Connecticut Huskies vs DePaul Blue Demons Match Player Stats On Jan 11, 2021

Tyrese Martin had 18 points and No. 25 UConn, playing without its top scorer, scored the game's final eight points to win its fourth in a row, 60-53 over host DePaul on Monday night in Big East play at Chicago.

UConn (7-1, 4-1 in Big East), ranked for the first time in four seasons, played a second straight game without James Bouknight. The sophomore guard ranks second in the Big East, averaging 20.3 points, but is dealing with a reported elbow issue. RJ Cole and Tyler Polley each scored 12 as the Huskies overcame a 40.4 percent shooting night, 13-of-24 effort from the free-throw line and 14 turnovers by holding DePaul (1-4, 0-4 in Big East) scoreless over the final 4:27.

Nick Ongenda's bucket gave the Blue Demons a 53-52 lead late, but the hosts would go cold. It also did not help that DePaul committed 24 turnovers. A Tyrese Martin free throw gave UConn a 54-53 lead that it would never surrender.

DePaul, which got a team-high 10 points from Darious Hall, trailed by three at halftime, but used an 8-0 run to lead 38-35 on a Hall lay-in with 17:27 to go in the game. UConn, though, would eventually go up 40-39 on Polley's 3-pointer and pushed that advantage to 42-39 after Isaiah Whaley's banked-in jumper.

The Blue Demons tied it at 42-42 on Ray Salnave's 3-pointer with 11:34 to play. It went back and forth until DePaul's final scoreless stretch.

Neither team shot particularly well in the first half (both no better than 41 percent). The Huskies, though, benefited from an early 12-1 run and led 17-6 with 12:03 left in the opening half. DePaul, though, shook off a 1-for-10 shooting start to work its way back into the contest.

The Blue Demons used an 8-0 run to draw within one later in the half and trailed 31-30 thanks to a Hall 3-pointer in the waning seconds prior to the break. However, Martin sank a pair of free throws and UConn went into halftime ahead 33-30.

--Field Level Media