DePaul posts best start in Big East in 11 years with win over Seton Hall
CJ Gunn posted a game-high 19 points and a career-high four blocks to pace DePaul to a 67-60 Big East victory Saturday in Chicago, Ill.
Brandon Maclin provided 14 points and four assists off the bench as the Blue Demons (12-8, 4-5) earned a fourth consecutive Big East home win for the first time since 2007. RJ Smith contributed 11 points and Layden Blocker added 10 as DePaul continued its best start in league play since 2015.
Adam "Budd" Clark and TJ Simpkins notched 14 points apiece for the Pirates (14-6, 4-5), who never led while dropping their fourth in a row.
Mike Williams III added 11 points for Seton Hall, which shot just 37.7% from the field as DePaul registered a season-high 10 blocks.
DePaul broke to a 7-0 lead as Seton Hall missed its first six field-goal attempts. The Blue Demons missed six straight shots, too, before Blocker swished a 3-pointer from the corner to make it 10-3 at the 12:21 mark.
After missing 10 of their first 11 shots, the Pirates gradually worked their way back into the game. They hit double figures when Clark tossed a lob that Josh Rivera threw down with 6:40 left in the half to cut DePaul's lead to 21-11.
The Pirates got as close as 24-20 on Clark's fadeaway with 2:16 to go, but DePaul carried a 30-20 lead into halftime despite making just one basket over the final 6:57 of the half.
Seton Hall increased its full-court pressure in the second half to get back in the game. DePaul committed three turnovers in the first four minutes as the Pirates pulled within 32-28, but momentum shifted when Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway was hit with a technical foul at the 14:48 mark. Gunn hit both free throws to give DePaul an 8-point edge.
Simpkins tried to stem the tide with a 4-point play, but Cruz McClure and Gunn hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Blocker added two free throws to give DePaul a 46-33 margin with 10:33 to go.
The Blue Demons maintained their double-digit lead until Simpkins sank a 3-pointer with 43.8 seconds left to make it 66-57.