldwin paced Butler with 16 points, while Jordan Tucker (13) and Sean McDermott (10) scored in double figures. The Bulldogs outscored the Blue Demons 30-18 in the paint and won the battle under the boards 32-29 behind McDermott's team-high eight rebounds.
Boosted by 50 percent shooting, including 5-for-8 accuracy from 3-point range, the Blue Demons took a 44-34 lead into halftime. Reed led the attack with 18 points on 6-for-6 shooting, all while logging just 14 minutes as he played with two personal fouls.
DePaul roared to a 22-6 lead in the game's first 9:04. Late in the first half, Tucker swished two treys as part of a 10-2 run that brought the Bulldogs to within four points, but the Bulldogs soon recovered. Weems drilled a 3 at the buzzer to close a 9-3 DePaul spurt.
Weems and Jaylen Butz had three steals apiece for the Blue Demons.
--Field Level Media